By BUUMBA CHIMBULUECONOMIC lockdowns instituted in some African countries have encouraged local sourcing of raw materials, says Zambia Association of Manufacturers immediate past president, Roseta Chabala.Ms Chabala said the most immediate impact of the lockdown would be the termination of the movement of imported raw materials and manufacturing inputs in the event that the borders were completely closed.In such an instance, she said, the only way to keep the productive sector going was to resort to local sourcing of inputs.Ms Chabala explained that some companies such as Zambia Sugar was willing to supply molasses for production of ethanol and Coca Cola had offered to bottle hand sanitisers using the ethanol.“Further, ZamLeather has offered to use one of its production lines to produce re-useable face masks, which will lead to removing the need of importing this product.“In fact, all tailoring businesses may need to join in this effort if we are to produce enough masks for […]
‘Lockdowns trigger local sourcing’
