Zambia vows to continue business reforms to woo investment
Xinhua, May 17, 2017 Adjust font size:
The Zambian government on Wednesday said it will continue implementing business reforms in order to attract more investment.
Inonge Wina, the country's vice president, said the government was collaborating with other stakeholders such as the World Bank and the private sector on implementing business reforms aimed at easing doing business in the country.
In remarks delivered in the southern city of Livingstone at the start of the 2017 Ease of Doing Business Initiative Conference, the Zambian vice president said the government has come up with a number of reforms aimed at addressing constraints faced by the private and that it will continue with the reforms, according to state broadcaster, the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation.
Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe said during the same occasion that the country's global position on the Ease of Doing Business Index was an indication that the country needed to do more to undertake more business reforms.
She said the country's overall ranking on the Ease of Doing Business for 2017 stood at 98 out of 190 countries.
The country is ranked ninth in Africa seventh in sub-Saharan Africa and fifth in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) regional bloc.
World Bank Country Manager for Zambia Ina Ruthenberg said sub-Saharan has improved to become the top business reform globally and that doing business in Africa was becoming more affordable, predictable and efficient.
The conference, which is being held under the theme "Business Reforms for Industrialization, Value Addition and Job Creation," has attracted about 400 delegates. Endit