GENERAL NEWS

Govt mindful of its duty to create jobs – Scott

07/07/2014

VICE-President Dr Guy Scott says the government does not need reminders about job creation because that is already among its priorities.
Speaking in Ndola on Saturday when he officiated at this year’s Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF), which was held under the theme: ‘Showcasing 50 years of business transformation and development’, Vice-President Scott said the PF was always mindful of what it was voted to do.
“We don’t need to be told in PF that we need to create jobs, that’s our major priority which made it possible for us to be voted into government in 2011. So we are always mindful as government of what we were elected to do,” Vice-President Scott said.
He said the PF was working hard to restore the pride and dignity of the Zambian people.
And Dr Scott said there was need to change the attitude of most Zambians, whom he said were reluctant to buy Zambian products.
He also said regulatory agencies were not policymakers but that, that was the job of the government.
And commerce minister, Bob Sichinga directed the board of the ZITF to repossess their land which had been encroached upon.
He said the time had come when the face of the ZITF needed to be changed.
“This infrastructure is no longer sufficient, we will have to transform the entire set up. That’s the only way we can sustain this facility,” Sichinga said.
ZITF chairman, Emmanuel Hachipuka, said his board was faced with challenges of mobilising funds to modernise the structures at the trade fair grounds.
He said without shareholders’ injection of funds, it would be difficult to modernise the infrastructure at the trade fair grounds.
“We are embarrassed to see our deplorable structures,” he said.
Hachipuka however, noted that the ZITF had been receiving positive responses from both local and international companies, despite the economic challenges.
Meanwhile, Copperbelt University vice-chancellor, Professor Naison Ngoma disclosed that the government had given the university US $3 million to complete the school of medicine.
He said the US$3 million was in addition to the US$1 million the university had received from the Jewish community in Zambia.
“This money will make the Copperbelt University one of the best in the region. We hope that the government will also look at needs of other higher-learning institutions in the country,” said Prof Ngoma.