By BRIAN HATYOKA –

CHARGE D’ AFFAIRES at the Zambian Embassy in Paris, Philomena Kachesa has challenged French investors to increase their presence in Zambia.

Speaking at a Zambian Business Seminar in Paris at the weekend, Ms Kachesa informed the gathering that Zambia had vast investment opportunities in the manufacturing, tourism, agro-processing and energy sectors among others.

This is according to a Press statement released yesterday by the Zambian Embassy in Paris Media Unit.

She implored the French business community to take advantage of the already existing cordial relations between the two countries to bring in their businesses into Zambia and also increase trade between the two countries.

“Zambia and France have an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement in place which both countries have not fully taken advantage of, in addition, the bilateral economic and political relations between Zambia and France are very warm and cordial and as such, I urge you to take advantage and ride on this platform to increase your businesses in Zambia,” Ms Kachesa said.

She informed the seminar that Zambia had a stable political environment and its economy was performing well and growing on average of 6.5 per cent in the last five years and hence had been named as one of the top ten fastest growing economies in the world.

Ms Kachesa said Zambia was currently implementing business reforms to encourage private sector development by reducing the cost doing business and that Zambia ranks number 83 out of the 189 countries surveyed by the World Bank in terms of doing business easily.

She encouraged the participants to look to Zambia for investment opportunities.

The participants expressed interested to venture into the energy, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and tourism sectors.

The Zambian Mission in Paris was planning for a French Trade Mission to Zambia next year.