Vice President Mutale Nalumango says President Hakainde Hichilema’s election to the Vice-Chairpersonship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) will support the country’s vision for the grow Zambia agenda.
Mrs Nalumango says the Grow Zambia Agenda is an export-based programme, and COMESA provides an important platform for Zambia to advance its agenda, as trade requires working with other nations.
She added that COMESA also plays a role in advancing the African Continental Free Trade Area, Therefore, taking a leading role in the organisation is a positive development.
Speaking during the Vice President’s question time in Parliament, Mrs Nalumango noted that COMESA is an opportunity for Zambia to benefit from the vast market represented by member countries.
“His vision and recognition for his economic acumen should be appreciated. His leadership will help strengthen COMESA by bringing to the table the kind of leadership that is needed,” she noted.
Meanwhile, she further stated that providing land for COMESA is also very important because it will facilitate the development of infrastructure, indicating that under the Grow Zambia Agenda, this includes energy trading, interconnectivity and other infrastructure needed to support economic growth.
“We need leadership that can bring member states together and encourage them to work towards linking our regions through improved infrastructure,” she said.
And Mrs Nalumango says the maize export market is open, indicating that exports are already permitted within the existing arrangements.
She explained that arrangements are already in place for maize exports to countries such as Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have placed orders, while the government is considering Malawi as another market.
The Vice President has clarified that there is no load shedding in the country, but that the power interruptions being experienced in parts of Lusaka are due to ZESCO scheduled maintenance and other works.
Mrs Nalumango explained that the work being undertaken goes beyond routine maintenance, indicating that substantial investment and work are required to expand and improve the country’s electricity network.
“There are areas where people are experiencing interruptions to their electricity supply, but these interruptions are not necessarily the result of load shedding,” she said.
She highlighted Zambia’s long-term objective to achieve wider electricity coverage by around 2030 or 2031, saying that it requires considerable work on transmission lines and distribution networks, thereby resulting in temporary disruptions to electricity supply.
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