EX-MINERS PIN HOPE ON CB EXPO

Copperbelt I nvestment Exposition is an appropriate vehicle to accelerate economic diversification and exploit untapped potential in tourism and agriculture, says Mufulira-based Miners and Ex-miners.

Miners and Ex-miners patron in Mufulira, Gift Mushinge, said the Copperbelt Expo should help to open up the province to sectors like agriculture, tourism and others to reduce dependent on the mining industry.

In an interview in Kitwe at the weekend, Mr Mushinge said, a well-developed agriculture and tourism sectors would reduce dependent on the mining sector and could play a role in poverty alleviation through increased food production and job creation.

"I think if there is increased food production like maize and others, we can export it to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where there is a huge demand for mealie-meal. We can earn a lot of foreign exchange.

"So, the Copperbelt Expo should be used to encourage local and foreign investors to exploit the agriculture and tourism potential in the province.

We need to start exploiting other sectors in order to reduce dependent on the mining sector,'' Mr Mushinge said.

Mr Mushinge who is also Mufulira Mayor, said after the expo he was expecting stability and massive job opportunities thereby reducing poverty levels among the people

Government, he said, had already set the stage for economic diversification through the empowerment of retrenched miners with land and the aquaculture programmes under the Citizen Economic Empowerment Commission.

He said such programmes needed to be utilised by Zambians who were interested in contributing to economic recovery and national development.

"The aquaculture programmes under CEEC are some of the policies and programmes which should be utilized by local Zambians to contribute to economic diversification'' he said.

He also said in order to strengthen the economy and create employment for the local people, there was need to invest in value addition.

''We also expect to promote value addition.

If we add value to our products, then jobs will be created locally, but if we export raw products, then we will be exporting jobs to other countries,'' he said