Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda has appealed to Swedish investors to take advantage of the prevailing peace in Zambia and consider investing in the mining town and the Copperbelt region in general.

The Luanshya Mayor said this in Sweden during a presentation he made at the official opening of the Twinning Partnership Project meeting between Luanshya Municipal Council and Tyreso Municipality of Sweden that Luanshya town offers several investment opportunities which Swedish towns could take advantage of and expand their business potential for the benefit of their people.

Mayor Chanda says some Swedish muti-national companies such as illovo sugar, which owns the majority shares in local sugar cane plantations and operating under the brand name of Zambia Sugar Company, operates freely in Zambia and exports sugar to the European Union (E.U) member’s states and other regional markets such as Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He has explained that Luanshya town offers investments opportunities, in the mining, agriculture, real estate and property development, construction and tourism sectors.

‘’Since 1992 the Zambian has a liberalised economic policy which promotes and protects investments through private ownership of industries with no state interference,’’ he said.

‘’The doors of Luanshya town remains open to Swedish individuals, companies who may wish to invest directly or through partnerships with individual Zambians and private companies,’’ he said,

He explained that Luanshya Municipal Council had created an enabling environment which was in conformity with the demands of internationally acceptable business standards and best practices.

Mayor Chanda said he was impressed with the warm reception and support Sweden was offering to is council through the implementation of various projects and technical support by International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD).

He expressed optimism that the Twinning Partnership Project between Luanshya and Tyreso Municipalities would create business opportunities which would boost sustainable social-economic development for both towns and address challenges of Solid Waste Management, gender mainstreaming, information communication technology (ICT) and youth skills development and other Vulnerable Communities in society.
Tyreso Municipality Mayor Fredrik Sawestahl said his town was happy with the Twinning Partnership Project.

Mr Sawestahl was eager to see to it that the two municipalities create opportunities for sustainable social- economic development through the sharing of best practices and investments opportunities.

The Tyreso Mayor assured the visiting Zambian delegation, which included Luanshya Town Clerk Hilda Silungwe, two wards Councillor Justus Bwalya and Veronica Chitalu and a Council employee, that Sweden like most European countries were now looking for business opportunities in Africa.

Mayor Chanda later presented a Luanshya Municipal Council flag to his Swedish counterpart as a sign of friendship.

The three-year International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) sponsored Twinning Partnership Project, which is now in its initial stage is aimed at addressing common challenges between the two municipalities in areas such as Solid Waste Management and gender mainstreaming, ICT youth skills development and developing various sustainable initiatives for Caring for Vulnerable Communities in society.