‘Exploit minerals fully’

By KETRA KALUNGAUTILISE natural resources Zambia is endowed to avoid over-dependence on foreign aid to recover the “bleeding” economy, Alliance For Democratic Development (ADD) President, Charles Milupi advises the State.Mr Milupi said Zambia has the potential to recover the economy using the domestic resources available because the country was one of the richest in the world in terms of minerals and natural resources.He regretted that the natural resources that the country was endowed with especially the minerals were being exploited by foreigners, who did not plough back the resources.Mr Milupi urged Government to unlock the country’s potential in the mining, tourism, and agriculture among others for Zambia to stop being overly dependent on foreign aid.He said the resources that the country was endowed with were enough to put the economy back on a recovery path.Mr Milupi said all that was needed was a good plan that would ensure that maximum benefits were derived from the resources.“Looking at the resources we have, Zambia is one of richest countries in the world, this is what people don’t understand.“In terms of mines and minerals potentially Zambia is number two in the whole world from the Democratic Republic of Congo, we have copper, cobalt, manganese, platinum, gold, diamonds and emeralds. We should utilise these resources and stop depending on foreign aid,” he said.Mr Milupi said to achieve this, Zambia should put the right people in leadership who would fully understand the country’s potential, and only then would the country’s economy recover.And Mr Milupi said when opposition political parties talk about governance issues, it was not that they des-perately wanted to be in power but to unearth the God-given wealth for the benefit of its citizens.