Friday, March 29, 2024

Lungu pledges to diversify the economy during his tenure

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President Edgar Lungu with Vice Presisident Inonge Wina
President Edgar Lungu with Vice President Inonge Wina

PRESIDENT Lungu says his administration will ensure there is policy consistency in the country to build investor confidence.

And President Lungu has pledged to “walk the talk” on economic diversification during his tenure.

He said Zambia has been stable in the last 50 years but has not been consistent in terms of policy.

He was speaking at City Airport on Friday on return from Kitwe, where he had gone to officiate at the 58th Copperbelt Mining, Agricultural and Commercial Show.

“I am trying to shape a future which is certain and assuring to both local people and foreign investors. We need to make sure our policies are in place to attract investor confidence,” President Lungu said.

He said i t is currently encouraging that some investors that had left the country are coming back.

[pullquote]“For me, I want to walk the talk and will ensure things are done. There has been research on diversification but papers are gathering dust in offices,” he said.[/pullquote]

“We need to put our heads together and integrate our resources like we should so that we are able to benefit as people of Zambia,” President Lungu said.

And President Lungu said the agriculture sector has potential, hence the need to diversify.

“We need to start looking at diversifying. We need to see value in plants like sorghum. Why should we import malt when we can produce sorghum in larger quantities and sell to malt manufacturers,” President Lungu said.

President Lungu said others have talked about diversification but have not implemented it.

“For me, I want to walk the talk and will ensure things are done. There has been research on diversification but papers are gathering dust in offices,” he said.

Mr Lungu said Zambia has so much potential which lies untapped, uncoordinated and sometimes frustrated by bureaucracy.

11 COMMENTS

  1. If Lungu means the talk then Zambia is headed for great recovery.And the warning to all Zambians is to make sure we dont ever make a mistake in future of voting for the likes of Sata..MISRP.

    • Totally agree, Zambians should NEVER ever vote for a person like the late Sata. Look at the confusion he has left? At least, we have stopped seeing panga weilding thugs in the streets with Kabimba and Sata some where else. Hope it remains that way and Edgar please, so far so good you are doing well, but you need to get rid of all the deputy ministers, deputy perm secs. we don’t need them, the cabinet if over bloated. The govt. is wasting money through salaries of these people, some of which do nothing.

    • My man Pilato has summed everything about Alungu and PF. No need to add more. Just listen to Pilato s hit and you will understand what lungu under PF is about.

  2. …………………. and remember they say you said that you have no vision for the country. Prove them wrong. Time will tell.

  3. Lungu you are talking on things other people have said before you and you have close to 1 year to implement and so far in the 4 months you have been in office there is nothing positive you have done. You’re worse than all your predecessors. Everyone knows it’s RB running the show and you are just busy doing casual jobs of firing, appointing and conducting swearing ceremonies. For once start working and stop wasting money on useless trips.

  4. Diversify by condoning and not acting on allegations of corruption to reassure pipos confidence…. $25 million airport theft, kambwili stealing council land….

  5. President Lungu said Zambia has so much potential which lies untapped uncoordinated and sometimes frustrated by the opposition parties. This is exactly what is happening. Opposition parties behave like foreigners trying to outsmart the indigenous people.

  6. BA LUBINDA THAT SONG IS LONG-OVER-DUE. JUST START IMPLEMENTING. GRZ, REALLY AMAZES ME. THERE WAS SMUGGLING OF ESSENTIALS (maize meal, sugar, etc) FROM ZAMBIA TO CONGO, ZIMBABWE, etc IN THOSE DAYS TO DATE. THE ANSWER TO THAT BY GRZ WAS PUNIC AND BLOCKING TRADE INSTEAD OF SEEING EXPORT OPPORTUNITY THEREFORE INCREASED FARMING INCENTIVES TO FARMERS TO PRODUCE MORE FOR EXPORT NOT ONLY AFRICAN COUNTRIES BUT TO OVERSEAS, TOO. GIVEN, EVERY MINI-STAR SINGS THE SAME SONG. ARE YOU YOURSELVES NOT BORED OF IT? WITH PLENTY OF FERTILE LAND, WATER AND ENERGETIC HUMAN RESOURCES DO YOU NEED TO CONTINUE SINGING THE SAME BORING SONG? THE IDEA OF FARMING BLOCKS IS BRILLIANT…

    • …from @12
      BUT, FARMING BLOCKS CAN’T WORK IN ISOLATION FROM OTHER NECESSARY DELIBERATE POLICIES AND IMPLEMENTATIONS SUCH AS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DAMS FOR IRRIGATION, RELATED PROCESSING AND PACKAGING PLANTS OR MINI MFEZs TO PROCESS WHATEVER IS BEING PRODUCED THERE, EXCELLENT RAIL AND ROAD NETWORKS TO THE TOWNS OF ZAMBIA AND TO THE BOARDERS OF ZAMBIA FOR QUICK AND EFFICIENT EXPORT TO NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES AND YONDER. IN EFFECT THESE FARMING BLOCKS BECOME PRODUCTIVE AND PROCESSING TOWNS AND MODERN VILLAGES. THIS IS INSTEAD OF SPENDING MILLIONS TO ARREST SMUGGLERS OF ESSENTIAL COMMODITIES TO OTHER COUNTRIES. ZAMBIA ALWAYS HAS BORING POLITICIANS WITH SAME SONGS ALL THE TIMES. PLEASE, OPPORTUNITIES IN SOME OF THESE MENACES. ZAMBIA SHOULD PRODUCE AND PROCESS ENOUGH TO FEED CONGO AND OTHERS.

  7. Wanzelu are you a serious human? Surely you judge our Presidents through what copy cats like Pilato sing?

  8. Lungu just had to refer to malt. He seems to really be always having beer on the mind. An interesting perspective on diversification, I must say.

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