. Lusambo

By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
MMD youths have backed the Cabinet’s decision to bar foreigners from trading in poultry, quarry, block making and domestic haulage.
MMD National Youth Secretary Bowman Lusambo said yesterday in a statement that youths had welcomed the decision the Cabinet made on Monday this week to ban foreigners from trading in chickens and other commodities unless in partnership with Zambians.
“As MMD youths, we wish to applaud the stance taken by the Government to ban foreigners from selling blocks and chickens and any other businesses that can ordinarily be done by indigenous Zambians,” Mr Lusambo said.
He said the move would help local entrepreneurs grow their market and increase their participation in the country’s economy.
Mr Lusambo said as MMD youths, they had issued a number of news statements arguing out why Zambia should start preserving some sectors for locals only.
He said the Government should extend this ban to small scale mining.
Mr Lusambo said it was impractical  to expect a Zambian small scale entrepreneur to compete favourably with a foreigner who had access to cheaper foreign financing.
He said young people should seize the opportunity and invest in these businesses that have been preserved for Zambians only.
The PF administration, Mr Lusambo said, should not apologise for restricting certain businesses to local people and all well meaning Zambians should support the bold move by the Government.
The Private Sector Development Association (PSDA) has said that it is a good idea to encourage Zambians to dominate certain businesses.
PSDA chairperson Yusuf Dodia said the Government had done well to act towards encouraging certain businesses to be locally run under the Citizen Economic Empowerment Act.
Mr Dodia, however, said he was uncomfortable that Cabinet opted to ban foreigners instead of using other means because this would give an opportunity to other Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to ban Zambians from participating in some businesses, which would have negative results.
“In the case of CEEC (Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission) for example, in order to obtain funds, one needs to have a Green National Registration Card, meaning that only Zambians have access to the fund. CEEC has not used the term ban, but it is still providing locals with funding,” he said.
The Poultry Association of Zambia said it would issue a statement on the Cabinet’s decision to ban foreign businesses from trading in chickens because it first wanted to study the policy.
Meanwhile, Patriotic Front (PF) Lusaka Central Constituency has also welcomed the banning of foreigners from trading in chickens saying that it was an Independence Day gift for youths.
Constituency chairperson Chikutano Nkhoma said the ban would encourage youths to participate in active production of local products and create employment for the local people.
Mr Nkhoma said the decision was another testimony of the PF Government’s commitment to create jobs and put more money in people’s pockets.