Bus stations, market fund coming soon, says Mwale
GOVERNMENT will soon launch the bus stations and market fund which will be used to upgrade markets and bus stations in the country, Minister of Local Government, Vincent Mwale has announced. Mr Mwale said the fund once effected will see the construction of modern markets in all districts across the country, adding that the move was aimed at increasing trading space for Micro, Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs, (MSMEs), who usually failed to get trading space in major shopping malls.
Mr. Mwale was speaking when he officially opened the Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business Associations (ZCSMBA) and the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) joint annual SME conference in Lusaka.
He noted that the conference was a clear demonstration of the commitment the private sector has in supporting Government’s Private Public Partnership agenda.
“I can assure you that Government will continue to support the development of the SME sector to ensure that it fulfils its maximum potential and continue to contribute significantly to national development.“
“The conference therefore creates an opportunity for the MSMEs to link and create business connections with other MSMS thereby effecting the combined return of the whole greater than the sum of the individual parts,” the minister said.
He also said this would maximize profitability and in turn help generate additional resources which can be ploughed back into the business and ensure the businesses continue to grow at a faster rate.
Mr Mwale said Government would continue to work with all the citizens and stakeholders to ensure policies and regulations meet the needs of the industry and finance concerns about the cost of doing business are truly being addressed as the business environment becomes competitive.
And head of ACCA Zambia, Mukaba Mukaba said the association was committed to supporting SMEs, adding that they had taken a new approach with increased focus on the small businesses which are still at start up level.
“We will be working with some Zambians to be able to reproduce fact sheets guidelines for SMEs covering essential financial management practices in the local language,” Mr Mukaba said.