By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA –
THE Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) received 14,323 applications from January to February 2016 for participation in selected value chain programmes countrywide.
This follows the call for applications for citizens wishing to undertake investment projects in 30 districts of the country.
CEEC public relations and communications manager Glenda Masebe said the Commission has received over 14,000 applications for participation in the value-chain programmes in 30 districts.
Ms Masebe said the Government had allocated about K187 million towards the implementation of the CEEC programmes in 2016 under the CEEC Fund.
This is contained in a statement made available to Times of Zambia in Lusaka.
“The Commission, based on extensive research and in consultation with stakeholders in all the 10 provinces, identified two high potential industries in each of the 30 districts for CEEC to support in the year 2016,” Ms Masebe said.
She said in line with Government’s job creation and industrialisation strategy, CEEC was providing business loans to targeted citizens and companies for the development of specific industries based on the comparative advantage of the various provinces of Zambia.
“The commission, in consultation with various stakeholders, has identified and prioritised industries that represent the most competitive prospects for given regions or provinces within Zambia,” Ms Masebe said.
She said the commission was supporting the development of these specific industries in the provinces.
“This approach will ensure that sufficient resources are directed at respective districts to ensure significant impact in terms of industrial development and job creation.
“Proposals for investments in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and energy that are linked to the target industries are also admissible,” Ms Masebe said.