The Private Sector Development Association (PSDA) and the Consumer Trust Society (CUTS) have described the one year economic performance of the Patriotic Front government as positive and impressive.
Both organisations have charged that the economic performance of the country since PF assumed office has been moving on the right track especially for a party that is coming from the opposition and needs to settle down.
Speaking in separate interviews with ZANIS in Lusaka today, PSDA Chairperson Yusuf Dodia said despite the party having under gone few changes at administration level that could have hampered development progress, some success have been scored in the economic sector.
Mr Dodia cited the revision of the minimum wage, increasing of the tax exemption threshold for workers, high copper prices and stable inflation as some of the positives moves that government has under taken in order to improve the living standards of the people in the country.
He explained that the acquisition of the 750 billion US$ is also another indication that good economic management can even attract borrowing from developed countries.
Mr Dodia noted that these initiatives have the possibility of improving the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to about 10 percent.
He has further called on government to also consider expand its economic growth through investing in other key sectors such as the manufacturing and the tourism industry.
Mr Dodia has charged that currently not much has been done by government to tap the potential that the two sectors offer towards contributing to the country’s economic development.
Meanwhile, CUTS International Board Chairperson Love Mtesa has cited the takeover of ZAMTEL and Zambia Railways System as some of the decisions that have shown PF’s
ability to address the challenges of people in the country.
Ambassador Mtesa noted that the receiving of 750 billion of the euro bond is another sign of foreign investment’s trust in the Zambian economy.
He has since advised government to revamp and investment more in the Agricultures sector by increasing farmers subsides.
ZANIS
im not an economist. My little understanding of issues around Zambia makes me doubt the authenticity of the two organizations because reality on the ground is the total opposite of what the two are insinuating.
How does high copper prices become a pf positive? Is it the reporter’s failure to articulate what the speaker said? The context of the word ‘charged’ also leaves much to be desired. We seem to have people masquerading as journalists these days pa Zed.
how can copper prices attributed to PF performance this is biased reporting borrowing kaloba a positive in the economy, this means the economy can not generate the required capital? awe sure, some fake economists. what about the negative slides under PF such as high cost of living. food prices going up. transport aso going up and wastage of billions on un budgeted commissions of inquiries whose findings are rotting in the shelves. foolish ZANIS. how can a revision in minimum wage be a positive when it has put alot of people out of employment and pushed up the cost of doing business. if you take all these considerations you find that PF’s performance in one year is = 0.
How does the take over of Zamtel and ZRS address the challenges of the people……
Are these characters Zambians? (Yasuf and Mtesa)
Engineer,
Some of us tolerate your relentlessly negative comments about the current government because we respectyour democratic right to express your opinions. What I, however, find pathetic and shocking is your ignorance of some very patriotic Zambians. How on earth can you question the nationality of Yusuf Dodhia and my older brother, Mr. Love Mutesa? If you cannot know the nationality of these two patriots, it is your nationality that should be questioned!
#1, #2, #3 and #4 I conquer with guys. I do not know what Yusuf Dodia and Love Mtesa are trying to prove. They should have talked about something else, I wonder what kind of economists they are! They just want to please the big man. What has high price of copper to do with pf? Pf does control the price of copper. If they can not control the price of Millie meal and transport which are local how can they control copper price? PF never worked for the 750 USD, infacte the praise must go to the MMD if any. These two oganisations are just showing us their ignorance, or they are boot-licking wanting to gain support form the big man and his party. Let us just face it. MMD was condemned over good things that they did, but this time you are praising PF over rubbish and zero performance in just 1 yr
Unlike you, these people are objective in their thinking. I bet you are a UPND stinking sticker
LT I think u got the title wrong in your Pro-PF writing. The so called positives cited here seem more hallow than anything. If really these two guys said what you are reporting, then the statements are more political than economic and the two men may better go back to school.
Copper prices, meaningless & dictatorial minimum wage, renationalisation of companies are far from being positive to any one who knows what a government should be doing.
Gives us a TRAIN in the East as you restructure & revamp ZRL; we have a RAIL LINE and give us the manufacturing industry because we have the cotton as well!!!! Remember you took away our LUANGWA INDUSTRIES; we had a source of employment in the province.
Mwanawasa clocked five years and PF were just saying nooooo, all this is Chilubas work. you are just a cabbage. Now with the caliber of our leaders in power, can you compare them to Levy. Can they manage things in one year? It is impossible, let us just accept that they are lucky they found almost everything in place.If Levy was nothing the would not be comfortable with what they have inherited. A very good foundation was already laid by the good governance of the MMD. Let us not pretend bane (friends). The pf govt is busy trying to seal holes in the boat before it sinks. The problem is the boat has too many holes, I do not know how they are going to manage to plug them in time while a Zambian is waiting for the promises to be fulfilled by pf govt. God help us.
Yusuf sits on Access Bank Zambia board so at the moment he cannot say anything that seems to antagonize the current government looking at the what the bank is going through right now with the issues of capitalization and the pending paper transfer of shares to Zambians. He is probably one of the fronts the Nigerians will use and so he must be seen to be in sync with the government’s agenda. I am not sure he is advancing his organisation’s agenda.
I mean how honestly can a government be praised for high copper prices? If only the government has increased its taking in the mine revenues or they have invested in mining itself, then you can praise them – but has it happened. This believe me was hatched in the board room somewhere.
Anyway ni sebana wikute….
This is what is called nonsensical rantings. Why do Zambian so called leaders use the mouth and not real statistics to convince people? Such a statement MUST be accompanied by some metric data, some figures to substantiate their claims. we really have fools for leaders.
Is the Euro Bond worth 750 billion or 750 million? Please clarify ba LT and I agree, copper prices have got nothing to with the PF. Prices are dictated from outside and the government who don’t even own the mines just go by what is pushed down their throats.
Copper prices attributed to PF govt? aibo!
Yes increased copper prices coupled with discipline in management of our resources is what is making PF different from MMD and even UPND if they happen to come to power I dont know when…..
PSDA Chairperson Yusuf Dodia?? chairperson of a one member association? He has been chairperson from before 2000 and he is the only one that shows up to meeting if his association is invited just for government to show that the private sector was consulted. The Ambassador on the other hand may still be missing active duty seeing as PF is recalling retire and tired people-so he may be applying for a job
#1 the reality on the ground is that the minimum wage is now Functional in zambia and domestic and shop workers are already reaping rewards. The taxation threshold is now above k2m for the first time. Is that not showing things on the ground? Are you saying the acquisition of zamtel zr is not positive? I am actually doubting your authenticity.
Now coming to economic performance. I must say I am not sure about how the economy is performing because I have not looked at statistics for some time. However, I have a problem with the indicators that they both chose to measure economic performance. They are standard indicators which include GDP, GDP/Capita, employment/unemployment, Exports?imports and what types of products, FDI inflows and stock etc. Now to invent some measures of economic performance just to please the PIG is wrong. Let these guys look up these figures and comment appropriately. It may well be that the economy is improving, but let them show us the correct indicators.
Good governance is about continuity.By now wise Zambians should have learnt the mistakes Chiluba made one of which was to distroy everything Kaunda left even very good ones resulting in people loosing jobs, the explosion of the street kid/vendor populations.Levy was smart in that he continied with the good policies he found. Likewise the PF have not discarded the positive policies of the MMD and in addition ,they have taken bold steps to revamp Companies that contributed massively in employing people in the UNIP era and repossessing companies that were fraudulently sold/concessioned to dubious foreign investors by the MMD who ended up striping them of assetts.So there is nothing wrong with the PF continuing with some good policies the MMD left. Its the wisest thing to do to benefit us.
Yusuf,you are a fool,what are you telling us when our own eyes can see.PF has failed to buy Maize,Mines are doing fine because that’s how MMD left them.Cost of living is going up on a daily basis.Go to marketeers they will tell you. Wait your business will go down also.