FNB projects GDP upscale

FNB Zambia Chief Executive Officer Bydon Longwe takes his Covid-19 vaccine at the Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital yesterday. said.

Mr Longwe said thr economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic had been devastating and that people's livelihood and their health had been adversely impacted.

He encouraged members if the public to get vaccinated and avoid being sceptical about the vaccine.

Mr Longwe regretted the negative sentiments around the vaccine from members of the public.

Management, he said, had been reviewing the sentiments on the vaccine being rolled out in Zambiaand strongly believed that the benefits for getting it transcend the risks.

"We thank the Government for this programme we believe thisis is the way to go and we are fully supportive of the programme. We have writhing a programme with FNB to sensitise our employees, customers and the communities to get vaccinated," he said.

At the same function, Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital Senior Medical Superintendent, Penias Tembo, encouraged the communities to take up the vaccine.

Dr Tembo warned that the Covid-19 had ravaged many lives of people around the world. "What FNB Zambia done should give impetus for people to take up the vaccine. People should be vaccinated from their nearest health Centres," he said.

FIRST National Bank (FNB) Zambia is hopeful that the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will improve as the economy opens up following the rolling out of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The country's GDP will by 2032 improve to around 3.5 percent as the economy opens up due to the rolling out of the Covid-19 vaccine, says FNB Zambia Chief Executive Officer, Bydon Longwe.

Mr Longwe observed that the key economic sectors which had been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic such as the tourism industry had started opening up.

He said this yesterday in Lusaka when he led his management team and frontline employees to get the Covid-19 vaccine at the Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital.

"We are cognizant that the Covid-19 has had ravaging effects on the economy and there are sectors that have been affected negatively such as the tourism where we have seen shrinkage in terms if numbers that have visited us.

"We have seen a shrinkage in the number of restaurants. So we hope that with this programme the economy will open up so that we have a good 2022. In terms of GDP, we are hopeful that by 2032 we have have positive numbers hitting around 3.5 percent in terms of growth," Mr Longwe