Agoa to Fast-Track 2030 Vision Attainment

2 June 2011

THE expected increased in Zambia’s trade with America under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) will fast-track the country’s attainment of the vVsion 2030 and other economic targets ahead of the projected dates.

Zambia’s Ambassador to America Sheila Siwela said the 2030 vision of turning Zambia into a middle-income prosperous country will be achieved before the actual targeted year 2030 as the result of AGOA.

Ms Siwela said increased trade within the region and America would translate into improved economic activities consequently creating job opportunities for the local people.

She said to move from one status to another, trade should be promoted and AGOA should be used as a catalyst.

In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Ms Siwela said AGOA should be used as a tool to alleviate poverty and enhance the living standards of the people.

“Bringing the country from one status to another should be headed by increased trade because trade brings in business, money and people’s standards of living are enhanced, so we need to take advantage of the AGOA Forum and make more trade deals,” she said.

“More things will go to America and more money will come in.

So our economy will take a boost, we will be able to build more roads, bridges and hospitals,” Ms Siwela said.

She said during the AGOA Forum in Zambia next week, Zambians are expected to sign five Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with US companies.

Ms Siwela could, however, not disclose which companies are likely to sign the MOU and what specific sectors.

And a director at Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) Glyne Michelo said market access alone was not enough and that there were a number of major obstacles and constraints that hindered the increase of Zambian exports.

Mr Michelo said inadequate supply of goods from the Zambian exports had also immensely contributed to the under-utilisation of the AGOA programme.

“Other supply constraints that stand in our endeavour to promote exports under the AGOA programme have to do with adequate transportation infrastructure, landing to high freighting cost, limited access to capital and unreliable and high cost of energy,” he said.

Zambia should resolve some of the challenges through regional and international initiatives such as aid for trade, South-South Corridor initiative.

Mr Glyne Michelo said more than 3,000 delegates were expected to participate in the forth coming AGOA Forum.

“Zambia welcomes any opportunity to network and engage with the American government and American private sector on the challenges facing our industry and formulating solutions and action points to ensure Zambian industry’s improvement with the view of enhancing the economy,” he said.

He said the Government would provide Zambian businesses with the opportunity to leverage and grow the economy.

Mr Michelo noted that the forum would affirm Zambia as the most preferred destination for investment and profits in Africa and worldwide.

“As ZDA, we are elated that the private sector, Civil Society and the African Women Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) are actively engaged in the preparation of the forum and phenomenal progress has been made,” he said.

AllAfrica – All the Time