• They should tilt the pledges to key sectors that can contribute greatly to the economy of Zambia.
• The key sectors include agriculture, mining and tourism.
• These sectors are key in terms of also aligning to the 8th National Development Plan.

An Economist has advised Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) to follow up on all the 173 investment pledges it registered in the first of 2023.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Emmanuel Zulu said the Agency should also ensure that the pledges cover key sectors that have potential to greatly contribute to economic growth.
Mr. Zulu stated that sectors such as agriculture, mining and tourism are key in terms of aligning to the country’s 8th National Development Plan by contributing to the much anticipated growth of over 5 percent by 2026.
“I urge them to ensure that they follow up those pledges and also tilt the pledges to key sectors that can contribute greatly to the economy of Zambia and these key sectors include agriculture, mining and tourism.
“We see these sectors to be key in terms of also aligning to the 8th National Development Plan (8NDP) in terms of contributing to the much needed growth of over 5 percent that we envisage by 2026,” Mr. Zulu said.
Recently, ZDA disclosed that it registered 173 investment ventures in the first half of 2023 with an investment value of US$ 14.5 billion.”
This is in comparison to156 investment ventures recorded during the same period in 2022, with an investment Value of US$ 1.3 billion, representing an increase of 1,015.4 percent.