Wed, 01 Mar 2017 09:46:13 +0000
By MUKOSELA KASALWE
THE declaration of Chipata as a city is a great milestone for the country as it will enable the province attract high quality investment to boost the food processing industry, says Eastern Province minister Makebi Zulu.
In an interview yesterday, Mr Zulu said that the declaration of Chipata as a city was of great benefit not only to the province but the country as a whole, saying that it was the only city away from the line of rail and expressed hope that it would attract high profile investments and confidence from investors.
He said that Chipata was a strategic market as it was located between Malawi and Mozambique and that considering that the province was focused on agriculture it needed not only to grow crops but focus on value addition, saying the announcement would bring about better farming methods through investors.
Mr Zulu said that Eastern Province had splendid tourist attractions such as the South Luangwa national park which he said had rare species that tourists would be keen to see and stated that the declaration of city status would facilitate for more amenities such as hotels and lodges as well as airline transport and attract real estate investors.
“The declaration of Chipata as a city is a great milestone not only for the province but the country as it will be able to attract high profile investments and boost investor confidence which will benefit everyone.
“As a province we need to take advantage of the strategic location of Chipata as we are agro based and be able to add value to the food processing industry, as we attract traffic flow from Malawi and Mozambique,” he said.
Mr Zulu, who is Patriotic Front Malambo Member of Parliament, expressed confidence that the province was on a right path through Government policies which he said would promote education and social facilities.
He said that the Nc’wala ceremony was known around the world and was celebrated as a sense of hard work and was a uniting factor among all citizens.
