Zambia: New president puts emphasis on jobs, tourism

3 Nov 2008

President Rupiah Banda, this central African nation's new president, said in his inaugural speech that he wants his government to place a lot of emphasis on job creation, which in turn will boost the retail sector as consumers progressively have more disposable income.

“I want people to think of Zambia as a prosperous and confident nation and we have a goal of making Zambia a middle income nation by 2030 - and the path to 2030 is through education.

“I firmly believe that good education is the passport out of poverty,” he added.

Banda also said he wants to make Zambia a tourism hub of southern Africa…

“We are at the heart of southern Africa,” he said, adding, “We have immediate borders with no less than eight countries and we are active members of the African Union, of the Southern African Development Community, and of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. We will stay committed to those institutions,” he said.

He said the country is blessed with world famous sites, great national parks full of game, and tourists visit Zambia because they want to experience the real Africa.

He said tourism not only brings jobs security, it also gives the country an opportunity to protect their environment and their culture for future generations of Zambians.

“It also stimulates growth, investment and improvements,” he said.

He said that apart from existing tourist attractions such as Livingstone and south Luangwa he wants to see more.

“I want tourism centres all over Zambia,” he said.