ZBC blames its failures on Levy

ZBC blames its failures on Levy
By Fridah Zinyama
Saturday March 31, 2007 [02:00]

THE Zambia Business Council (ZBC) has failed to meet some of its objectives because President Levy Mwanawasa has not availed himself for the annual meetings. Zambia Buisness Forum chairman Sherry Thole said the Forum had not met for the last three years and had therefore failed to meet some of its objectives.

The Chairman of the Council is President Mwanawasa, therefore the Council cannot hold any meetings to discuss any urgent issues pertaining to the Council without him. "We are supposed to hold bi-annual meetings which are aimed at charting the way forward for the private sector," Thole said. "The failure to do so for the last three years means that we have failed to implement some of the decisions which were critical for the growth of the private sector in the country."

She explained that the President's presence was important for the council, as it would show commitment on the part of government to develop the private sector. "We need the President's backup on most of the business decisions that the forum should make," Thole said. "The political commitment from government will give us the support we need to achieve some of our objectives."

She wondered why President Mwanawasa did not delegate to the vice-president to hold the meetings on his behalf. "If President Mwanawasa cannot make it to the meetings, he can instruct the Vice-president to represent him," Thole said.

But an independent business and financial consultant John Kasanga wondered where the President's priorities lay, if he did not prioritise the Zambia Business Council meetings. "I say this because Zambia needs to find solutions to its economic woes," Kasanga said.

He said if the government was committed to finding solutions to the economic woes the country was experiencing, then ZBC meetings should be on the president’s annual agenda. "If the President can find time to meet business delegations coming from abroad, surely he can find time to meet the local businessmen as well," Kasanga pointed out.

Efforts to get in touch with the special assistant for press and public relations John Musukuma proved futile as he was out of the country.