CB MUST DIVERSIFY, EXPLOIT DRC MARKET – LUSAMBO
By MAILESI BANDA COPPERBELT Minister Bowman Lusambo has advised people in the province to exploit the open market in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola and venture into agriculture.
The minister challenged the people in the province to open their mind to agriculture to diversify from the region's dependence on mining to agriculture.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation, Mr. Lusambo said the province had taken the bold step of diversifying from mining to agriculture to improve their contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He announced that the province would soon host an investment conference aimed at exposing the agriculture potential in the province for investment.
"We want to diversify the province’s economic dependence from mining to agriculture and we are looking for partners to help us in the attainment of this vision," he said.
He explained that the plan to diversify was in line with the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) which mentions agriculture as one of the key sectors to diversify the economy into.
He noted that while the Copperbelt Province was developed due to mining, there was need to embrace other avenues to increase the economic base of the province.
Mr. Lusambo advised youths to embrace agriculture and stop depending on Government to provide them with jobs.
"For the Copperbelt, we have decided to make agriculture as the main stay of the economy," he said.