By REBECCA MUSHOTA –

THE Zambia National Marketeers Credit Association (ZANAMACA) has appealed to President Edgar Lungu to identify institutions that can help expedite the process of distributing the Presidential empowerment funds countrywide.
ZANAMACA president Mupila Kameya said in a statement yesterday that marketeers across the country anticipated the empowerment funds, which their colleagues on the Copperbelt had accessed.
Mr Kameya said the process was seemingly slow and it was, therefore, important for President Lungu to help identify institutions that could help expedite the process.
“Our appeal to President Lungu is that there is need to urgently identify serious stakeholders with many years of experience in matters to do with marketeers that will help out to expedite the process, because the country is too big and the marketeers are in high anticipation of these funds,” he said.
Mr Kameya said if the disbursement process continued to be slow, some disgruntled politicians would take advantage of it and politicise the exercise.
He said the marketeers also needed sensitisation on the empowerment fund.
There was need to remind marketeers that this was a revolving fund and, therefore, needed to be paid back to enable other traders access them.
Mr Kameya said the Presidential empowerment fund was a milestone to the development of Zambian marketeers.
He said the traders were grateful for the initiative and wanted as many of their colleagues to enjoy the facility.