‘Locals able to ferry all fuel imports’
CAPACITIES of Zambian transporters have grown so much that they are now able to ferry all the country’s fuel imports if Government gives such a directive, Petroleum Transporters Association of Zambia (PTAZ) secretary general Benson Tembo has said.
Mr Tembo said if Government directed that all the country’s fuel imports be ferried by the local transporters, they would rise to the occasion and deliver accordingly because their capacities had tremendously grown to a point where they were able to transport any amount of fuel.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Mr Tembo said following Government’s decision to increase fuel transportation contracts from 20 percent to 50 percent for local companies and lifting the waiver, there had been massive investment in the petroleum sector, a development that had put local firms almost at par with their foreign counterparts.
He thanked Government for putting in deliberate policies and measures to help local companies in the sector grow, adding that more jobs had been created while revenue levels had increased because not much of the money was leaving the country as opposed to the time when the sector was dominated by foreigners.
He said the association was looking forward to a time when all Government fuel transportation contracts would be a preserve for Zambians, adding that while the starting point might require that locals sub-contract foreigners, the goal of keeping money in the country would still be achieved.
“From the time petroleum volumes to be transported by locals were increased, we have seen tremendous growth in the subsector and this is how it must be.
We are grateful to Government for everything it has done to raise our business portfolio from being mere spectators to being main participants and with the waiver having been lifted, we are moving in the right direction.
“Unlike in the past when we were mainly confined to local transportation of the commodity, Zambian tankers are in other countries getting Government procured fuel.
If Government today said only Zambian companies must transport fuel into this country, we are equal to the task because we have met all our challenges in the past without any problem,” Mr Tembo said.
He encouraged more Zambians to invest in the sector saying that with the current political will, their investment would be secured and guaranteed.
“Foreigners are rushing to Zambia and investing in the petroleum subsector because they know there is readily available opportunities. Unfortunately, most of us don’t want to exploit the business opportunity presented to us by Government and want to remain spectators in the sector.