ENDING OF LOAD SHEDDING WILL TRIGGER HIGH PRODUCTIVITY

ZAMBIA experienced massive load shedding last year. The prolonged load shedding hours was exacerbated by the low water levels at Lake Kariba during the 2019/2020 rainy season. The poor rainfall pattern during the above named rainy season led to less generation of hydro power by Zesco, the power utility firm.

The good rains being received in most regions within the country during the current rainy season have ultimately led to the ending of the load shedding across the country. This is according to a recent statement issued by Zesco Senior Corporate Affairs Manager Dr. John Kunda.

Dr. Kunda stated that load shedding across the country ended a couple of weeks ago because of the good rains being received. He further stated that power cuts can be experienced in some areas lasting for at least 30 minutes due to overload on the Zesco system.

However, the ending of load shedding has come at the right time in that the manufacturing sector will benefit as the move will trigger high productivity. The manufacturing industries will now be able to produce goods and services in high quantities unlike in the past when load shedding was at peak. In economic terms, high productivity will lead to the creation of employment opportunities for the people.

People in the informal sector running businesses such as hair salons, barbershop and welding, among others, will equally benefit. This sector is very important in that it caters for many people who are not in the formal sector.

The residents in residential areas will now have access to electricity on a daily basis. Securioty in this way will be guaranteed. In an event of the prolonged load shedding hours at night, security will be highly compromised and people can be attacked by criminals.

All said and done, the ending of load shedding is a welcome move and it will significantly contribute to the economic wellbeing of the country in that it will trigger high productivity.

Hiigh productivity will in turn leads to more revenue being generated and channelled to to the national treasury through payment of various taxes.

THE country needs to relook into strategies especially on how to support the industrialization processes, Southern African Cross Border Traders Association (SACBTA) has said.

SACBTA-Zambia Secretary General, Jacob Makambwe, said in an interview in Kitwe that Zambia should support value addition as a way of promoting local products.

Mr Makambwe said this would encourage the chain stores to stock more of locally produced products.

He added that it was difficult for most traders to continue with trade even when they had to source products locally in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic which had brought the economy to its knees.

“Most products and services produced locally face high competition as a result of high market prices and the high cost of production in the country. “We can start to attract our local product and encourage chain stores. As a country we need to support chain stores that have continued to get goods and services outside the country,” he said.

Mr Makambwe said that this would ensure that the product base that could support and supply the shelves the country has in the chain stores was built.

He stated that the advent of Covid-19 had presented opportunities for the private sector, the manufacturing industry and the agro processing products.

He said most of those that were involved in cross border trade could now take advantage and start buying local products.