Maravi

Zambia is being denied an opportunity to earn a living, says Mwanawasa

Zambia is being denied an opportunity to earn a living, says Mwanawasa
By George Chellah in Lisbon, Portugal
Monday December 10, 2007 [03:00]

Zambia is being denied an opportunity to earn itself a living, President Levy Mwanawasa has said. And President Mwanawasa said Zambia could earn at least US$150 million per year on beef exports if the export rules were to be relaxed. Addressing the plenary session of the EU-Africa summit in Lisbon, Portugal, President Mwanawasa said Africa's competitiveness would lie in agriculture for some time.

"Due to the limited domestic markets, Africans must depend on outside markets. It is known that this requires eliminating agricultural subsidies for farmers in the industrialised world. But where is the action?" President Mwanawasa asked.
He said Zambia was disappointed with the hygienic conditions imposed on its agricultural exports.

"It is the same agricultural goods that European tourists and officials enjoy so much in African hotels. In Zambia, many European officials living in the country carry our beef in cooler boxes to share with friends in their home countries when they go visiting," President Mwanawasa said.

"Unfortunately, in their official capacities, the officials deny their citizens at large the opportunity to eat this nice meat because they say it fails to meet European standards."

President Mwanawasa further said Zambia could earn at least US $150 million per year on beef exports if the export rules were to be relaxed.

"This amount is close to what the EU gives us in aid per year. You can therefore see that we are being denied an opportunity to earn ourselves a living," he said.
On trade, President Mwanawasa said a key recommendation on trade was for the European enterprises to gain courage and come to invest in Africa.

"They are the ones with the better technology, capital base and market connections to sell produce from Africa," President Mwanawasa said.

"By exporting goods and services from Africa, purchasing power in the host countries will gradually increase as they make payments for local inputs. In turn, this will boost local businesses through expanding domestic markets."

He said the challenge facing both continents was to eliminate the fears of the European investors most of which were based on ignorance about conditions in individual African countries.

"This is amazing given the long historical relationships between our continents. The experiences of the newly industrialising countries in eliminating such fears in Africa can act as a lesson to all of us," said President Mwanawasa.

The EU-Africa summit will officially closed yesterday.
President Mwanawasa is expected to leave the Portuguese city of Lisbon today and arrive in Lusaka tomorrow.

Labels: CATTLE, SUMMIT

posted by MrK @ 5:43 AM