The European Union (EU) will further strengthen its development relations with Zambia in key growth sectors such as agriculture, energy, and governance.
Alessandro Mariani, Ambassador of the EU to Zambia, made the announcement during the first conference of the EU-Zambia Business Club (EUZBC), on October 27th, 2016.
At the conference, Mariani said: “The private sector is […] expected to contribute to the development of Zambia through investments, creation of jobs and revenues among other things.”
“By tackling the economic subjects from all sides, Zambian and European, public and private, I am sure we all will be able to make a meaningful contribution to Zambia’s further development and growth,” he concluded.
Launched in June 2016, EUZBC is an informal association of over 200 European companies active in Zambia from 14 EU member states.
Its overall objective is to facilitate trade and increase investment opportunities between the EU and Zambia.
EUZBC currently focuses on facilitating and conducting dialogues with the Zambian government on issues prioritized by the Club members, facilitating the creation of strategic alliances between Zambian and EU companies and encouraging ethical business practices by all companies operating in Zambia.
The first EUZBC conference gathered private sector representatives and government officials for a close dialogue.
Attendees included:
- Zambia’s Minister of Finance, Felix Mutati
- Zambia’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Margaret Mwanakatwe
- Zambia’s Minister of National Development and Planning, Lucky Mulusa
- Ambassadors of European Union Member States in Zambia
- Patrick Chisanga, Director General of the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA)
- Representatives of the Private Sector
In his opening remarks, Mariani said that the attendance of the Zambian Ministers shows the strong commitment of the Government to engage the private sector.
EU Zambia Relations
The EU has allocated EUR490m to Zambia between 2008 and 2013 to support the country’s development with a focus on budget support, health, agriculture, transport, governance and trade.
For the period 2014–2020, the EU has decided to make EUR484m available to assist Zambia with the implementation of activities in the areas of energy, agriculture and governance.
The EU is an important trade partner for Zambia, being its 3rd major export partner and its 4th import partner.
According to the latest available data, total trade between Zambia and the EU stood at EUR810,119m in 2014.
Zambia’s exports to the EU amounted to EUR372,129m, while imports from the EU amounted to EUR437,990m.
EU’s imports from Zambia are mainly manufactured goods and commodities (metals, foodstuff, beverage, tobacco) whereas machinery, transport equipment and chemicals products are main EU’s exports to Zambia.
