Chamber for small businesses wants industrial yards to evolve into business incubation centres

Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business Association (ZACSMBA) says industrial yards being established by the government across the country should be used as business incubation centres.

Misheck M’hango, the board Chairperson for ZACSMBA, said industrial yards were catalysts for industrialisation and job creation if well utilised.

M’hango said in an interview in Kalulushi on Thursday that business incubation for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) were critical for economic development.

“Our view is that, let us use the industrial yards as business incubation centres where SMEs gain knowledge on how to drive the industry after which they are weaned off,” he said.

M’hango said the country needs a resilient SME sector to drive the much-needed growth, hence the need to turn the industrial yards into business incubation facilities.

The Zambian government is currently constructing and commissioning eight industrial yards across the country with the aim of pushing more SMEs in productive ventures.

But stakeholders including the government are bemoaning the slow pace at industrial yards being constructed and utilised.

The case in point is the Ndola, Kitwe and Solwezi which are yet to be occupied despite being completed.

Fortnight ago, Subeta Mutelo, the SME permanent secretary who toured the Solwezi, Kitwe and Ndola facilities gave an ultimatum to the Citizen Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) to ensure that the named facilities are occupied by August, 2023.

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