Cabinet has approved a 2-million U.S dollars budget to finance the hosting of the 2011 Africa Growth Opportunity Act-AGOA forum in Zambia.
Commerce Minister Felix Mutati says the funds will be used to finance various activities in line with the forum.
Mr. Mutati said the forum is expected to be attended by over 300-U.S based companies.
An additional 3-thousand delegates will also be drawn from Africa.
Mr. Mutati said a ministerial Committee has already been established to look into logistics ahead of the forum, which is slated for June this year.
The AGOA meeting will address among other things extending Zambia’s market access into the U.S.
Mr. Mutati told ZNBC Business News , Wednesday that while market access has been opened into Europe, it has been difficult for Africa to access the US market.
He said the forum will create business linkages between the U.S and other countries.
[ ZNBC ]
What is the cost-benefit analysis in this??? i hope that money is not only coming from our poor cofers coz there is no garantee that these investors will actually invest in Zambia. The world has changes and a lot of marketing is being done online and using various fairs. We have had delegatons going everywhere in the world while showing very little results. WOOING AND WOOING INVESTERS WHO ARE NEVER WOOED
Too expensive, I hope the US are funding the forum.
It’s just a way of stealing public funds,these MMD chaps. Just find a better way of spending that big sum of money, maybe buy drugs for hospitals.
$2million is not K2 trillion.
What a waste of public resources. This is another way of stealing from public coffers just like the ICASA Conference of 1999 whose benefits are still questionable but companies owned by ministers at the time made a killing.
What Zambia needs is a marketing strategy to market its resources and the benefits of locating manufacturing industries locally. We are in a globalised world which does not need the country to spend so much money just to host a seminar or is it conference.
What is wrong with us? and why show off when people are living in abject poverty, with 90% unemployment ration in the country.
Poor Math
US$ 2.0 million = ZMK 9.7 Billion
Bane, please fimo ifintu mulefimwena mu positive. The AGOA project is a good thing for Zambian farmers. This thing has been going on for a long period. In Africa, the biggest exporters of Agricultural products are Kenya and Zambia through the same project. If only 20% of those Americans who will attend can place orders on Vegitables, Flowers, cotton and other organic products, we will see an increase of about three times more of ou current exports to America. And by the way Hillary Clinton will be in attendance.
#8 Busakile Man
This is going to be the 9th forum of AGOA,the last one was held in Kenya in 2009.What lessons have we africans learned from the past forum,what did Kenya or the previous hosts benefit in terms of exports to America,how many Investors actually came in to invest after the AGOA forum 3yrs down the line.Im not going to give you the answers,but i would encourage you to read up and find out for yourself.
African countries have to meet set criteria by the US in order to benefit from Agoa.They are not like China who have a policy of turning a blind eye to certain conditions.
The criteria includes; have market based economies, rule of law and pluralism; elimination of barriers to US trade and investment; protection of intellectual property; combat corruption; ensure policies to reduce poverty; increase availability of healthcare and educational opportunities; protection of human rights and workers; rights and elimination of certain forms of child labour.
Now is Zambia ready and willing to meet this criteria in order to benefit from America,is zambia ready to fight corruption.I personally dont think so.Imagine if the $2Million was pumped into UNZA,CBU and Evelyn Hone for infrustructure and Technological improvements,what would be the benefits 3yrs from now.Mind you investors are not in Africa to do us a favour,they are simply exporting to themselves
The only so called investment Americans are looking for is through purchasing huge tracts of land to grow food for their country
Ba LT sure!!! 2 trillion what? 2million dollars is equal to 2 trillion?? if its kwacha its abt 10 billion kwacha at current rates. Plse do verify before you publish.
Misplaced priority by GRZ. Hundreds of former civil servants remain unpaid in terms of their repatriation, leave pay etc. Its these little amounts that change the poverty status at household level. Since 2009, GRZ has not financed such personal emolunments for Ministries to pay off their former employees. The payment queue at the Public Service Pensions Fund remains a long one and the explanation there is that GRZ is not financing them adequately. Against this background Cabinet appoves the spending of over K 9 billion on a workshop whose benefits will only accrue to the already well to do. It beats my logic.
Imprest, conferencing allowances, sangwapo etc
???? ???????? ? 2003 ???? ????? ???????? ???????????? ?? ???????????? ?????? ? ???????????? ???????????? ?? ??????????? ??????? ? ?? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????.
???? ?? ?????????? ????? ??????????? ????????? ?????? ? ???????????? ?????????? ??????????? ???????? 1200*800 ? 1200*1000, ?? ?????? ????????? ??????? ?????? ????????????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ????????? ? ?????????. ?????????? ???? ?? ?????? ? ???????????? ??????????? ?? ???????? ?????????????? ? ??????? ?? ?? ??????????, ????????? ? ??????? ????????. ???????????? ???? ??????????? ??? ??????? ???????? ??????? ?????? ???????????? ?? ????? ?? ??????? ????????. ???? ? ??? ??? ??????????? ????? ????????? ??? ???????? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ????? ???????, ?? ?????? ??????? ??????????? ?????? ???????? ? ????? ??????????…