By JAMES MUYANWA –

THE Government has challenged the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and other sector watchdogs to help the emerging local businesses to grow by removing barriers which inhibit them.

Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Robert Sichinga said barriers like exclusive licenses, cartels, abuse of dominance and anti-competitive tendencies by big entities should be addressed.

Officiating at the media training workshop on competition and consumer protection here yesterday, Mr Sichinga said the CCPC and the media had a challenge to help grow the national economy.

He said the competition policy was aimed at facilitating efficient allocation of resources as a way of maximising the economic growth by promoting open and competitive atmosphere.

That environment would allow local business people to fully take part and become integrated into the national economic system.

“As you know my ministry is setting up industrial clusters in each province and sector clusters in a number of districts. My ministry sees these clusters as a tool of encouraging Zambians to participate in the economy and also enhance value addition,” Mr Sichinga said.

He said that the entities in these clusters should be harnessed through the removal of barriers so that they could enter the mainstream economy and viably contribute towards the national economic growth.

“However, for these clusters to be successful there is need to have an open market free from encumbrances. For example we need to see cooking oil from Isoka being sold in various supermarkets.

“Why should we import groundnuts and products made from groundnuts when we have these products made in Eastern Province as well as other locally grown products,” he said.

He said it was the duty of the CCPC and the media to ensure that the industrial clusters did not engage in any anti competitive conducts which can affect business dealings with customers.

“This will allow the clusters to enter the mainstream economy with ease,” he said.