Source: The Post Zambia
US ambassador to Zambia Eric Schultz says the Zambian government needs to allow the private sector to drive growth if the country is to achieve its enormous economic potential.

And Ambassador Schultz says his number one priority is to bring American business trade and investment to Zambia and also take Zambian business trade and investment to the United States. During the African Women Entrepreneurs Programme (AWEP) breakfast meeting at Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka yesterday, Ambassador Schultz said Zambians were leading the way in Africa in terms of women empowerment. "If Zambia is to achieve its enormous economic potential, the Zambian government needs to allow the private sector to drive growth and take advantage of women to help do that," he said. "AWEP does many things; it provides professional networking, business development and trade capacity and builds opportunities for networking across 1,000 women in Africa. AWEP enables women entrepreneurs to become the voice of change in their communities. AWEP has outlined three goals; to become a voice of change in Africa, to accelerate the growth of women in businesses, foster leadership for women business organisations and support advocacy for women's economic empowerment." He said he wanted to see American companies working hand-in-hand with the members of AWEP to develop Zambia's economy. Ambassador Schultz said in the process of growing the economy, AWEP Zambia chapter would serve as an example for the rest of Africa of the important role women could play in economic development. Meanwhile, Ministry of Commerce permanent secretary Siazongo Siakalenge said the ministry was ready to work with AWEP in trade facilitation. He said the ministry would help remove hurdles preventing women from doing their work properly. "Women in Zambia are part of the Zambian community that is working hard to ensure that the Zambian economy industrialises and creates jobs for both women and the youth," said Siakalenge. AWEP Zambia chapter chairperson Ambassador Sheila Siwela said the goal of AWEP was to empower women to be export ready. Meanwhile, Pan-African Women Entrepreneurship Programme president Sylvia Banda said the Pan-African AWEP had a mandate to strengthen women business ventures in terms of improving the quality of production and offering capacity building to the required training programmes. She appealed to policy makers in African countries to seriously look into supporting the efforts of women entrepreneurs and reduce the challenges they face in doing business. Banda also appealed to banks to come up with interest rates which had a human face for women to develop the nation. 

• Zambia