Honorifics

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Mr. Mushuma Mulenga
Zambia Chamber of Commerce an Industry (ZACCI), Mr. Alfred Chitalu
Director of Foreign Trade MCTI, Ms. Lillian Bwalya
Zambia Revenue Authority Representatives
Senior Government Officials present
Friends in the Media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning.

I am excited to be with you today as we celebrate the launch of the Zambia Trade Information Portal.

This is a key milestone—not only for the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry—but also for Zambia and the entire Southern Africa region.  This new portal has the potential to significantly improve the flow of information, automate trade procedures, improve risk-management processes, and boost the overall performance of border-control agencies.  

In line with Prosper Africa, a U.S. government initiative that unlocks opportunities to do business in Africa, these improvements ultimately reduce the time and cost of cross-border trade,  which boosts productivity and means more Zambian products—particularly from the agricultural sector—are exported to other countries in Southern Africa and beyond. With six of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world and over one billion consumers, Africa is poised to play an ever-greater role in the global economy. 

Inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led growth is at the heart of the U.S. government’s Global Food Security Strategy.  The strategy aims to work with countries such as Zambia to build their comparative advantage in regional food agricultural commodity production.  With these advancements, Zambia has the potential to become the “breadbasket of the Southern African region”—contributing to regional as well as domestic food security and economic development. 

As we gather to celebrate this milestone, we know that any online tool is only as useful as its users’ willingness to use it.  That is why USAID, through the Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub, will assist Zambia to carry out awareness campaigns about the portal across the country - to ensure it is not just another tool that goes unused.  

To achieve her trade potential, Zambia must abide by multilateral trading regimes, including the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement.  USAID has partnered with the Zambian Government to boost bilateral and intra-regional trade by modernizing Zambia's trading systems and implementing WTO protocols.

Please join me in congratulating the Ministry and its partners on this impressive achievement. We look forward to hearing more about the portal this morning. 

Thank you very much