M’MEMBE OBSERVES THE NEED TO EXPAND ZAMBIA’S MANUFACTURING BASE

M’MEMBE OBSERVES THE NEED TO EXPAND ZAMBIA’S MANUFACTURING BASE

….by supporting local suppliers to become manufacturers of the goods they supply

Lusaka…. Thursday, September 5, 2024

Socialist Party (SP) President Dr Fred M’membe has observed the need to expand the country’s manufacturing base in order to grow and strengthen the economy.

Dr. M’membe says this is possible by supporting local suppliers and helping them become manufacturers of the goods they supply.

Dr M’membe said under the Socialist goverment, suppliers will be helped to graduate from being suppliers to manufacturers of the goods they are supplying.

He further observed the need to assist locals establish companies that will be supplying materials to the mines saying this will help in creating the much needed jobs in the country.

“They have been supplying for years, what have they really made out of it? Yes they have built a house, they bought a car but they will never be milliónaires in real sense. We want them to graduate from being suppliers to manufacturers of goods they are supplying,” he said.

“You get a supply contract to go and get goods from South Africa, Dubai or China to come and supply the mines, these are just contracts meant to shut you up. This is meant to silence you and not to enrich you. We want proper businessmen. When the whites were suppliers to the mines, they created companies in Kitwe, Ndola, Chingola and other mine towns to supply the mines. There was a proper private sector   manufacturing things to supply to the mines.”

Dr. M’membe said the Socialist wants to see local companies supplying to the mines and even export to other countries like Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We want to have our people to establish companies that will be supplying the mines and employ people. Some of the goods can even be exported to the mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These billionaires you see in the world, they have been created by the state. If we only assist foreign companies, they will be the only milliónaires and billionaires. We need to assist our own people to run businesses,” he insisted.

“If Dr. Musumali here was a businessman, assisted by us to produce medicines in the country and we find market for him in China, India, Congo, South Africa, Angola etc to export his products and give him the condition that all the money you are earning has to be banked in Zambia, those billions are not his money. Yes the bank will give him the paperwork that your balance is this in the bank, how much of those billions can he use everyday? That money will be his on paper only, if we have indigenous banks and they hold on to that money and start lending it to the people, how many businesses are we going to create?”