Resource information
While Zambia's economy performs
well, in macroeconomic terms, low levels of productivity
plague industry, and this constrains growth, diversification
and prosperity. In recent years, economic growth has
averaged 5-6 percent a year, business reforms are being
implemented, and investment levels are at an all time high.
However, according to the World Economic Forum's global
competitiveness index 2010-2011, Zambia is not a competitive
place in which to do business (ranking 115th out of 139
countries). Not surprisingly, business productivity tends to
be low, and few Zambian industries are internationally
competitive. Formal employment is shrinking and rural
poverty is increasing. In summary, there is an urgent need
to increase productivity, growth and employment. These
questions continue to preoccupy policy makers, businesses
and civil society especially in light of government's
strategy to embrace private sector-led growth and facilitate
competitiveness and diversification. The Jobs and
Prosperity: Building Zambia's Competitiveness (JPC)
Program is an effort to answer these questions and, at the
same time, to achieve some concrete results that improve
industry productivity and competitiveness. The Zambian
government, with support from donors, has, for a long time,
been trying to raise prosperity by encouraging more
productive businesses, more competitive and diverse
industries, and greater employment. Yet these efforts have
not generated the results sought. The goal of the JPC
Program is to achieve some meaningful progress towards
improving industry productivity and competitiveness. The
Program focuses on four industries so as to build traction
and keep the scope of work manageable. The industries were
selected by a group of Zambian stakeholders. The Program
facilitated a process through which Zambian stakeholders
identified some narrowly defined target results that, if
achieved, could help these industries become more productive
and then supports initiatives to achieve these results.
