ZDA, CEEC partner to boost SME growth, market access

The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) have signed an agreement to strengthen support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), providing a formal framework for collaboration in delivering both financial and non-financial Business Development Services (BDS).

The partnership, signed at ZDA’s Headquarters on Wednesday and witnessed by senior management from both agencies, outlines areas of cooperation to empower SMEs, including identifying and enrolling high-potential businesses into entrepreneurship development programs aimed at enhancing their skills and resources.

ZDA Director-General, Albert Halwampa, emphasized the agreement’s significance in tackling SME challenges across Zambia.

“Together, we will help unlock the full potential of local businesses, which will help them grow into big businesses,” Halwampa stated.

He highlighted the collaboration as a key step toward providing comprehensive support to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

CEEC Director-General, Dr. Muwe Mungule, described the partnership as an important milestone for sustainable economic development in Zambia, especially in fostering growth for SMEs and Cooperatives.

“Funded SMEs and Cooperatives will be facilitated to establish market linkages with upscale local supermarkets and regional markets such as COMESA, which will help them expand their market reach and increase their competitiveness,” Mungule said.

Mungule also noted that this collaboration between ZDA and CEEC had been long anticipated, calling it a strategically significant move that would yield better outcomes for MSMEs nationwide.

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