Zambia committed to benefit from the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) Extension.
MINISTRY of Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary Kayula Siame says the Zambian government is working towards maximizing benefits of the African growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) through capacity building for local small scale entrepreneurs following its extension in 2015.
Mrs. Siame says the government is in talks with the US government to provide technical assistance for Zambian cooperatives so as to enable them produce large scale for the American market.
She observed that there was need for technical support in the technology area so as to enable small and medium enterprises (SMEs) harness new technology, increase capacity and meet international standards.
The Permanent Secretary was speaking at the Zambian Embassy in Washington DC, where she briefed Embassy Staff ahead of the AGOA forum.
Mrs. Siame said her Ministry is working towards getting cooperatives to access financing so as to build capacity and have a competitive advantage in the AGOA market.
She added that the Ministry was further looking at improving the standards of products such as honey, that were also AGOA eligible, and others already being exported so as to ensure their adherence to international standards.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Siame has described the just ended U.S-Africa Business Forum in New York as a success.
The Permanent Secretary, observed that the Forum provided a platform for the Zambian delegation, headed by President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, to hold bilateral meetings with key companies interested in investing in Zambia.
President Lungu met with Africa Financing Corporation (AFC), which seeks to address the needs of infrastructure development on the African continent; Bechtel- a top ranked U.S company with expertise in infrastructure development, engineering and construction; Vermeer, an agricultural and industrial equipment manufacturing company; Sustainable Harvest, importers of coffee as well as Digitize-A-Nation, which specializes in using satellite imagery to enable natural resource mapping.
The Permanent Secretary was met at the Embassy by Chargé d’Affaires, a.i, Mr. Joseph Chilaizya.