Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
CUTS Executive Director Simon Ng’ona
Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International has called on government to put in place measures that will result in the country benefiting from the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that Zambia signed about a month ago.
CUTS Executive Director Simon Ng’ona says while the objective of a free trade area was to provide an expanded market to smaller economies, Zambia has not performed too well in the past to take advantage of the expanded market through ensuring that the country’s production capacity was increased for Zambian goods to be exported.
Mr. Ng’ona has expressed worry that while Zambia has been a religious participant of free trade areas, it has mainly been on the consuming end of goods produced by other countries.
He has explained to QFM News that the TFTA was a combination of the Eastern African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern African Development Community (SADC).
He says this market can be harnessed by member countries to attract huge investments in their countries and also export their products to a broader market.
Mr. Ng’ona has bemoaned the continued trade deficit that Zambia is experiencing due to the continued high consumption and less production and export of goods.