By Helen Zulu –

ZANACO Bank PLC has committed to supporting the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and has provided K100, 000 to Nyamuka Zambia Business Competition for the hosting of the third Nyamuka Zambia National Business Conference this month.
The Nyamuka Zambia National Business Conference which will be taking place at the Mulungushi International Conference on July 20, 2017 under the theme: “Building Businesses to Last” is aimed at building the economy by promoting and empowering SMEs in the country.
Zanaco chief executive officer Henk Mulder said the bank was committed to supporting the growth of the SMEs in the country as they were vital to the development of the country’s economy.
Mr Mulder said the bank was proud to be part of the Nyamuka National Business Conference as it would provide a platform for conference-goers, including semi-finalists in the business plan competition, other entrepreneurs and growth-focussed SMEs, to interact with each other and leading entrepreneurs in Zambia to actively learn from their experiences.
He was speaking during the handover ceremony of a K100, 000 cheque to Nyamuka Zambia Business Competition in Lusaka on Friday.
“As you may know, SMEs or entrepreneurs are the engine of economic growth and are an importanct component of any country’s economy, so as a bank, we are proud to be partnering with Nyamuka Zambia Business Competition, our partnership dates back from 2014,” Mr Mulder said.
Nyamuka Zambia Officer, Namaya Mbikusita-Lewanika said the funds provided by Zanaco would  help the institution to work with entrepreneurs in providing skills training and capacity building adding that the bank was also sponsoring a special panel on agriculture and agri-business during the conference.
She explained that the conference would include high level key note speakers, plenary sessions with captains of industry and panel discussions with entrepreneurs and business leaders who were paving the way for growth and job creation in Zambia.
Ms Lewanika said both existing and potential entrepreneurs who were looking to take the next step in business were encouraged to attend.
She said the conference was a key part of the Nyamuka Zambia Business Plan Competition, which seeks to unleash entrepreneurial talent across Zambia and to promote diversity, especially by encouraging more women and young people to enter the entrepreneurial space in Zambia.
The competition was launched in March and has received overwhelming response with more than 600 people applying, from which 60 semi-finalists were selected to go forward to the next stage of the competition.