ZDA records US$12 billion in investment pledges

The Zambia Development Agency says it has during the first half of 2017 recorded an increase in both value of Investment Certificates of Registration issued and projected jobs compared to the same period in 2016.

The Agency issued 192 investment certificates in the first half of the year worth over 12 billion US Dollars and 28, 792 projected employment.

Of the total pledged investment, the agriculture sector recorded the highest pledged investment followed by the energy sector with manufacturing, mining, tourism, transport, real estate, construction, energy, health, agriculture and ICT contributing.

ZDA Public Relations Officer Russel Haamubbi who confirmed the development said of the investment certificates that were issued in the first half of the year, 45 enterprises have begun actualizing their investments.

Meanwhile, Haamubbi has disclosed that of the investments that were monitored in the first half of the year, over 236 million dollars has been actualized with the manufacturing sector having the highest number of actualized investments followed by construction, service and real estate sectors.

He said others are the energy, tourism, transport and agricultural sectors respectively.

Haamubbi said ZDA projects a further increase in pledged investments and projected employment by the end of the year looking at the stable economic fundamentals and the political stability the country is enjoying.