Ven 2 Sep 2011 16:09
Chamber wants more collaboration with KCM
By Business Reporter
THE Chingola Chamber of Commerce (CCC) has appealed to Konkola Copper Mines for more collaboration in contracts and other business ventures.
CCC president Freddie Musonda said in interview that the local contractors and suppliers had upscaled their operations in line with KCM requirements.
He said if additional contracts were given to them they would create more employment opportunities. Mr Musonda said his chamber was not referring to mega mining projects but to jobs that had to do with supplying of products and provision of services.
He said the local contractors deserved to get the contracts because during the global economic recession, the chamber members and local contractors had continued to supported KCM. The mines had appealed to the local contractors and the chamber during the recession to accept reduced payments.
In reciprocation the local contractors and the chamber now wanted KCM to give them more contracts to enable them realise profit to recover the losses they made.
Mr Musonda said KCM in conjunction with Zambia Bureau of Standards conducted a capacity building training workshop to train the local contractors and suppliers in quality and management system.
The training acquired would improve quality and management system whenever the contractors and suppliers were given jobs. With the skills acquired, the chamber expected every contractor and supplier to give a new approach to the jobs given.
Mr Musonda said it was the chamber’s expectation that contractors and suppliers would be given adequate shares of business available. And the chamber had been working with Chingola Municipal Council to attract more investors to the area.
Mr Musonda said council management had assured that investors would be linked directly to the chamber to create a stronger business platform.