ZAMBIA READY TO GO TO BED WITH ANYONE ON TRADE – SICHINGA

Washington DC – 20^th June, 2012

By Ben Kangwa, Washington DC

Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Robert Sichinga has made it abundantly clear that Zambia is open for business and will not sit and wait for any power block to decide whether “it is safe” to  invest in Zambia or indeed in Africa.

He stated,” Zambia in particular, is ready to go to bed with anyone who comes first. In the race to investment finish lines on the fields of Africa, the captains of the industry in the West and the tigers of Asia should always remember that no preferential treatment will be meted out to anyone, but those ready to take requisite risk.”

Mr. Sichinga, who received a deafening applause from fellow African ministers of Trade from over 30 countries, including both African and American business people was speaking at the closing of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) Infrastructure Conference themed, “Foundations For Economic Growth.”

The purpose of the Conference was to highlight investment opportunities in Africa in energy and renewable, transportation, water, ICT and the relevant capacity building necessary for successful development.

He said Zambia, as a “land-linked” rather than “land-locked” country, presented an opportunity for investment considering its proximity with countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Angola in addition to the rest of the SADC countries in the sub region.

Mr. Sichinga said Zambia’s major areas with investment opportunities include transport, energy, housing, health, education, water and sanitation, agriculture, fisheries, mining, tourism, manufacturing, science and technology innovation, information and communication and natural resources.,

Speaking at the same Forum, President of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) Steve Hayes noted that infrastructure was probably the single most important need for Africa to develop.

He urged American companies to invest in Africa in order to secure a long term position on the continent.

“Strong infrastructure is the key to economic development and is the time for the United States firms to act in order to secure a long term position in Africa, “ he said.

The CCA Infrastructure Conference was held along the sidelines of the 11 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) held in Washington DC for two days from June 14-15, 2012 and later the Business Conference moved to Cincinnati, Ohio from 21^st June and will end on the 22^nd June, 2012.

The writer is Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Zambia in Washington DC.