LUSAKA, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Thursday pledged his government's commitment to tackle challenges facing the manufacturing sector such as unfair trading practices.
The Zambian leader said his government was concerned over the unfavorable situations where imported products flourish at the expense of local products.
In remarks delivered at a "Manufacturers Meet the President" seminar in Lusaka, the country's capital, Lungu said the government wanted to address issues such as why the country was importing more than it was exporting.
The government, he said, wanted to create an enabling environment for the manufacturing industry to flourish which will in turn enable the country to move faster towards its industrialization agenda.
The government also wanted to address challenges such as smuggling which was affecting local products as well as illicit trade which was a deterrent to the advancement of industrialization.
"We need to seriously interrogate where we are as a nation in the industry, we need to interrogate our successes and failures. We need to chart the way forward to develop our industry if we are to achieve the status of a prosperous middle income country," he told the seminar whose theme was "Solutions for Zambian Manufacturing."
According to him, the government's ultimate objective was to attain an industrialized nation which will be a regional hub for unequalled manufacture of high quality products in order to compete favorably in the regional and international market.
The Zambian leader challenged manufacturers to ensure value addition to products and production of high quality goods in order to make them competitive.
Rosetta Chabala, the president of the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM), said the industry faces challenges which require concerted efforts.
