By CHATULA KANGALI –
THE Zambia Institute of Marketing (ZIM) has put up draft recommendations to the Government for the amendment of the Act to address the current demands of the marketing profession.
Registrar and chief executive officer Mapesa Musongole said the institute had examined the current Act and identified the gaps that negatively affect the marketing industry.
Mr Musongole said the institute recommended for the definition of a professional marketer and who qualifies to take up a marketing job.
He said during an Employer’s Forum at Savoy Hotel in Ndola,  that the inclusion of the definition of a real marketer in the Act would help the institute set boundaries as the industry was dynamic in the growth of the economy.
“ZIM has struggled to make practicing marketing compliant. Its seems as though the current Act has some loop holes, we have examined the Act and  we have come up  with a  draft  of recommendation that  the  Government can use  when amending it in order to  make the profession   meet the  current  demand  of marketing,” he said.
Mr Musongole said the marketing profession was important and that it should be executed by people that were formally trained in the area of marketing.
He said lack of qualified and trained marketing personnel had led to the under performance of many corporate companies in the country.
“This is a very critical sector which can create employment for the majority of the people in Zambia provided qualified people are put in the right places,“ he said.
Mr Musongole added that the institute had developed advertising standards which would also be submitted to Government.
He added that ZIM membership was growing and that the institute currently had more than 3,500 members.