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ZAMBIA MUST BOOST MANUFACTURING – PMRC

By BUUMBA CHIMBULU

ZAMBIA should focus on building a strong manufacturing sector to ensure that it reaps maximum benefits from the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA).

Currently, the manufacturing industry remained the most important one, with agriculture and mining making the most significant contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This is according to the Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC) Executive Director, Bernadette Deka-Zulu.

In its PMRC analysis of the Zambia Economic Recovery Plan, Ms Deka-Zulu said the implication of a small manufacturing sector for the AfCFTA and TFTA was that there would be low trade in finished goods.

She said this would limit the scope for intra-regional trade.

Ms Deka- Zulu said it was important for Government to identify companies involved in the manufacturing sector and provide support for them amid Covid-19 pandemic as these would play an important role in boosting intra-regional trade.

She noted that one of the key actions that would be undertaken under this measure was to aggressively pursue export market opportunities through investment promotion missions in AfCFTA and TFTA.

“This is commendable move by the Government, considering that these two agreements are expected to lead to increased intra-regional trade and consequently resulting in increased job creation, foreign exchange, industrialization and economic growth,” Ms Deka-Zulu said.

She noted that the contribution of Zambia’s manufacturing sector to the GDP remained stable over the period 2015 to 2019 with an average of 7.9 per cent.

The Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) recognises that with enhanced support, the sector can contribute positively to economic diversification and job creation.

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