PLANS to set up a British Chamber of Commerce that will be a catalyst for investments in Zambia have advanced, High Commissioner James Thornton has disclosed.
Mr Thornton said the British Chamber of Commerce, to be established soon, will create a platform for existing British companies operating in Zambia and new companies looking for business opportunities.
He said this when he met a business delegation from the United Kingdom led by the UK Trade and Investment yesterday.
The purpose of the trade mission is to identify, establish and grow business opportunities in Zambia as well as identify business partners and meeting potential buyers.
Mr Thornton, however, said Zambia should ensure that it becomes competitive if it is to attract more investment.
“Investors will go anywhere in the world where they think it is best for them … Government should make Zambia as attractive as possible so that it competes with other countries for investment,” he said. He said Zambia can remain competitive if it opens its doors to investors.
Mr Thornton said the UK government remains committed to promote trade and investment between Zambia and the UK through various initiatives.
“Britain has a number of commercial and industrial expertise and other services and what you can get from us is quality and I believe that the Zambian government and businesses should take advantage of the initiatives,” he said.
At the same occasion, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Robert Sichinga called for investment partnership with UK companies to enable Zambia achieve her goal of value addition to local products.
“Government has been emphasising value addition as this will create more jobs, so foreign direct investment will assist in achieving value addition,” he said.
Source: Lusaka Voice