Government has said that nothing will deter its goal of reaching the economic growth target set. Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati said government will remain focused to achieve this goal despite the 2011 tripartite elections.
“Come elections or not, Government is determined to reach the growths targets set this year. Zambia has reached a level of maturity of conducting election Government will this year achieve t the set targets this year come polls or not but we have to reach our target or even exceed it this year,” he said.
Mr. Mutati expressed gratitude at the unwavering support from the private sector through the Public Private Partnership (PPP).
He says investors in the country has assured of the good policies that have continued to flourish under ‘the able leadership’ of President Rupiah Banda.
Mr. Mutati was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka yestarday.
The minister said Zambia has reached a level of maturity of conducting elections and that had nothing to derail to yield its intended target of growing the economy.
And Zambia has finalised preparations for much anticipated 10th African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) summit to be attended by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Mr. Mutati said in the same interview that preparations for the summit have reached a 100 percent mark saying the Southern African country is now ready to host the AGOA.
Over 300 business executives and United States’ government officials are expected to participate at the forth coming AGOA conference to be hosted in Zambia .
“Preparations for the AGOA have reached 100%. Over 3,000 delegates from US will attend and 38 African countries to include ministers, chief executives and the civil society on the African continent plus Zambian entrepreneurs will attend,” he said.
Minister has also advised small scale entrepreneurs (SMEs) in Zambia to remain focused to penetrate the American markets.
Mr. Mutati urged the companies to be ambitious and remove the ‘small tag’ because they started from somewhere.
He dismissed assertions that only ‘bigger companies’ penetrate to the American markets.
He further urged the companies to focuses on adding value to their products improve on quantity, quality and certification to reach AGOA’s policy.
“Zambian companies should remove the mentality of small. They should not ever think of being small. But they should have an ambition to conquer the US market and how best to forge ahead. They only have to work on certification, volume and quality because every business firm started from somewhere,” Mr. Mutati said.
The 2011 theme is enhanced trade, through increased competitiveness, value addition and deeper regional integration.
The aim of the strategy on AGOA is to provide a focuses a framework through which Zambia ’s competitiveness and comparative advantage can be harnessed and channelled to exploit opportunities in the US market.
ZANIS
Ba Mutati, Let us use the AGOA investment forum to raise our country profile and attract more quality investment to our country. This is a free country and there will always be naysayers and failures but those should not divert government’s resolve to attact more business to our country.
Trying to link national development to a particular political party is like the 1980s – the party is not the same as the nation, you neo-UNIP f o o l s