NEWLY elected Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) president Noel Nkhoma has said international trips undertaken by President Rupiah Banda were a weapon for triggering business opportunities and investments for the country.

Mr Nkhoma has cited British Prime Minister David Cameron who was accompanied by 200 British business executives on his recent official trip to India while South African President Jacob Zuma came to Zambia recently with a huge delegation of business persons.

Mr Nkhoma urged President Banda and his Government to start including Zambian business executives on his foreign trips who could travel at their own costs to maximise benefits to Zambia through high profile visits.

"Instead, the Government could consider including more businessmen and women to accompany the president with the aim of seizing the opportunities that the president opens when he travels. The businessmen and women of course should be expected to meet their own travel expenses," Mr Nkhoma said.

He said as much as it might be appreciated that presidents could be a useful trigger for facilitating opportunities, foreign investment depends largely on business opportunities and the existence of favourable business climate.

Apart from this, business growth also depended on high level initiatives by heads of State.

Mr Nkhoma urged Government to explain the benefits of the trips abroad to generate acceptability from the Zambian people.

"In our view, Government could do well to make these trips more acceptable to Zambians if State House explained in a little more detail on how the president's trip has played such a role.

"Most importantly, by cutting down on the size of delegations to set an example of frugality and budget discipline," Mr Nkhoma said in response to a Press query yesterday.

He noted that State House had recently issued a statement to justify the expenditure on presidential trips vis a vis the investments that had been generated.

"It should be emphasised however that all presidents have to travel as they are expected to resolve important bilateral and multilateral matters which will invariably help to promote investment indirectly," Mr Nkhoma said.

Opposition Patriotic Front president Michael Sata and his counterpart Hakainde Hichilema have condemned President Banda's trips abroad describing them as costly.

President Banda, however, said during a special interview aired on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) on Thursday that he would continue travelling abroad because this attracts foreign investment to the country.

The president said people condemning his trips did not understand how Government operates and its obligations to the United Nations, SADC, COMESA among other international groupings to which Zambia was a member.

Mr Banda said as a result of his trips abroad, a team of experts from Turkey was expected to arrive in the country to help refurbish the railway line from Livingstone to Chililabombwe.

Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Sitwala told the Times of Zambia on Sunday that more than 2,000 jobs would be created at Kafue Gorge following the planned investment that had also resulted from President Banda's trips.