By SIMON MUNTEMBA
MY government remains committed to ensuring that local communities begin to benefit from the opening up of the new mines, President Edgar Lungu has said.
And President Lungu reiterated his government’s appreciation of the targeted review team for unearthing the best practices in both tourism and mining sectors and the recommendations provided will be prioritised accordingly, under short, medium and long-term categories.
President Lungu said this yesterday during the virtual 30th session of the heads of State and Government of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) forum.
President Lungu was among several African heads of State and representatives of Government who attended the 30th session of the heads of State and Government of the APRM forum.
President Lungu who followed the session virtually was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Malanji, Minister of Justice Given Lubinda, and special assistant to the President for press and public relations Issac Chipampe among other senior Government officials.
Later, President Lungu presented reports on the contribution of tourism and mineral resources to the economy of Zambia delivered on his behalf by Mr Malanji.
He stated that heritage
In the mining sector, he said, Zambia had been progressing very well with the opening of new mines in the North-Western Province where large deposits of copper were discovered.
He said Zambia stood ready to learn and use best practices from other countries to address the issues raised in both reports.
Mr Lungu however, said the benefits of the discovery of copper products have not fully permeated to the local people, as observed and alluded to in the report.
Meanwhile, chairperson of APRM, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for unity among African countries as the continent collectively pursues the Africa Agenda 2063.
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