Bwana Mkubwa Member of Parliament Dr. Jonas Chanda has urged government to transform the once vibrant Ndola Industrial Area into a Multi Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ).
The lawmaker is confident that this will attract both domestic and foreign investment consisting of export-oriented, value-adding manufacturing industry.
Dr. Chanda says it is cost-effective for government to transform Ndola industrial area into an MFEZ because it has existing and intact key infrastructure like buildings, roads, electricity and water lines.
He also says Ndola is strategically located to house export-oriented manufacturing industry because it is a border town with easier access to foreign markets like SADC, COMESA, EAC, Africa Free Trade Area and others.
He recalls that under the UNIP government Ndola hosted big manufacturing and motor vehicle assembly companies like Dunlop Zambia Tyre Company, ROP 1975 Ltd, Rover Zambia Ltd, MAZEMBE, TATA Zambia, Johnson & Johnson, Colgate Palmolive, Textile companies (Swarp Spinning mills & Mukuba Textiles), Pharmaceutical companies (Interchem & Gamma Pharmaceuticals), Engineering/Construction firms (Boart Long Zambia, Gestetner Zambia, Zambia Steel and Building Supplies Ltd, Northland Engineering, Bonano Construction), Atlas Copco, Reckitt and Colman, Lyons Broke Bond, Borner Colwyn, Crown Cork, Vitafoam & Furncoz, Copper Harvest Foods, and others all which collapsed under the MMD government’s mass privatization programs and rapid opening up of the economy in the 1990s.
He says the PF government’s challenge now is to re-industrialise the country after the previous government’s de-industrialisation policies under the tutelage of World Bank and IMF which created job losses and poverty in the country.
He has called on government to support Local Contractors who are disadvantaged by big foreign contractors by bringing a bill to Parliament compelling the award of 20% of all big contracts to local contractors.
And Dr. Chanda has also commended government for it’s plans to establish an MFEZ in all ten (10) provinces as evidenced by the recently launched MFEZ in Chibombo district by President Edgar Lungu worth $300 million USD which will have Motor Vehicle Assembly and Generator Assembly companies amongst others. He says in under one (1) year MFEZs had attracted investment of over $3.3 billion USD with 15,000 jobs created.
Meanwhile, the Lawmaker has thanked President Edgar Lungu for spearheading the expos meant to showcase each province’s business comparative advantages, thus opening them up to domestic and foreign investment. So far, President Lungu has successfully launched the Luapula, Central and Northern provincial Investment Expos.
He further commends government for finalizing the national industrialization policy and the national trade policy, including the launch of the “Buy Zambian Campaign”, which he suggests should be renamed “Made in Zambia, Buy Zambian Campaign” to emphasize the domestic manufacturing aspect.
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