Vice President, Inonge Wina says government will follow up the Statutory Instrument ( SI ) on local content to ensure that it is enacted into law in a soonest possible time.
The Vice President says government is committed to promoting local content and ensure that ensure that Zambians benefit from the resources in the mining sector.
Mrs. Wina said it is the desire of government to ensure that Zambians take over the running of economy and that this can only be done by passing various pieces of legislations.
Mrs. Wina said this in Kitwe today when she met representatives from the Association of Contractors and Mine Suppliers of Zambia, Zambia Manufacturers Association and the Kitwe District Chamber of Commerce that the privatatisation process has taken Zambia ten years backwards.
“We are very thankful for your observations and recommendations that have come out of this interactive meeting and we will also convey your concerns to his Excellence the President of Zambia, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu,” she said.
Mrs. Wina’s comment follows the request from the associations on the need by government to quickly enact into law, the SI on local content which when done so, will give local suppliers leverage for bargaining business opportunities in the mining sector.
Association president, Augustine Mubanga said mine suppliers and contractors have for many years faced challenges in accessing contracts in the mining sector because of the various barriers mining firms have put in place to block locals from benefiting from their own resources.
Mr. Mubanga said with the booming copper prices on the international market, there is urgent need for government to sign into law the SI so that local suppliers can also start benefiting from rising priced of the copper on the international market.
He lamented that the SI on mine suppliers and contractors has taken too long and that should be signed quickly to allow local suppliers and contractors to benefit in one of the country’s flourishing sectors of the economy.
“Our request your Honour is that we need to make the mining sector more friendly to Zambians especially those in North Western province where some giant mines behave as though they are not operating in Zambia but in a different world,” Mr. Mubanga stressed.
Earlier, the Vice President had a meeting with unions in the mining sector where she cautioned that some leaders opposing steps taken by government to address some of the challenges the sector is faced with are under the influence of some International capitals.
She said such leaders should not be supported as they not mean well for the sector which has remained the pillar of the Zambian economy.
The Vice President said the decision which government took to save jobs on the Copperbelt where over 15 thousand jobs were at stake was done with a lot of conscious.
She has since called for closer and consolidated collaborations with the Unions in the mining sector which are currently yielding positive results.
Meanwhile, Mines Union of Zambia – MUZ president, Joseph Chewe stressed the need to engaging Zambians in the running of mines.
He said doing so will help to stabilise the economy and also help to strengthen the local currency which is currently under pressure from other foreign major currencies such as the United States Dollar.
If they run the economy the same way as the PF government has done, it will all go pear shaped…….
A whole GRZ , lead by a morron , does not understand that those suppliers to the mines , be they Zambians, are still buying from SA and China. Creating jobs there. ?
If zambia was not lead by dullard thives and drunks , the first thing done with those eurobonds would have been to recreate the manufacturing industries to supply the mines with 80 to 90 % of supplies, bar heavy machinery…….