Commerce, Trade and Industry Director of Industry Director Siazonga Siakalenge says the upcoming Multi Facility Economic Zones ( MFEZ) in Zambia could benefit substantially from regional efforts to develop transport infrastructure.
Mr Siakalenge, said once fully developed, the MFEZ would depend on a good regional infrastructure for the export and import of goods.
He told ZANIS in an interview, today, that the actual development of the Lusaka South Economic Zone is expected to commence as soon as the Master plan is submitted.
He said government has in this year’s National Budget allocated K 30 billion towards the development of a 1.8 kilometer road from State Lodge to the Lusaka South economic zone.
Meanwhile, The Cross Border Traders Association (CBTA ) has welcomed Monday’s North-South Corridor Donor Pledging Conference aimed at finding ways of mobilizing resources for infrastructure development in east and southern Africa.
CBTA Acting Secretary General, Tadeo Taruviga, said cross border traders are optimistic that the conference would succeed in helping member countries improve transport infrastructure to enhance regional trade along the North-South Corridor.
Mr Taruviga also hoped that the conference will also mobilize resources towards the development of trade centres at border points as a measure of encouraging cross border trade.
Zambia will next Monday host a high level Conference on regional infrastructure development, which would be attended by Four Presidents and several dignitaries from international financial institutions, the private sector and donor agencies.
President, Rupiah Banda, would be joined by South Africa’s Kgalema Motlanthe, Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame at the conference.
The conference is part of the join COMESA-SADC-EAC initiative aimed at securing aide-for-trade for infrastructure development along the Corridor which spans across eight countries
ZANIS/ENDS/SJK/MM
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While it is a good development, it will need to be looked rigorously. MFEZ in itself would entail an increase in manufacturing activities and subsequently increased demand for energy. So while the commerce ministry is busy with MFEZ, has it been in consultation with the energy ministry on how we could have security of supply? Tufuna lini ma power outages.