President Michael Sata says Zambia is more strategically positioned to provide prospective business and investors’ access to two large regional markets.
Addressing chief executives from leading Japanese business companies in Tokyo, Japan today, President Sata said Zambia lies at the crossroads of two major markers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
He said SADC has a population of 257 million and a combined GDP of US$471 billion with COMESA having a population of 430 million and a combined GDP of US$472 billion.
President Sata said Zambia boasts of other market opportunities through agreements and membership to the European Union through the Everything But Arms Initiative (EBA), the United States of America’s American Growth and Opportunities (AGOA) initiative as well as market access initiatives with Canada.
The President said government is working towards achieving similar market access initiatives across the globe including some with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
He told Japanese businessmen that they were better off investing in Zambia because of a stable macroeconomic environment as well as a friendly business environment.
President Sata assured the Japanese businessmen that government is committed to restructuring the economy by diversifying into other sectors such as agriculture, tourism, energy, manufacturing and infrastructural development.
He said his government has also been proactive in reducing the cost of doing business and streamlining the investment climate through the elimination of unnecessary and cumbersome licenses and procedures.
President Sata said government is implementing prudent fiscal reforms such as broadening the tax base, increased spending on priority sectors aimed at minimizing unplanned outlays while ensuring fiscal discipline.
Among the top chief executives that attended the president’s meeting include those from leading companies like NEC Corporation, Shimizu Corporation, Toshiba Corporation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited.
Others were from Toyota Motor Corporation, and Kubota Corporation.
And President Michael Sata has called upon the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to increase its levels of development cooperation with Zambia.
President Sata says Zambia is ready to work with JICA in many areas of development cooperation.
He has invited the JICA team to come to Zambia and explore areas of possible cooperation.
President Sata says there is a lot that JICA can do in Zambia in its overseas development assistance programmes.
President Sata was speaking in Tokyo, Japan today when JICA president, Akihiko Tanaka, paid a courtesy call on him today at the Hotel New Otani where the Zambian President is staying.
And Dr Tanaka said JICA considers Zambia as one of the best partners in international cooperation.
Dr Takana said the agency is encouraging Japanese business people to pay more attention to Africa as a destination of investment.
JICA has agreed to partly fund the construction of the Kazungula Bridge across the Zambezi River.
Yesterday in Tokyo, Foreign Affairs Minister, Given Lubinda, and his Japanese counterpart, Koichiro Gemba, signed two important documents relating to the financing of the construction of the Kazungula Bridge project over the Zambezi River.
ZANIS
My president, just one word for you BRAVO!
MA PREZO!
tHANK GOD
Those are heavy industries Mr Sata and they require efficient rail system unlike ours,good wide roads,uninterupted and cheap power and good communications network.Too bad our coastal neighbours have a competitive edge on us for their ports.
Very true but we should work on transport networks. A transcontinental netowrk of roads and railways would make Africa prosper. Mozambique would like to trade with Angola but there is no railine between Maputo and Luanda. DRC would want to trade with Mozambique Malawi Zimbabwe Madagascar but they can only access each other via air and sea transport
His Excellency the President is committed to transforming this great nation. Zambian should be inspired to have such a selfless leader who speaks for the people and is determined to uplift their living standards by ensuring that he delivers development which will have impact of the people. The PF has certainly started on a very positive note and they will certainly deliver as enshrined in their manifesto.
#2 ZAMBIA IS LANDLINKED. DON’T WORRY ABOUT A SEA PORT. WORRY ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS GOOD RAIL NETWORK, GOOD ROADS NETWORK, EFFICIENT COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, ETC. ONE CAN NEVER BE GIFTED WITH EVERYTHING. IN FACT ZAMBIA HAS BEEN ‘OVER-GIFTED’. WE HAVE ALL THE MINERALS, PLENTY OF FERTILE LAND, MORE 40% OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICA FRESH WATER BODY IS IN ZAMBIA, NO SEAS BUT BEAUTIFUL LAKES BEACHES. STRATEGIC GEOGRAPHICAL POSITIONING (HUB) GOOD FOR MASSIVE MARKET ACCESS, NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES EQUALLY NOT INDUSTRIALISED- READY MARKET, PLENTY OF SKILLED/UNSKILLED LABOUR, POLITICAL STABILITY, ETC. THESE ARE WHAT MATTERS IN BUSINESS.
“Landlinked!!” sounds like a new term to me, seems my teachers forgot to tell me about it!!!!
Very true man…
Very true my bro
And I agree with you landlocked is negative. Landlinked makes you realise your potential! Viva Peter!
NKAMULOWA SATA..!!! MY TONGAS ARE NOT PART OF THESE USELESS DEALS SATA IS CLAIMING TO BE MAKING WITH THE SO CALLED USELESS JAPANESE… ATAASE…….!!!!
@Peter#4
What do you mean Zambia’s neighbours are equally not industrialised like Zambia. The context in which you constructed your blanket overview of industrial activities be it heavy or lighty industries is lacking in its factual analysis. Note that the only place on the African continent anyone would find a megalopolis is in South Africa, that is, the greater Gauteng heavy industrial area, the combined Durban, Pinetown and Pietermaritzburg, and the greater Cape Town area. Other heavy industrial areas are Port Elizabeth, Uteinhage and East London, the list is too long to mention on this platform. Get your facts straight.
Is south Africa a neighbor of Zambia?? Peter is correct ba guy imwe. Does it mean you will just oppose even something which is clear. Awe mwandini!!!!
And there was not a single qualified industrialist in his delegation to Japan! This is a serious oversight and only makes such discussions one-sided. The Industrialist could have presented the challenges that Japanese industrialists would need to understand, opportunities available in Zambia, and most of all, blue print for co-operation between Zambian industry and Japanese industry.
My dream Zambia is coming!
Ok good job ba Sata, but then what are you doing to improve the environment for SME’s. I mean, you’ve been singing to Zambians living abroad to invest back home. When we do, we face fierce corrupt competition from the likes of GBM and Kabimba who want to be the only ones getting lucrative contracts. The same corrupt individuals are everywhere. They’re on the heals of every opportunity. Some SME’s have been existing for years but have never been awarded a single contract, not because they’re unqualified, but because the corrupt politicians influence the systems badly. Even getting the abundant land for real estate is an impossible affair because of your corrupt officials at all levels. Awe ACT mwe…twanaka naba kelenka.
Get your facts right Mr Finally, otherwise you will be in the diaspora forever doing doing donky work where you are normally called names by the native of such countries. Never boast of being in a much more world renoun corrupt nation like in Nigeria. Zambians are making it big without having worked in the diaspora as can be seen by the mega housing structures they are building back home. Find time to come and see for yourselves how Zambia is truelly being transformed while you keep on singing in the foreign countries.
Man just come back, why suffering like that in the diaspora. Working every time with no time to rest and yet the money you get is still no enough?? To remind you, all Zambians are equal whether in the diaspora or not, so brace yourself for the same treatment. No one will be favoured bane.
SADC combined GDP of $471 billion? Honestly who are Sata’s Economic advisers? South Africa has a $462 bn , Angola $110 bn, Tanzania $23 bn, Zambia $19bn , Botswana $16 bn, Namibia $13 bn etc . Simple arithmetic tells you that SADC GDP is well above what Sata was telling the Japanese. If anything they must have been surprised by the sheer ignorance of their guest from Zambia. PF please pull up your socks!
You are a lier who needs to be eduacted in GDP my brother. Just google the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and see the real GDP for the region as opposed to alucinating and ignorant you are exibiting on this public forumn.
For sure ba guy you have not done economics -GDP analysis. You just rant ignorantly…get an education man.
Henry and Truth hates. Gross Domestic Product is simply the total amount of goods and services produced in a year. Now can you please show me the GDP figures for South Africa, Angola and Zambia for 2011. I am quite sure for these three countries the total amount is over $471 billion. Please I am waiting! Give me the figures pronto because it is not good arguing without Facts….go ahead prove me wrong with figures!
Show me the money
\:d/
Zambian Watchdog is busy blocking all those with diferent views from there own. As soon as you seem pro-PF, you’re blocked so that the general view on the site is that of anti-GRZ even when not the case. Who’s fooling who?
Zambian nkoloko galu (Zed doubly u Dee) is busy blocking all those with diferent views from there own. As soon as you seem pro-PF, you’re blocked so that the general view on the site is that of anti-GRZ even when not the case. Who’s fooling who?
## 12, Do you even go there? Ask us who have been banned by the Dog watch. They think by blocking opposing views they are becoming popular and yet they are deceiving themselves and come 2016, the voters are not the Diaspora UPND blogs but Zambians, these guys will really cry. They have no strategy. They behave like something I dont know.
kanshi tuli bengi fwebo bacita block zoona
True about watch dog. They think they’re fooling anybody when in actual fact most of them are languish in the diaspora only wanting to hear what they want… more like Kaunda in the run-up to 1991 elections… hearing and seeing only what he wanted to see or hear. UPND will never rule at this rate.
President Sata may the Living God bless you so that you work hard only for Zambians. Please prevent your PF guys from stealing our money like what the MMD did. Please Mr president give heed to the sufferings of poor poor Zambians. See to it that by the time God calls you home, at least you will have done something to be remembered for by Zambians. Peace to all Zambians.
GO ZED GO…
@Truth Hates and Henry, Please show me the GDP figures for South Africa, Angola and Zambia for last year 2011. I am waiting Messrs PF geniuses! I stand by the FACT that the SADC GDP is well above the $471 bn been claimed by Sata. Show me the GDP numbers pronto! Prove me wrong with figures !
my president you are doing a good job,we are waiting for you in Korea next week
that is a good move my president keep it up bakateka God bless you
@LIVINGSTONE#10#18
Yey, my man, ask these excited PF disciples about the authenticity of their claims which are easily socially constructed depending on their level of insanity. Any little aspect which a head of state brings to such a forum must be well substantiated and failure to back up any claims the whole rhetorical jargon is reduced to mere pursuits of publicity. South Africa’s GDP is somewhat higher than official figures reasons being transnationals such as De Beers, Old Mutal, S.African Milller Breweries (the world’s biggest Breweries) decided to hide some of their assets which are accumulating billions on daily basis. These are govts. within govts.
South Africa’s GDP is more than what we see in so called records, various research works reveal shocking reports. I will not reveal unpliblished reports because research ethics and rules of the World Scientific Body of Researchers must be followed. However, it is unfortunate for Sata not to be acculate with numbers because it shows that he does not have a team/an entourage which is familiar with correct figures. I ‘m sure, they are so many Zambians he could have gone with who are good in advanced mathematics or fluid mathematics. Those who always accompany Sata during his overseas trips should not just seat but honour their duties of conveying the true worthiness of Zambians. Viva HH, UNDP.
Unigform calls made by most if not all leaders of semi-peripheral or peripheral countries should be viewed very carefully because when closely analysed, the analysis reveals how these exicited leaders promote this one sided trade relationship and economic processes between the core countries and the peripheral nations. Note that unequal relations were contructed by the core countries under the pretence that investments in the peripherals will instill a belief that their ecnomies will be modernised to the full extent, yet it is a fallacy. The solution is change the manner in which this myth is constructed by listening to knowledge workers, thus politicians should be mere mouth pieces not assuming roles which are above them. Viva HH, UNPD. Peace to all Zambians.
The president is doing fine selling the country to potential FDI .hopefully he can score some investment.It is time well spent.