ZB IN $30M NDOLA PLANT BOOST
By BUSINESS REPORTER ZAMBIAN Breweries has commissioned a state-of theart plant upgrade in Ndola to the tune of $30 million, which will lead to increased capacity and more employment opportunities.
Company operations director Franz Schepping said the expansion would result in increased production and an upscaled demand for raw material which would boost business for small-scale farmers.
"In 2017, we embarked on a $30 million expansion journey. We will also introduce a stateof-the-art technology that will ensure efficient use of resources such as water, energy and at the same time reduce wastage," he said at the commissioning ceremony.
The expansion programme, he said, went beyond Zambian Breweries and its employees because it would create employment for more than 1000 people in the country.
Mr Schepping said the Zambian economic environment was favourable and thus leading to the successful expansion programme.
At the same function, Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Christopher Yaluma said the expansion of the plant had contributed to job creation in Ndola which would lead to human development.
Mr Yaluma said the expansion of the plant would not only see an increase in output for the company, but would also lead to the growth of the Zambian economy.
"The commissioning of this plant is a clear testimony of Zambian Breweries’ commitment towards growth as a business and ultimately contribute to Zambia’s economic growth," he said.
Mr Yaluma added that through the introduction of Eagle beer, Zambian Breweries had created a market for cassava and sorghum which would transform the lives of many Zambians particularly in the rural setting. The Minister said such commitment to growth would strengthen the partnership between government and the private sector, the emphasis which was in the Seventh National Development Plant (7NDP).
Mr Yaluma noted that the responsibility of developing the nation was not for Government alone, but it was for the whole country.