Vice President Inonge Wina has challenged Zambian missions abroad to justify their existence and operation in foreign lands.
Mrs Wina said missions abroad are suppossed to facilitate Zambia’s socio-economic development by wooing foreign direct investments.
She regretted that some missions are not doing enough to contribute to Zambia’s development.
ZANIS reports that the Vice President said this when she commended Zambia’s Ambassador to China Mrs Winnie ChibesaKunda and her staff for facilitating the numerous infrastructure development projects taking place in Zambia and the Zambia week initiative and twiining programme.
“Ambassador, Â you’re doing a good job, as a country, we are focusing on economic diplomacy and these are the things we want to see come out of the implementation of the policy, ” said Mrs Wina .
The Vice President stated that government is spending colosal sums of tax payers money to maintain missions abroad .
She warned that government will soon be reviewing the performance of the country’s missions abroad and those not bringing any benefits risk being closed.
Mrs Wina explained that government is vigorously pursuing economic diplomacy to ensure that it benefits from bilateral and multilateral trade ties as opposed to political diplomacy.
“We will take stock of what is happening in other countries to see how Zambia is benefiting economically from the countries where Zambia is represented..what are these missions bringing to the kitty, ” she said.
The Vice President urged missions abroad to emulate the Zambian embassy in China for working tirelessly in facilitating and bringing development to Zambia.
The Zambian Embassy in China has scaled up vigorous activities that have facilitated massive infrastructural development in Zambia among them multimillion dollar projects such as the expansion of Levy Mwanawasa Hospital, construction of new airport terminal at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, and Ndola International Airport.
Others are the proposed revitalisation of the Tanzania Zambia Railways (TAZARA) and Zambia Railways and establishment of agro, construction, trade and service industry.
In addition, the Zambian embassy in China organised the Zambia week which runs from July 26 to 29 as an initiative to provide a platform to market Zambia’s tourism potential and prefered investment destination for China through trade and cultural tourism exhibitions.
As part of the Zambia week activities, the Vice President is expected to hold a series of meetings with Chinese government officials and businesses in Chengdu and Miayang cities in Sichuan province.
The Vice President urged the Embassy to also focus on wooing Chinese manufacturing companies to set up base in Zambia.
You silly old cow , you want to be borrowing from every country ???
For your information other countries are not as desperate as China for copper and to get rid of their unemployed so no other country will borrow you willynilly.
The woman is too old to fly