A renowned multi-million dollar company from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has expressed interest in importing chickens from Zambia.
The importation of chickens from Zambia will enhance many small and medium entrepreneurs’ participation in growing economic activities in the country.
Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Elias Mubanga, says Durat Al-Etqan, Pioneers Chemical Factory and several other agro-chemicals companies, are interested in doing business in the poultry and agro-chemicals areas.
Mr. Mubanga says many other companies also expressed interest to set up agro-chemical production and distribution facilities in Zambia due to a guaranteed market.
He says government will also conduct a feasibility study throughout the ten provinces to find ways of engaging young people and women entrepreneurs.
He was speaking at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka yesterday when he arrived from Saudi Arabia where he attended the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEN) conference.
While in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Mubanga also held a bilateral meeting with the GEN Global President and Chairman, Jonathan Ortman and had sideline meetings with potential investors and SME venture partners.
“During the business engagements, we met some key business houses in the Kingdom who expressed eagerness to travel to Zambia to establish joint business ventures with local SMEs,” he stated.
Mr. Mubanga disclosed that government has also invited various potential partners to visit Zambia to actualise the envisaged economic cooperation.
The minister further stated that a team of experts in the agriculture sector and a pesticide company from Saudi Arabia will travel to Zambia to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with government.
He said government will facilitate policy requirements and engage banks that will encourage joint ventures to grow the agriculture sector.
And Acting Managing Director for Global Entrepreneurship Network-Zambia, Edwin Zulu, said the objective of the conference was to find opportunities and linkages between the investors and connect SMEs.
Mr Zulu added that Zambia was among 190 countries that participated at the global event.
“This is the first time that a Zambian delegation has participated in the global entrepreneurship congress at government level,” he noted.