Africa-Press – Zambia. The Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry have pledged their commitment to collaborate and work with government to ensure that the creation of the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises is productive and yields desired results.
ZACCI president Chabuka Kawesha said the introduction of the ministry responsible for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is seen as a positive because it is capable of creating over 4 million jobs through SMEs.
Dr Kawesha suggested that the ministry of commerce, trade and industry and the ministry of finance should work closely with the newly created ministry to establish ways on how to impact local and international markets through SMEs.
He said the ministries should jointly review reforms and regulations that will enable SMEs access services and ease operations within their respective location.
In an interview yesterday, Dr Kawasha noted that the ministry should also consider decentralization as well as working closely with local authorities so that all SMEs are involved.
“Government should ensure that services, be it statutory instruments, land requirements and others are available at local level,” he added.
The ZACCI president also called on government, through the ministry of commerce, trade and industry and the ministry of finance to urgently look at plans around reducing costs of doing business in Zambia.
He recommended that government should deliberately develop routes that SMEs can use to easily access local and international markets. “There is great potential for SMEs to supply goods and services to Congo, but the road infrastructure going to the DRC is very weak. Roads leading to major markets must be addressed,” he said. Dr Kawesha expressed confidence that the ministry of small and medium enterprises will succeed when the challenges SMEs face are addressed.
