WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2011-04-22 Time: 08:00:03 Posted By: News Poster
By Chishimba Chishimba
ZAMBIA needs to tone up its crusade for more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in order to capture additional investors in fertile sectors such as tourism and manufacturing that are yearning for full exploitation.
Yes, the country has in place well-established institutions that are already attracting investors in key productive sectors, but other avenues should equally be employed to the brim for more foreign firms to roll in their investment.
Institutions should ensure that pledged investments are actualised, meaning the attracted investors should in fact establish operations in targeted sectors.
A research shows that there has been an up-and-down trend in actualised FDI from US$467.4 million in 2006 to $1,324.0 million in 2007.
In 2008, the actualised FDI stood at $939.0 but went down to $694.8 million in 2009. The figure rose to $1,041.0 last year.
The trend is such that investment inflows have been fluctuating, an indication that the graph has the potential to record a steady upturn.
This year the Government has projected to record inflows of up to K3 billion.
Of course, the figure can change depending on the global and national trends.
In actualising the set targets, Zambia has anchored its economic growth on key productive sectors, namely, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, construction, and mining.
It is important to note also that the communication sector will be a strong driver of economic growth as it has become highly competitive, buoyed by the introduction of the third generation mobile service.
The above statistics and more information need to be channelled to potential investors in an appealing manner that is able to attract them to specific sectors of the economy.
The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) is carrying out its mandate satisfactorily, but needs support from institutions within Government structures for Zambia to garner sufficient FDI.
Well-positioned are Zambian diplomatic missions that have qualified staff able to muster reasonable investment pledges through existing channels.
Yes, heads of diplomatic missions and their staff have many other functions, but matters relating to economic development and specifically investment promotion are of utmost importance in missions abroad.
Last week, heads of missions abroad and senior management staff attended a conference where they tackled important national and international issues.
Key among them is economic development and investment promotion whose importance president Rupiah Banda emphasised when he addressed them in Chisamba.
Officials in missions abroad need to market investment opportunities and in the same vein defend the country from unwarranted attacks that have the potential to taint Zambia’s image and scare away potential investors.
The diplomatic channel is one of the most effective tools in selling the country’s investment opportunities to the international community.
Even as the country conducts the tripartite elections sometime this year, mandated institutions should step up the crusade for more investment inflows.
Zambia should work through the tripartite elections in economic development while appreciating the fact that there is usually uncertainty among investors during polls.
Copperbelt University senior lecturer Davidson Chilipamushi said in an interview that in times of elections, some Governments tend to miss set targets after getting drowned in campaigns, but hoped the Zambian situation would be different.
Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane has however assured that even with the forthcoming elections, the Government will remain committed to attaining the projected microeconomic targets.
With such an assurance, officials at different levels should continue with investment promotion to enable the country meet the K3 billion target in FDI this year.
For heads of diplomatic missions and their staff, they should intensify investment promotion programmes.
They should facilitate more business and exhibition fora in their countries of accreditation and if possible, beyond.
Publications such as brochures are an effective communication model which they should enhance and if possible increase intervals at which the literature is produced.
Such publications should increase in circulation to widen the catchment area or the audience.
Diplomatic missions should give as much information as possible back home for business entities to participate and interact with those abroad in foreign fairs, exhibition and other business and economic programmes.
They should step up interaction and cement links with various business associations such as Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business Associations, Zambia Association of Manufacturers, Zambia Tourist Board, Economics Association of Zambia, and the Zambia Association of Commerce of Chambers and Industry among others.
In dangling the carrot, it is important for message bearers to state in clear terms that the country has enjoyed political stability for a record 47 years and secondly that the investment climate is favourable.
Heads of diplomatic missions therefore need to be up-to-date with information on various cardinal issues so that they are able to counter destructive attempts to portray the county in negative terms.
They should in the same vein be able sell Zambia’s investment potential in their countries of accreditation.
For instance, the tourism sector has not been fully exploited and needs to be marketed aggressively for the country to attract a record one million tourists per annum by next year.
For the manufacturing sector, diplomatic missions should work hard to sell the multi-facility economic Zones model, which the Government has introduced in its quest to attract sufficient investment in identified areas with special features.
In agriculture, the Government has been developing farm blocs where potential investors can venture.
In January, the Government signed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) compact that makes it obligatory for subscribing countries in
Africa to allocate at least 10 per cent of their national budgets
towards agriculture and achieve a growth rate of six per cent in the same sector.
The country has reduced the licensing procedure in establishing businesses or acquiring land.
The 2011 World Bank ‘Doing Business’ report indicates that Zambia is among the top 10 global economies that improved the process of Doing Business.
Recently, the country was assigned a B(43)+ credit rating by two international organisations.
Diplomatic staff should be able to preach that macro-economic management remains on target with the country boosting of a single digit inflation, Gross Domestic product growth projected between six and seven percent, and a stable exchange rate.
One of the guiding documents in marketing the countr’ís potential is the Sixth National Development Plan , which officials should be able to expound with considerable ease.
Institutions, therefore, should not adopt a wait-and-see posture, but intensify investment promotion for the country to meet the set economic targets.
At the same time, local investors should be encouraged to exploit incentives while the Government and stakeholders should facilitate affordable long-term financing for them.
Zambia can do it!
Original Source: 
Original date published: 20 April 2011
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201104200422.html?viewall=1