A trade mission from SA expected in Zambia

Emmanuel Mwamba

Emmanuel Mwamba

A trade mission of various South African companies in the energy sector will arrive in Zambia on Sunday to hold meetings with Government and various other relevant departments and agencies with the view of embarking on collaborative projects.

About 13 companies have so far confirmed participation in the trade mission which is being organised by the Zambian High Commission in South Africa and the South African Electro technical Export Council (SAEEC). The visit is also being supported by South Africa’s High Commission in Zambia and the Department of Trade and Investment (DTI) in South Africa, through its Trade Invest Africa (TIA) division.

SAEEC Chief Executive Officer, Chiboni Evans has said that her company and the DTI will lead the delegation on the mission that has been scheduled to run from 29 – 31st January, 2017.

Ms. Evans says that the delegation is comprised of credible South African companies which would like to understand the environment as they plan to engage in contributing to the development of the Zambia’s energy sector.

She said the trade mission has also included finance institutions such as the Industrial Development Corporation and Development Bank of Southern Africa in order to ensure that South African business engages with Zambia to deliver a complete solution that includes skills transfer, finance, goods, services and investment.

TIA Chief Executive Officer, Lerato Mataboge said her institution prioritised energy issues because it realised that Africa could not industrialise without energy.

Ms. Mataboge said she was optimistic that there would be positive outcomes from the trade mission to Zambia.

The two were speaking when they met Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba at the High Commission offices in Pretoria this morning.

And Mr. Mwamba told the two that the visit was timely as it came at a time when Zambia was not only experiencing an energy deficit but also at a time when the country was diversifying the energy sector by bringing private sector players on board.

Mr. Mwamba said Zambia had a lot of potential which could be exploited for the country to have not only hydro-power but a mix of various sources of energy.

He said Zambia envisaged being an energy power house which should be able to supply electricity to the region.

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