2 November 2009
THE Government has said the recent opening of four commercial banks in the country is a sign of a positive economic environment in Zambia that has continued to attract foreigners.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister, Felix Mutati said the opening of the banks was an indication of the commitment and trust the investors had in the policies put across by the Government.
Mr Mutati in an interview said that no investor could put up a huge investment such as setting up of a bank if the environment in which it wants to conduct its business was not favourable.
He said the banks would have gone to other countries to set up their investment if the country was not stable and appealed to Zambians to continue embracing each other and ensure that peace was maintained.
"The recent opening of four banks in the country is a sign of good conducive environment in which the public can conduct their business freely without disturbances. And it is our appeal that this should be upheld by all," he said.
The Government would continue to ensure that the peace is maintained to allow business and other economic activities to go on without interference.
He reiterated Government's commitment under the leadership of President Rupiah Banda to developing the country and that it was for that reason that it had continued to market the country in a view of wooing local and foreign investors.
Mr Mutati said currently, there were developmental programmes going on in various parts of the country aimed at improving and bettering the lives of the Zambians and called for involvement of all.
ECO Bank, United Bank of Africa and First National Bank opened their business this year while Access Bank was opened last year.
The Government has since given a licence to International Bank of Malaysia, which is expected to start its operations soon.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Times of Zambia. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
