Zambian Copperbelt province Minister Japhen Mwakalombe
South African business representatives have been asked to invest more into the Copperbelt province of Zambia, with a greater focus on job creation, value addition and diversification.
Zambian Copperbelt Province Minister Japhen Mwakalombe this week remarked during a South Africa-Zambia Business Seminar, held alongside an Outward Trade and Investment mission to Zambia, led by the South African Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), that Zambia was ready for South African investment.
He added that the country would ensure facilitation of setting up of business in the province in conjunction with all the relevant authorities and bodies. “We do not want you to be frustrated when you access the available trade and investment opportunities,” he said.
He told the delegation that the Copperbelt had a lot of potential in the sectors of forestry, agriculture, small-scale mining and tourism, besides large-scale mining, energy, infrastructure and others.
“As a country, we are trying to promote joint ventures as a way of empowering our people and you are also free to partner with government through public–private partnerships,” Mwakalombe suggested at the seminar.
Although the mission focused on energy, mining, capital equipment, infrastructure, rail, road and steel fabrication, Mwakalombe also mentioned that investment in the agricultural sector could help turn the province into one of Zambia’s largest agricultural hubs.
Custodians of land were willing to give up land for the purposes of investments, he added.
The province was emphasising production and productivity improvements along the entire product value-chain from farm to agroprocessing and manufacturing at the sector and enterprise levels, he elaborated.
In the same light, he said the Copperbelt had great potential for tourism and further urged South African business representatives to take advantage of these opportunities.