Policy analyst, Saili, predicts boost in Zambia’s tourism ahead of COMESA Heads of State meeting

Shadreck Saili, a policy analyst, has said Zambia’s tourism sector is set to benefit from the upcoming Heads of State of Common Market Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) meeting, which the country will host.

Zambia will host the 22nd COMESA Heads of State summit on June, 8 this year under the theme: ‘Economic Integration for a Thriving COMESA anchored on Green Investment, Value Addition and Tourism.’

The summit will be preceded by a meeting for the foreign affairs ministries on June 6, which will address issues of peace and security in the region and report to the main summit.

A COMESA business forum will also be held that will bring together business people from all the 21 COMESA member states through their chambers of commerce.

Saili in his comment said Zambia could take advantage of the event as a tourism activity, which would give an opportunity for a number of member states or persons to come to the country to experience the tourism industry.

He said this in an interview in Lusaka on the side-lines of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Media Workshop.

“Mind you, tourism brings in a lot of foreign change and can help the country reduce the dependence on copper for foreign exchange, especially now when production of the commodity is not at its maximum,” Saili said.

He also said the summit and business forum had a number of benefits that Zambia could leverage on.

“Such a meeting attracts a number of people that are coming from member states and cooperating partners. In such a meeting you expect deliberations that will deal with regional integration in the circles of COMESA,” Saili said.

Meanwhile, Saili urged the Heads of States to also consider prioritising discussing the issues of climate change during the summit because it had negatively affected various countries in the region.

He said in the past season, the country was faced with floods and droughts in some areas which called for action, adding that advancing the green economy agenda should be on top of the agenda during the meeting.

Saili is a policy analyst with interests in developmental Studies, industrialisation and regional integration.

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