The first ever Pangea Zambia Investment Conference organized by Pangea consulting finished in Lusaka on December 5th following two days of high-level conference talks aimed at presenting the numerous opportunities for investment in Zambia for both local and foreign businesses.
Acting Zambian President Guy Scott opened the conference on Thursday and impressed the need for long-term financing options in the country, citing the current climate of proving short-term finances at high interest rates in spite of the large number of investment opportunities that are available.
“Zambia has enormous appetite for long-term finance, but it is not being met because of high interest rates,” he said, “Instead of two to three year finances, we should be talking about 20-year mortgages.”
Speaking to the audience at the conference, Dr. Scott invited foreign investors to consider the opportunities that are available in Zambia and encouraged them to take advantage of its peaceful environment and numerous efforts to remove any barriers that might prevent or hinder their investment.
Zambia’s Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Robert Sichinga went on to encourage potential investors to consider that their investment not only gives them access to the Zambian market, but also to the southern African market and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The Pangaea Zambia Investment Conference was organized by a private Zambian company, Pangaea Securities, which focuses primarily on investment banking, brokerage, asset management, financial advisory serviced, property investments and M&A.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Zambia has reported USD 1.8 billion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow, which is the highest among the 16 Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in Africa.
