• Zambians must be mindful that sentiments that speak positive into the economy build investor confidence.
• The goal of Government is to effectively manage a nation’s affairs.
• Efforts to have a bailout package from the IMF Board must not be politicized.

An Economist has called on Zambians to support efforts that are being channeled towards building investor confidence in the economy.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Emmanuel Zulu said Investor confidence is one of the key aspects which are very cardinal for the development agenda of any country, hence careless or unfounded sentiments over economic issues should not be entertained.
Mr. Zulu stated that with a targeted economic growth of above 3.5% and a target to achieve a single digit inflation rate, it is imperative for all political players and other stakeholders to be ready to support efforts towards boosting investor confidence.
“In a nation where debt levels are currently unsustainable and which is in need of both local and Foreign Direct Investment to boost growth in the industrial base, we cannot afford to speak doom on efforts the Government is making to revive an ailing economy and regain investor confidence. As much as we appreciate checks and balances especially among political players, we must be alive that the goal of Government is or should I say “should be” to effectively manage a nation’s affairs in the best interest of the majority of its citizens with an ultimate goal of growing the Per capita income.”
“All in all let us be mindful that sentiments or developments that speak positive into the economy builds investor confidence and has potential to attract good investment and help strengthen our currency. Most of our local cross border traders need a strong local currency for them to thrive in their businesses,” Mr. Zulu stated.
He noted that Investor confidence growth entails that the country can have increased production, employment opportunities, strong currency and desired liquidity levels.
Mr. Zulu further said the country’s efforts to have a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board must not be politicized as it is a known fact that some of the locally suggested solutions to the debt crisis are far-fetched, while some are long-term.
He stressed the need to restructure the debt so as to allow for sustainability and also effective service delivery to the citizens.
“The nation needs resources to meet many needs in various sectors such as Agriculture, Education, Health, and Social Security obligations. We are not poor as a nation as we have an abundance of mineral resources but we cannot ignore the fact that these resources require capital injection and good management in order for us to realize maximum benefits.”
“This cannot be achieved overnight but we must also see efforts from the Government in realizing maximum gain from our local resources through progressive policies,” he stated.