Speech to be delivered by His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu President of The Republic Of Zambia at The Ground Breaking Ceremony Of Jiangxi United Industrial In Chibombo District, Central Province on Wednesday, 21st November, 2018

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• Hon. Christopher Yaluma, MP, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Indus

try;

• Hon. Sydney Mushanga, MP, Provincial Minister, Central Province;

• Cabinet Ministers Present;

• Your Excellency, Li Jie, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia;

• Mr Xu Guojian, Chairperson for China Jiangxi Corporation;

• Chinese High Level Officials;

• Business Delegation from The People’s Republic Of China;

• Captains Of Industry;

• Distinguished Guests

• Members Of The Press;

• Ladies And Gentlemen:

I am delighted to be here in Chibombo District, Central Province for the Ground Breaking Ceremony of Jiangxi United Industrial Development Limited. This event is a Curtain Raiser to the company’s Intention to establish a Multi Facility Economic Zone/Industrial Park. This will help our Government to achieve our ‘Value Addition Vision’.

This development is as a result of our visit to China where we attended the 2018 Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit. i wish to note that during the FOCAC summit held in Beijing in September this year, His Excellency, Mr Xi Jinping, President of the Peoples Republic of China pledged 60 billion united states dollars towards the successful implementation of the FOCAC framework.

Since this FOCAC pronouncement was made, I am glad to note that Our Country has started benefiting from this package, as can be seen from a new set of projects being implemented in Zambia within the FOCAC Framework.
On the sidelines of FOCAC, we also visited Jiangxi Province where we participated in The Business Forum organised by the Provincial Administration of Jiangxi.

It is indeed a great mark of achievement to see that it’s not long ago that we visited China, but we are already witnessing the fruits of our visit. This is an indication of the importance that the Peoples Republic of China attaches to the Bilateral Cooperation with Zambia.

In this vein, let me take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Provincial Administration of Jiangxi Province for facilitating the business forum in Jiangxi on the sidelines of FOCAC, and ensuring that the commitment to invest by the Jiangxi United Industries Development Limited is actualised.

I am particularly happy that this investment is coming immediately after the Central Province Investment Forum and Expo where the province showcased its diverse investment opportunities and potential.

In this regard, i wish to applaud the Central Province Administration and the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry for working tirelessly to ensure that the expo bears fruit as we are witnessing today. These developments show a deep rooted relationship which exist between Zambia and China. 

Ladies And Gentlemen:
Our friendship with China dates back to the pre independence era and zamia was the first Southern African country to forge diplomatic ties with China.

We should therefore endeavour to cherish these cordial and mutual bilateral relations between the two countries. Not only should we do this with China, but with other countries with whom we have diplomatic ties.

I Wish To Reiterate My Government’s Commitment To Creating A Conducive Environment For Business Growth Through Continuous Implementation Of Business Reforms.

We have continued making efforts aimed at reducing the cost of doing business by eliminating hurdles that contribute to delays and high transaction costs.

Our efforts are not mere rhetoric, but this is evidenced by our huge investment into the modernisation and upgrading of our infrastructure such as roads, rail, airports, and border points, among others transforming our country into a construction site.

Distinguished Guests;
Ladies And Gentlemen:

We will continue to encourage the development of Multi Facility Economic Zones, industrial parks and farm blocks to foster industrialisation and value addition.

It is for this reason that the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry has developed the National Industrial Policy, National Local Content Strategy and the National Investment Promotion Strategy aimed at creating a favourable platform for business development and growth.

I wish to note that Zambia has been recognised as a champion of the third industrial development decade for Africa by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and other international organisations. This is an exciting development!

This development demonstrates our willingness to foster industrial transformation through value addition anchored on regional cooperation, establishment of pragmatic regional value chains and fair competition.

I am confident that other potential investors will engage the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry and the Zambia Development Agency in their quest to invest in Zambia.

With these remarks, it is now my singular honour and privilege to ‘Break the Ground’ for the Jiangxi United Industrial Development Limited.

I Thank You
God Bless You All. -President Edgar Chagwa Lungu