Zambia, SA partner to ensure business flow

BUUMBA CHIMBULU writes

ZAMBIA and South Africa have formed a private sector initiative meant to ensure a smooth flow of essential goods and services during the economic lockdown put in place by most countries to tackle COVID-19.

The working group initiative will be chaired by Deputy Secretary to Cabinet Christopher Mvunga.

The two countries discussed the necessity of ensuring that South African Chain Stores operating in Zambia open their doors wider to local producers and suppliers.

This is meant to ensure that there is business continuity and empowerment during the Covid-19 period and beyond.

This was discussed during the economic sustainability and emergence purpose meeting held in Lusaka last week.

Speaking during the meeting, Finance Minister, Bwalya Ng’andu, encouraged the Zambian private sector to rump-up participation in the value-chain.

Dr Ng’andu encouraged the [private sector to take advantage of the internal market platforms while maintaining quality standards, regular supply and stable prices to the greatest extent possible.

“The Zambian Government has placed sustenance of the value chain and continued empowerment of local businesses at the centre of its economic sustainability and emergence purpose plans for the immediate term and the future,” he said.

South African High Commissioner, George Nkosinati Twala, called for a proactive review of trade and economic affairs that need.

Mr Twala stressed the need to review the entire value chain to ensure a fast paced programme that would mount a lasting positive impact on the future economic relations between the two countries.

“My his office is ready to work with Zambian authorities to facilitate strengthened engagement between private sector players of the two countries and ensure that the value and supply chains are kept in motion,” he said.

Zambia Association of Chamber of Commerce and Industry [ZACCI] president, Jerome Kawesha, called on South African Chain Stores to engage the Zambian private sector regularly.

Dr Kawesha said this would assist to deal with the perception that they deliberately constrained access of local producers and suppliers into their supermarkets and other businesses such as hotels.

“We would like to see South African businesses in Zambia signing off-take agreements with our people [local businesses],” he said.

And Shoprite General Manager, Charles Bota, said the chain store buys 43 percent of its goods from the local market and 39 percent from local agents who import from outside the country.

Mr Bota said shop only imported 18 per cent and took the opportunity to encourage local small-scale businesses to form cooperatives and benefit from economies of scale, value addition and quality and business improvement schemes.