AGAINST all odds, particularly the pressures that came with the global economic meltdown last year, Zambia has continued to show resilience in its economy and the country is certainly on its way up the development ladder.

There has been growing evidence for the most part of this year that with the good policies the Government has put in place, the prospect of positive results beckons.

We are, therefore, not surprised with the revelation by Secretary to the Treasury Likolo Ndalamei that the economy is expected to grow by 6.6 per cent this year, which is an upward revision from the earlier projection of five per cent.

The Government had initially, in the 2010-2012 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, projected that the economy would grow by five per cent.

But according to the 2011-2012 Green Paper released by Mr Ndalamei yeaterday, the revision of the growth target was on account of better-than-expected performance in several sectors of the economy during the first half of this year.

The milestone, though anticipated for some time, is the most striking evidence yet that Zambia's ascendance is for real and that the rest of the region will have to reckon with a new economic giant.

Among some fabulous achievements Mr Ndalamei outlined, the agriculture sector recorded a large maize harvest, approximately 2.7 million tonnes compared with the 1.8 million in the previous season.

With such a harvest, growth in the sector is now projected at 7.7 per cent, which is 5.7 percentage points higher than the initial forecast.

There are other sectors that have made a remarkable contribution to Zambia's inspiring economic performance, like mining which has continued to attract major foreign investors.

Some pressures on copper prices have at times affected the inflation rate, but generally there is stability in the mining industry suggesting that Zambia's major income earner is on the right track.

We are also encouraged by the fact that the Government remains focused on accelerating private sector investment to achieve increased and diversified growth.

We call upon Zambians to join in this crusade to grow the economy and allow better living standards for all the citizens to take precedence over the usual non-issues that dominate the news media.