1 August 2008
editorial
THE 82nd Agriculture and Commercial Show, which opened its doors to the public yesterday, is in many ways very significant.
Firstly, it presents yet another opportunity not only for Zambians but foreign businesses to foster trade and business relations and enter into new areas of cooperation.
Not only that, Zambia is poised to place herself on the world map by show-casing some of her success stories, especially agriculture, mining, manufacturing and tourism that have registered significant growth.
Most importantly, the show, whose theme is 'Growth in Diversity' was made to coincide with the Smart Partnership Dialogue at which Zambia played host to several heads of State and government. The Dialogue was meant to discuss areas of mutual concern among partners.
An issue that stood out most at the summit was that of the rising commodity prices and the impending food shortages, which all leaders and government representatives to the summit acknowledged was a double-edged sword that needed to be confronted head-on.
Elsewhere, food prices have resulted in violent protests in some nations but parties to the Smart Partnership Dialogue have shown a greater resolve not to allow the situation to degenerate to those levels.
One of the ways of tackling the food crisis is for African leaders to learn from each other's experiences and that is the main reason for the tour of the stands at the showgrounds, which delegates were treated to on the concluding day of the summit yesterday.
The tour must have provided a practical example of how, with determination and appropriate policies, African countries can do much for their continent.
And as former Namibian president Sam Nujoma rightly put it, trade is key towards eliminating poverty in Africa.
Sustained growth of any nation lies not only in production but also in trade, and this is the reason why even other economic blocs and cooperating partners are emphasising on trade rather than aid.
Therefore, African nations should look on the bright side of the escalating food price crisis and use it as an opportunity to produce more to meet the rising demand.
Only Africa can redeem itself from the shackles of poverty.
In the same vein, show-goers should seize the trade opportunities that shall present themselves during the show and embark on a serious path of growth in diverse areas of the economy.
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