The Ministry on Commerce, Trade and Industry has developed an Industrial Policy to support and accelerate industrialisation in Zambia in line with other countries in the COMESA bloc.
Ministry of Commerce Permanent Secretary, Kayula Siame, has told ZANIS in Antananarivo that consultation, validation and formulation of the policy has been completed and the policy will soon be taken to Cabinet for approval before the end of the year.
Ms Kayula explained that the industrial policy will address issues of productive capacity for enterprises to promote the production and consumption of local contents.
She said the policy also looks at value-addition to products that are locally produced and innovation and technology required in production so as to attain the aim of industrialisation in Zambia.
She noted that previously Zambia had a commercial trade and industrial policy that was meant to support industrialisation but failed to work because it did not look at all the gaps that were required to accelerate industrialisation.
“So what we have done now is that we have developed an Industrial Policy and this policy has been finalised, validated and consultations have taken place and is ready to be taken to Cabinet for approval,” Ms Kayula explained.
She said Zambia is in a hurry to industrialise as directed and emphasised by the republican President, Edgar Lungu, who has on several occasions emphasised on the need to speed up the process of industrialisation.
She said the COMESA Council of Ministers’ meeting also looked that industrialisation and the Industrial Policy and further looked at how member countries can develop more ownership of the industrialisation process.
She said members states of COMESA have been encouraged to identify each area they have comparative advantage so that they can lead in a certain cluster such as agriculture or mining.
Ms Kayula said the Zambian delegation would straight away embark on ensuring that the country realises its dream of fully industrialising using the policy framework which will be put in place in due course.
She said in addition to focussing on value-addition and innovation, the Ministry of Commerce will also use the cooperatives as viable business models to industrialise.
The Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry represented Zambia in the council of Ministers of Commerce during the COMESA Summit which closed on October 19, 2016, in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Recently, President Lungu hinted during the official opening of Parliament that government would develop an Industrialisation Policy which would stipulate achievable outcomes in order to stimulate job creation through industrialisation and tackle high levels of poverty and unemployment.
The President told the House that his government would take to Parliament a new Trade, Investment and Enterprise Development Bill that would facilitate the growth on non-traditional exports, enterprise growth and domestic and foreign direct investment.
The Head of State noted that diversification and industrialisation were important strategies government would employ to attain sustainable economic growth which is in line with what the just-ended COMESA Summit was discussing under the theme, “Inclusive and sustainable Industrialisation.”
Zambian politicians, trying to speak nice things whenever they are abroad. Come to the country, little or nothing is happening other than rampant corruption and political witch hunting.
An industrialization policy that is revealed in Madagascar that Zambians do not know about! PF cannot square the different needs of all stakeholders – they need money to buy voters but they are squeezing companies to pay up unreasonable fees for ZABS, NAPSA, ZRA, councils. They need more people to be employed but they have a ridiculous minimum wage and powercuts that cripple businesses. There’s no industrialisation policy, just some useless ideas that will never be implemented.
I doubt anything tangible will result from the so called ‘new policy’. The ministry’s own manufacturing industry survey report published in 2013 which probably led to the development of this new policy has little in way of workable strategies to help industrialisation in Zambia.
Bronze component producers in the country have no access to virgin copper as primary producers such as FQM and KCM would rather deal with foreign contracts and offer nothing to locals. The local producers have to rely entirely on scrap metal often obtained from criminal middle men …
Honestly? You’ve the guts to talk about Industrialisation when you’ve been singing about 3 universities in Western, Eastern and North-Western Provinces and there’s NO SINGLE BRICK on the ground???
Industriasation needs needs strong , sustained leadership of the president.
This is not possible as lungu spends his time chasing HH around the country and worrying how many people he greets…..
“She noted that previously Zambia had a commercial trade and industrial policy that was meant to support industrialisation but failed to work because it did not look at all the gaps that were required to accelerate industrialisation…..”
Like LOAD SHEDDING that has destroyed small businesses due to PF incompetence, poor planning and ignorance!
Ms Kayula, can you please clarify why Zambia has not ratified COMESA treaty for the protection of investors?
Industrialization hardly thrives in blocks. The reason why EU is shaking is because blocs tend to politicize those so-called strong areas to the detriment of local initiative. It is like deciding we cut down palm plantations in Luapula to pave way for another plantation in the DRc where we think it will work best ignoring indigenous practices and cottage industry enhancement value.
Agalu imwe there is nothing that you are doing you are wasting people’s time this is the worst government the whole world rubbish!
we have had good ideas which these thugs flushed in the toilet.
It is important to note how President Lungu always brings Development Potential from his International Trips. We need to TALK-UP Zambia to attract Growth and Wellbeing. In fact lets have a campaign to encourage TALKING-UP Zambia to defeat the negativity of one particular Party which celebrates the death of Zambia to gain Political Power.
All you do is talk. Don’t mistake talking for doing.
Comment: ok.
honestly speaking Zambia has been mishandled this country was the best country to do business in southern Africa investors were at great deal with Zambia until it was given to these thugs who are busy saying sonta epowabombele i don’t even get their slogan do they mean them they could sonta before they were in government pf has been a thug party since sata but sata had a better plan coz those thugz thought they will have actual money in their pockets for being thugz but unfortunately after Sata became president that never happened but now its the other way round coz chishimba kambwili is a real definition of a thug .
Haha, ba Zambia you can’t run an airline,can’t run the mines and you can’t even manage to run successful homegrown retail chains coz shoprite owns Zambia yet you dream of industrialization?
The PS COMMERCE, Mrs. Kayula Siame, speaks sense in a well thought out manner and very careful if you analyze and must be supported on this industrialization drive towards a Zambian circular economy that will help to retain value to ensure all opportunities of industrialization in a value chain in the Zambian products life cycle create a valuable industry that would contribute to the industrialization
When Mrs. Siame speaks You tend to pause and get the sense if what she says is supported and implemented It’s could change the whole country in terms of economic performance and productivity and incomes for households in particular
Look for instance at agricultural Sector…
from the field to downstream logistics and marketing, there is a lot of value industries and innovation one can innovatively create to emerge as pillars of the economy
Perhaps what has been lacking in all industrialsation concepts and What Mrs. Kayula should also be emphasizing on is the issue of Financing for the industrialization especially the smaller firms growth variables that creates the Industries
There is normally a misplaced emphasis on “bank Financed Industrializations concepts currently in Zambia as opposed to Venture capital Financing and other cheaper cost of industrialization that have a superior correlation to the growth of Smaller Firms needed for our…
industrialization. This industrialization policy drive should be supported and given the necessary drive it requires by all Zambians
There are so many industrialization initiatives for Zambia Look at the Proposal by Mr. Lucky Mulusa to reallocate Lusaka from its current due to MOBILITY PROBLEMS In that there is an opportunity to Industrialize as opposed to relocations
There is no need to RELOCATE LUSAKA from ITS CURRENT BUT WHAT IS NEEDED IS TO CREATE value Services and streams to support the Current evolving industrial city of Lusaka and nature the CIRCULAR ECONOMY it presents
Like any City in emerging or frontier economies ,there is industrialization and as such…
cities tend to grow and move There is constant movement of commerce and people as a result space and mobility becomes a challenge
The alternative is not to relocate but to reengineer mobility and create services and industries that in themselves add value and support the current growth of Lusaka as New entrants come in to grow and search for work You have a lot of nearly graduates getting employed in Lusaka and each grieving to own a private vehicle on the already immobile Lusaka streets The solution is to think through and work out a circular economy even in this mobility challenge as Lusaka industrializes as opposed to relocation to create new infrastructure…
set for similar Lusaka City. One should see growth and industrialization of Lusaka in the challenges that Mobility has presented Lusaka and create services that will positively add 5% or more to current GDP growth attained or projected and reduce the associated cost of congestion save the capital costs of building another city that will also be affected by mobility situations as more people relocate to such
The solutions for mobility in Lusaka is an industrialization opportunity for both the Private and Government if carefully thought after and planned in a commrecially,technologically and workable business model To support the industrialization of Lusaka, there is need to move…
towards a MULTIMODAL SERVICE
This MULTIMODAL SERVICE includes walking, private and public vehicles and shared or commuted transport services such as are developed in Bogota and San-Francisco running from industrial clusters to townships and locations like mandevu ,chilenje or lilayi Kafue Chibombo and Chongwe areas Shared Services and Commuted Public transport system dedicated is the solutions also in support of industrialization of Lusaka to the MFEZ
The urban archetypes of Lusaka should support the shared services to complement the industrialization of Lusaka
If the industrialization of Lusaka is to be realised,there is need to move away from the predominantly…
private mode of transport to shared commuted public systems with connectivity solutions similar to the GULTRAIN in South Africa or My City in Cape Town The concept of Wife Neighbor and Husband driving in one vehicle for work should be encouraged as opposed to all in 3 vehicles as seen at parliament or Government complex Walking and cycling for work should also be supported in the strive towards the industrialization of Lusaka City As a result certain roads could be closed for private vehicles and only to pedestrians and public bus rapid system which could have built in dedicated lanes to support the industrialization and mobility of commerce and workers as can be…
seen in BOGATA industrialization and Bus transit system and also the operational system mobility in Beijing
The support towards industrialization through shared cars, public rapid transit systems and walk ways and cycling should be the way to support the ever industrialization of Lusaka and its immediate cities of Kafue and Chongwe including to the North Chibombo to kabwe.
There is no need to shift Lusaka but work out the Lusaka Infrust set to support a multi modal system as proposed by Mr. Mulusa rather there is no need to shift Lusaka but to support a PUBLIC RAPID TRASIT SYSTEM that is multimodal in concept side by side with the industrialsation concept by…
Ministry of commerce
Good Points from Mrs. Kayula Siame The Team of Mrs. Siame and Our able bigger Sister Margareta is proving good policy but review and align the trade treaties with COMESA and SADC and ensure they speak industrialization also ,they do not in some points
The whole realm of planning towards 2030 and beyond must be coherent and fit in the systems and industrial clusters including Financing by Hon Mutati
If you review the old Chilenje rail line you will seen it up to the MFEZ into matero and beyond The planning was there and could be modified to feet the multi modal Mr Mulusa and support the industrialization by Mrs Siame Good landlord Avondale
Then Honourable Mulusa its always important to have some factual answer when answering parliament To say GDP growth number projections is not known and is static was not assuring and enough
You would rather say the real GDP growth would be against the potential GROWTH of ……..China is expected to grow at 6.7% to assume a greater number than that in the 2017 will be highly opportunistic 4% is the Number looking at the trends and historical Its not dynamic That is why you revise your forecast and adjust within safe limits
Its important to assure and come out strong in parliament and be factual to instil confidence…
Listening to You giving a dynamic answer on your projection of GDP was not enough last week in parliament especially having planned and forecasted
Remember we estimate value and adjust instead of relying on stereotypes and fail to ask, “What am I missing
You can make a good minister of Planning be factual and accurate when answering in parliament avoiding any element of “flux” being full of Perspective,precise and Personality giving insightful dialogue
regards
Jonathan
Mrs Siame should understand that industrialization is the product of better roads in keys areas. abandoning the Chingola – Solwezi road among others and putting roads everywhere in Chawama will not help us industralise enough. Lastly I think lets quit the song of diversification and lets get focused here, focused in developing strong financial and investment systems and consistence policies particularly co-operate tax policies.