PRESIDENT Lungu has directed all supermarkets to also retail Zambian-grown agricultural produce and other local products.
The President said there is no reason why Zambian-grown tomatoes, potatoes and other produce should not be given sufficient shelf space in supermarket chains that benefit extensively from Government investment incentives.
The president was speaking in Kitwe yesterday when he officially commissioned the US$ 50 million Mukuba mall.
“I will personally be making surprise visits to supermarkets and similar retail outlets to check on their compliance to this directive.To all those who think these are empty threats, please take me on,” Mr Lungu said.
President Lungu said the development of retail spaces, including shopping malls, opens up opportunities for growth of local suppliers and entrepreneurs in other sectors.
He said local businesses are able to grow and create more jobs in sectors like agriculture, transport, tourism and arts, among others.
“I am reliably informed that the Mukuba Mall and Kafubu Mall group is currently developing two more shopping malls in Solwezi and Lusaka, respectively, and works are progressing well.
“It is indeed encouraging to note that the total direct investment into these mall developments is currently over K1 billion,” he said.
The President reiterated his commitment to developing the country.
“Apart from the investment and economic activity anticipated in these developments, there are over 1,000 jobs that have been created during the construction phase of the shopping malls. This is in addition to thousands of jobs and service skills development opportunities for our youth that will be created in the retail and service industry over the long term,” Mr Lungu said.
The President said Government is aware that the domestic economy is always spurred by a healthy or robust consumer base.
“Our communities have grown and transformed over the years as we are indeed witnessing an accelerated growth and diversity in the consumer base,” Mr Lungu said.
He said the development of the mall has resulted in higher demand for goods and services that are not only competitive in quality but also in prices and accessibility.
He ordered the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry to ensure that locally-produced goods and services meet the challenge.
“Having grown up here in Kitwe, I have a strong personal recollection of the limited retail amenities that were available and accessible to us,” he said.
He commended the developers of Mukuba Mall for taking advantage of the good investment climate in the country.
“It is an established fact that such commercial developments give sound confidence to investors in the strength and growth of the Zambian economy and is an assurance that investing in Zambia continues to make good business sense,” he said.
Mr Lungu encouraged all mall developers and operators to work with the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry to develop more inclusive rental pricing structures that encourage local tenancy in the malls.
President Lungu said Government, remains committed to supporting the growth of the local industry and micro and small to medium-scale enterprises.
He also said Government through the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry and the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission, is working on a policy that will protect and support the growth of local participation in all economic sectors.
“I also urge local entrepreneurs to study and take advantage of the opportunities that have been rolled out through the launch of this development,” he said.
Mukuba Mall chief executive officer Steve Herring described Zambia as a land of opportunities.
Mr Herring commended various stakeholders, including Kitwe City Council for their support during the development of the mall.
He said the mall is the largest trading facility on the Copperbelt.
President Lungu was accompanied by Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge, special assistant for press and public relations Amos Chanda, special assistant for political affairs Kaizer Zulu, State House Deputy Minister Mulenga Sata, deputy ministers, Patriotic Front members of the central committee, Copperbelt permanent secretary Howard Sikwela, district commissioners and mayors and other senior Government and party officials.
No need for you to go and inspect. what is the job of your ministers and their juniors in the relevant ministry. just legislate no more than a certain percentage of certain products should be imported into the country
Increase tax on imported carrots, potatoes, fruit juices, fishes and the like and then encourage local farm industries to package products properly and see the results.
@ Misango Yaba Chaimani, increasing tx on imported products will push their price up, but will find the greedy zambians also want the same price for their inferior products.
Haters will hate bwana
Improve the quality first before passing such useless directives! Why should people be forced to use and high class supermarkets use/stock inferior products, just because they are from Kitwe or Zambia – when statehouse uses high quality imported products? Yes, things like Tomatoes are easy to package and preserve, but where is the capacity in Zambia? Please support such statements with enabling policies, and Zambia shall be saved.
I used to buy Zambian crisps and peanuts(Chalimbana) in Shoprite some time back. This time its just the foreign stuff. Surely, groundnuts from South Africa. Well done Ba President. There will more money in pockets of people who think deeply because foreign edible oil has been banned. Therefore more money from Soya, groundnuts and of course sun flower.
I support the president on this one. Mr President, please remember that the opposition parties are not your enemies. The enemies of the people are these big chain stores that do not want to support locally grown products.
And please Zambians, do not go to South Africa for shopping. They will end up killing or robbing you. There is nothing that they have that can not be found in Zambia. Just make the South African chain stores like Shoprite to follow the president’s directive. In fact, there should be a law in place to make all these international companies to purchase locally grown/made products.
May the Lord Almighty bless Zambia.
To the Zambians in diaspora, I think we should all support our people in every possible way. Those who are already sending money and investments, well done. One day, we will all return home; dead or alive.
I think its high time we stopped criticizing for the sake of it. I commend those who are give real solutions. If you are not assisting by investing, sending money to relatives or providing tangible solutions, then please stop criticising. I am not a PF supporter, however, I will support the government each time they do the right thing.
I still feel HH has better policies. Thats my opinion. However, I wont wait till HH becomes president to start helping my people.
Unfortunately, again shooting from the hip.
Under which law this “directive” has been issued?
Please Your Excellency, instead of issuing “populist” directives which cannot be enforced without breaching at least six international treaties, instruct your incompetent Ministers of trade and industry, agriculture, finance and justice to “bang” theirs head together, create favorable legal frame-work and the results will be there for all to see.
Only in Zambia does a President commission a foreign owned shopping mall housed with mostly RSA tenants who will externalizing all their profits back there ….this Edgar Lazy has too much time on his hands. The lazy man thinks presidency is about issuing directives….truly laughable.
@Jay Jay
This is what is meant by Ruling by decree and we must brace ourselves for.
Its within his dispensation confines. After all the infrastructure has been erected on Zambian soil… over which he has been mandated to govern.
No need to import tomatoes, potatoes, juices, bread, chickens, beef and list goes on there are there in Zambia and they are grown and packaged locally.
Mr. President its only with local production that Zambia will be respected. I salute you
improve quality first.
THE DIRECTIVE OF SELLING ZAMBIAN PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES SOUNDS GOOD. BUT, ZAMBIAN PRODUCERS (EG, FARMERS) MUST LEARN AND THERE MUST AN INITIATIVE BY GOVERNMENT THROUGH MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ZAMBIA BUREAU OF STANDARDS TO RE-ENFORCE MARKETING AND PACKAGING STANDARDS AND THE PRODUCERS OF PACKAGING MATERIALS TO BE MORE INNOVATIVE IN ORDER TO COMPETE FAVOURABLY WITH IMPORTED HIGH STANDARD (SOME OF THEM ARE NOT) GOODS AND SERVICES. ZAMBIA FOR A LONG TIME WAS A MONOPOLISTIC COUNTRY WITH PARASTATAL COMPANIES WHO SOLD ANYTHING WITH NO COMPETITION. ZAMBIAN PEOPLE DON’T KNOW STANDARDS, YET.
Encourage home grown local products that are fresh from the garden. Importing stuff is not fresh by the time they get to their destination. This is spending withing our country and does not support “leakage” by importing products. You import from South Africa you are benefiting their economy. Mulenga Sata should learn a lesson from this and Lungu needs to talk to him about investing half a milling on a home in South Africa. It would be encouraging if Lungu did a surprise visit every now and then to show people “I buy local and I support the Zambian economy.” Let him do something that’s right for a change. Hopefully he’ll go after his corrupt officials.
Apart from encouraging local products in these Malls, GRZ should also insist that Zambian retailers have space in these mega shops! Whatever happened to Katungu’s in Lusaka, Chapasuka in Ndola, Kanjombe in Lusaka and Limbada of Lusaka? These are some of the retailers who, with good support from government should have by now been competing with the Shoprites and others!
Part of enforcing this directive (which may not be backed by law) is to ask the Minister of Commerce and the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) to enhance their inspectorate departments to see if these retail outlets are implementing what they promise in their investment pledges. I do recall that when Shoprite came to Zambia,they tagged along Fresh Mark Africa with a pledge that Fresh Mark will be working with local farmers to improve quantity and quality of horticultural products so that Zambian Farmers could meet Shoprite’s demand and standards. They had tax incentives to that effect. But to date we are still importing bananas,shriveled pineapples,miserable looking paw paws,mangoes,tomatoes,onions etc. Surely,take this issue seriously so that we can realise our agric potential +incomes!
lol… And thinking its a free market with favorable competition. Quality over quantity. How about coming up with policies to help local manufacturers. TAX rebates you give to foreign investors, how about extending that to local manufacturers.
Imwe ba Pulezidenti you never direct such things. You enact laws to protect local business. That way the investor knows he cant break the laws. A directive can be ignored
Zambia is importing what it can produce locally that is not only sweet but fresh? This is shameful indeed. Imagine picking that ripe mango and smelling it then washing it and eating it. What is wrong with that. Do we really need to import our veggies and fruits? This is totally ridiculous and the people managing this sector should be fired. Encourage local farmers to produce products so you can sell the same products. Please invest in Zambia and not other nations. This is simple economics. Too many old mentality in government, we need new ways that are fresh and innovative.
Lungu is really penny wise and pound foolish. He has never opened his mouth over important issues such as corruption, the constitution, or how to reduce government deficit ,since he became president thru the back door .Corruption especially, you bet, he will never talk about it because that is how he came to be. Stop points scoring over issues which will change little or nothing.