Tuesday, March 19, 2024

President Lungu calls mining industry to diversify

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President Edgar Lungu  talks to KCM Mr Davies Paterson Vice President Local Economy Development at Kitwe Agricultural and Commercial Show in Kitwe on Saturday..
President Edgar Lungu talks to KCM Mr Davies Paterson Vice President Local Economy Development at Kitwe Agricultural and Commercial Show in Kitwe on Saturday..

President Edgar Lungu has officially opened the 59th edition of the Copperbelt Mining and Agricultural Commercial Show with a challenge to the mining industry to consider diversifying in other minerals apart from copper and enhancing competitiveness in their operations.

ZANIS in Kitwe reports that President Lungu made the challenge this afternoon when he officially opened the show whose overall stand winner has been scooped by the Zambia National Service (ZNS).

“I want to challenge the mining industry to embrace diversification in other minerals which the country is endowed with and not only concentrate on copper and also to enhance competitiveness in their operations,” he said.

The President further said this year’s theme “Innovation and Diversity the answer to the Energy and Copper Challenges” could not come at a better time than now when the country was currently facing challenges due to effects of climate change.
“This year’s theme could not come at a better time than this when the country is facing problems due to climate changes that we have experienced,” he said.

President Lungu further implored farmers in the province to increase food production and diversification so as to safely store for the local market before exporting.

And speaking earlier incoming show society chairman, London Mwafulilwa, outlined the five-year programme plan that his executive intends to implement, which includes plans to change infrastructure in the show grounds by replacing old dilapidated buildings with modern exhibition halls, setting up a media centre and ensuring that the show becomes self-sustaining.

“We have plans to raze old dilapidated buildings and replace them with new exhibition halls, as well as setting up a media centre and making sure that the show is self-sustaining,” he said.

Mr Mwafulilwa further advised to take advantage of the challenges that the country was facing and identify opportunities that they could explore using innovation.

And Agriculture Minister, Given Lubinda, wondered why certain critics predicted a looming drought and talked of the mining industry going through a crisis when the Copperbelt Province had produced an unprecedented 236, 760 metric tonnes of maize despite the bad weather conditions.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Mr. President you cause diversification through the type of policies you implement. Come up with appropriate policies that support diversification and it will happen. Just talking about it the way your government and previous governments have done for the last 51 years, it will not happen!

    • The lazy bum is challenging others yet he himself and his gov’t can not diversify from dependence on maize or diversify from using loans for overpriced roads to agriculture.
      Who is this Lungu to challenge anybody??

    • This phrase, “Innovation and Diversity the answer to the Energy and Copper Challenges” is poorly constructed and confusing. Technically, you can`t use the word “diversity” when referring to a variety of sectors or products. The correct term is diversification or diversify. Diversity implies individual differences.

  2. “I want to challenge the mining industry to embrace diversification in other minerals which the country is endowed with and not only concentrate on copper and also to enhance competitiveness in their operations,” he said.

    What a moronic statement by this Lazy Bum Edgar, an idio.t he is you have these investors who are not paying their fair share in Copper mining and you are asking them to plunder more in other minerals. Does this bum even know what the word diversification means?

  3. lazy pipo owez blame good pipo. all those who blame govt are lazy and they think hakabola halikulila who feed them. ziro and u will regret, coz we know them by the fruits.

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