By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –

ZAMBIA has been identified as one of the most promising and fastest growing resource rich economies in the world.
Former chief executive officer of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Lars Thunell identified Zambia as being in the same success story basket as Ghana and Rwanda.
Dr Thunell said Zambia is among the countries that made the top five list of fast growing economies in Africa including Niger.
This is contained in a statement released by Charge de affaires at Zambia’s Embassy in Sweden Anthony Mukwita.
According to the 2011 to 2015 graph sourced from the IMF which Dr Thunnel presented, Zambia at 7.7 per cent annual economic growth impressively tips the scale just below Ghana, which is tucked on top at 8.6 per cent.
The IMF has attributed the positive growth enjoyed by Zambia and other top rated African countries to better policies, improved political stability, single digit inflation and rising income levels.
Rwanda whose story is of continental repute and pride is placed just below Zambia at 7.4 per cent, with Niger and Mozambique at 7.4 per cent and 7.3 percent respectively.
“It is plus to have reputable and credible institutions such as the IMF placing us on the list of fast growing economies on the continent…it is certainly different when such a statement comes from an institution that does not have a direct partisan political stake in a country,” Mr Mukwita said.
Mr Mukwita attended the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences meeting where the statistics were read.
At the same meeting, another expert, Liberian business executive Ethelbert Cooper, Chairperson of the London AIM-listed Industrial and Mining Infrastructure Corporation plc (IMIC) urged African leaders
from resource rich countries such as Zambia to be firm in negotiating with international companies in order to get the best deal for their people.