PRESS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON, HON. DORA SILIYA ON THE 10TH CABINET MEETING HELD AT STATE HOUSE ON MONDAY, 18TH JUNE, 2018
Cabinet has approved the National Trade Policy, and the Implementation Plan that provides Government’s direction towards the transformation of Zambia from an exporter of primary goods to a net exporter of value added products.
In the 10th Cabinet meeting called by His Excellency the President Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu mainly to discuss policy issues aimed at providing policy direction for the continued development of the country, Cabinet discussed three (3) substantive issues and the following were the decisions made:
1. National Trade Policy
Cabinet approved a stand-alone National Trade Policy and its Implementation Plan. Earlier in the year, Cabinet approved the Industrialisation Policy to facilitate the industrialisation process and ensure production of goods for both domestic and foreign markets. Cabinet has, therefore, found it necessary to have in a place a National Trade Policy. The Policy provides Government’s direction towards the transformation of Zambia from an exporter of primary products to a net exporter of value added products through enhanced participation in the regional and global economy and embracing emerging trends such as electronic commerce, trade facilitation and trade in services. The Policy will further contribute towards Zambia’s economic diversification and Zambia’s aspiration of becoming a prosperous middle income economy by 2030, as set out in the Vision 2030.
The push to transform the country from being an exporter of primary products to a net exporter of value added products will spur economic development. This will also help in creating more job opportunities for citizens in the country as well as linkages of producers of raw materials with the processors, thus contributing to peoples’ incomes at community level.
2. The Business Regulatory (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
Cabinet approved “The Business Regulatory (Amendment) Bill, 2018”, for publication and introduction in Parliament during the current sitting. The Business Regulatory Act, No 3 of 2014 provides for the establishment of the Business Regulatory Review Committee (BRRC) appointed by the Minister and the establishment of the Business Regulatory Review Agency whose staff are Public Officers appointed by the Civil Service Commission. The Agency is established to serve as the Secretariat of the Committee and implement the action plan and decisions of the Committee.
Cabinet has, therefore. decided to amend the Business Regulatory Act, 2014, so as to:
(a) include in the functions of the Business Regulatory Review Committee (BRRC) the mandate to supervise the staff of the Business Regulatory Review Agency (BRRA) which serves as its Secretariat;
(b) empower the BRRC to appoint on such terms and conditions as it may, with the approval of the Minister, the Director and staff of the Business Regulatory Review Agency; and
(c) mandate the BRRC to approve the budgets and work plans of the Agency.
The current Act, however, does not mandate the Committee to have oversight over the management of the Agency nor does it supervise the management of the Agency with regard to the operations of the Agency. This has created a challenge in ensuring the effectiveness of the BRRC in ensuring its decisions are effectively implemented and that they can hold accountable the management of the Agency. The BRRC has no authority to discipline the Management of the Agency for non-performance in the event that such a need arose.
3. National Parks and Wildlife Policy.
During the same Meeting, Cabinet approved the Revised National Parks and Wildlife Policy. Since the approval by Cabinet of such a policy in 1998, some challenges and opportunities in the sector have emerged to necessitate the revision of the policy so as to keep pace with both the current and future challenges in the wildlife sector.
These emerging challenges include the wider and new socio-political and economic landscapes that are calling for improved management and development of the wildlife sector in order to contribute to national development effectively.
The revised Policy also addresses Government’s need for decentralised functioning of Government through the Revised Decentralisation Policy including the Job Creation and Industrialisation Strategy and other recent trends and best practices in the wildlife sector. The revised national Wildlife Policy is premised on Zambia’s national Vision 2030 and Zambia’s commitment to the Convention on Biodiversity and the World Conservation Strategy.
Implementation of the policy is expected to improve the business environment in the wildlife sector leading to enhanced private sector participation, thereby contribute to Gross Domestic Product growth for the country. Other developments will include increased community participation and rural development. It is in the interest of Government to ensure that the citizens benefitted from the wildlife.
The Policy will further facilitate for a coordinated approach in terms of investments so as to ensure that national parks and game management areas are easily accessible by tourists, both local and foreign.
19TH JUNE, 2018
We can build this country, come on we can do it.
Rubbish what are you trying to do? hoodwink us to thinking you are a transparent government?
Yet at night you are busy taking bribes and skimming the net deal!
Isn’t this the same president who signed a $500m loan to Zesco among other things?
Wrong agenda. Those are parliamentary committee points.
– Discuss FIC
– Update funeral of minister Victoria to Edgar who went with friends like Findlay to Mombassa.
What are those laptops for? Those ministers can’t even find out how to power on.
You can’t have cabinet meetings while commenting on LT.
They have just announced some austerity measures this same week but here they are creating a new quango. Is it a crime even to ask? How will this new quango be funded?
The Business Regulatory Agency is not cleat here. . what is it’s core mandate. Let’s not just be setting up parastatals because we want to create jobs for our friends. Be mindful that government agencies don’t generate revenue but instead strain the already small national cake
We talk big with dates but go no where.
We just need a new crop of young and clean leaders with zeal to perform not day dreamers.
This is not news but empty bubbling
These are not minutes of the cabinet meeting but mere resolutions resulting from the meeting. The actual minutes of the meeting are always confidential.
“Earlier in the year, Cabinet approved the Industrialisation Policy to facilitate the industrialisation process and ensure production of goods for both domestic and foreign markets”.
It’s okay to announce new support policies, but better still why not give us a review of how much we have achieved on the previous pronouncement? Otherwise we will end up with loads of paper and policies which take us nowhere but just gobble up our little finances. How many policy papers are there gathering dust on government shelves right now? Now we need storage space and offices and clerks to clean and record keepers and managers and directors, yaba these politicians!!!