The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) is leading a delegation of Zambian businesses for a trade mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Lubumbashi, scheduled for 16th to 18th October 2024.
The objective of the trade mission is to facilitate the growth of Zambia’s non-traditional exports (NTEs) and to secure market access for Zambian products.
“The Agency hopes to penetrate, consolidate and expand the Congolese market for Zambian products,” ZDA Director General, Albert Halwampa, has said in a statement issued to RCV News in Lusaka today.
Mr. Halwampa said ZDA has matched Zambian and Congolese businesses depending on the sectors and areas of interest to facilitate trade deals and transactions, working with the DRC government and the Chamber of Commerce in Lubumbashi .
He said DRC has been Zambia’s largest market for non-traditional exports for a long time.
Mr. Halwampa however, emphasized the need to maintain the country’s foothold in the DRC market, by conducting market research and trade missions every year.
He further said that trade missions are an important tool that the Agency uses to link exporters to market and have proved successful.
“For example, resulting from the 2023 trade mission, the participating companies generated leads worth US$13.80 million. To date, out of the US$ 13.80 million orders generated, more than US$ 6 million worth of transactions have been actualized through exports to the DRC,” said Mr. Halwampa.
Mr. Halwampa expressed the desire of the Agency to see more from this year’s trade mission.
By Eva Hatontola
