Friday 17 June 2011

COPPER INDUSTRY IS KEY TO DIVERSIFYING ECONOMY, SAYS PRESIDENT BANDA


President Rupiah Banda of Zambia
Coinciding with the First Zambian Investment Conference, His Excellency, President Rupiah Banda of Zambia, has highlighted the key role that copper-mining is playing in encouraging economic diversification in Zambia.
In recent years, Zambia has experienced a copper-mining boom as a result of the President’s commitment to increase private investment in the industry.
Zambia is now the biggest producer of the metal in Africa with companies like Glencore International Plc, First Quantum Minerals Ltd (FM) and Vedanta Resources Plc (VED) expanding in the country to take advantage of the favourable copper prices.
President Banda said: “As a result of the growth of the mining industry, the money that we have generated has helped us to diversify the economy and support other sectors, like agriculture. This year’s recent maize harvest has seen us break all previous records, harvesting over 3 million tons of maize which is helping stabilise food prices and give Zambians a better standard of life. ”
Mining is also boosting tourism with mining engineers from Australia, Canada and the UK bringing family members and friends to visit the country, helping drive employment in tourist areas like Livingstone.
He continued: “As the elections approach, I wish to reassure all Zambians of my commitment to building a future for the Zambian people grounded in security, stability and prosperity, and one where Zambia has a better place on the world stage.”
During his time in office, His Excellency and his government have delivered growth of 7% despite the global recession, thanks to sound government policies. The government is also in the process of establishing multi-facility economic zones (MFEZs) and industrial parks to promote the manufacturing industry and create more jobs for the Zambian people.

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