Taima urges private sector partnerships

Taima urges private sector partnerships
Written by Nchima Nchito Jr
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 4:22:21 PM

COMMERCE deputy minister Richard Taima has called for partnerships within the private sector for the realisation of meaningful development.

Launching Powerworld’s franchise of Lister Petter Limited products on Monday evening, Taima said the business community had an important role to play to the Zambian economy.

“The Zambian economy requires the support of the business community in order to meaningfully attract not only foreign and local investment but to add value to the goods and services being produced in the country for the benefit of the consumers,” he said.



On the coming of Lister Petter products onto the Zambian market, Taima said they had come at an opportune time to help mitigate the impact of power outages in the country.

“As such, I wish to challenge various business sectors represented here to consider emulating Powerworld,” said Taima. “It is through such economic initiatives that we shall be able to reap the full benefits and create more employment for our people in the country.”

And in an interview, Lister Petter Limited business development manager Nick Vaisey said his company hoped to develop the Zambian market into a million pound business.

“Our products have been present on the Zambian market for a while and are well known and trusted in the various sectors of the economy. But it’s only now that they will be sold with the full after sales support of Lister Petter,” he said.

Vaisey said Lister Petter was here to stay in the local economy.

“We are very opportunistic about the partnership we have entered into with Powerworld and the ability to fully service the Zambian market,” said Vaisey.

And Powerworld service manager Clement Kasenge said the partnership with Lister Petter would enable his company be competitive in the pricing of its products.

Kasenge said middlemen had been cut out with the acquisition of the franchise while also offering full service support for products bought from Powerworld.

Lister Petter is based in Gloucestershire in England and has operations in the US, France, India and China.

Powerworld trades as Partsworld and is a member of the Union Gold group.