BUY LOCAL CAN DRIVE INDUSTRIAL BASE GROWTH – ZAM

BUUMBA CHIMBULU writes@SunZambianBUYING locally produced products will assist to develop the country’s strong industrial base and the economy, says Zambia Association of Manufactures (ZAM).ZAM Proudly Zambian Campaign Manager, Lewis Chimfwembe, said consumers could play a part in supporting economic development and employ- ment creation by choosing to support and buy local products.Mr Chimfwembe said by […]

BUY LOCAL CAN DRIVE INDUSTRIAL BASE GROWTH – ZAM
BUUMBA CHIMBULU writes@SunZambianBUYING locally produced products will assist to develop the country’s strong industrial base and the economy, says Zambia Association of Manufactures (ZAM).ZAM Proudly Zambian Campaign Manager, Lewis Chimfwembe, said consumers could play a part in supporting economic development and employ- ment creation by choosing to support and buy local products.Mr Chimfwembe said by buying locally produced goods and service consumers would be creating demand for local products.He said this was among other reasons, the Proudly Zambian Campaign was set up by the industry players.He explained that the campaign seeks to spur job creation and economic development through the promotion of production and consumption of high- quality Zambian products.Mr Chimfwembe however acknowl- edged that manufacturers would have to invest more in their factories and employ more people to produce the demand quantity and quality of goods and services to meet this demand.“As Zambians, it is our duty to develop our industrial base and economy. We have a responsibility to create jobs for our growing population.“By promoting the consumption of locally produced goods and services, the Campaign seeks to stimulate employ- ment creation and close the job deficit gap,” Mr Chimfwembe said in his write up on the Proudly Zambia Campaign.Mr Chimfwembe assured that the products under Proudly Zambian were also produced in environmentally friendly factories.He said the company producing the product(s) must comply with the Zambia Environment Management Authority (ZEMA) regulations to ensure their production processes do not degrade the environment.He further said the company must also be tax compliant in accordance with the laws of Zambia.The company, Mr Chimfwembe said, wished to obtain the logo must have a valid tax clearance certificate to demon- strate that the company was a good citi- zen that upholds good business practice.“Holistically, the campaign utilises several facets that ensure that not only products are benefitting but also the Government since tax revenue is used to finance the development of economic infrastructure and other government programmes that support economic growth and development in Zambia,” he said. The Sun