GOVT ADVISED TO REDUCE FURTHER INVESTMENT THRESHOLD FOR LOCAL PEOPLE TO INVEST IN ECONOMIC ZONES

Economist Emmanuel Zulu has advised government to consider reducing further the investment threshold for local people to invest in economic zones dotted in different parts of the country.

Last year, government through Parliament passed the Zambia Law Development Agency-ZDA- amendment bill which actualized a reduction of the threshold from $500,000 to $50,000 in economic zones.

However, Mr. Zulu is of the view that despite such a positive reform, most local investors still find it unattractive to invest in the zones, hence the need to revisit the current legal framework to spur investments in the zones.

He says since research has shown that all the zones more or less face different constraints in terms of the hard infrastructures, the government must establish an alternative financing fund that will act as a special purpose vehicle for investing in economic zones which in turn promote employment creation.