‘Zambia the ideal base for DRC business’

Zambia is ideally situated for companies wanting to get a foothold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Politically stable with no language barriers as English is spoken everywhere, the country is on the doorstep of the DRC. According to Hiten Bhagat, general manager of Hill + Delamain in Zambia, the country is an ideal base for those wanting to get a foothold in the DRC. “Zambia is literally on the doorstep and there are many opportunities to work from here into the DRC.” He said while many mines had either closed down or turned to care and maintenance projects due to the economic crisis, there were still opportunities for the country. “We need to set up manufacturing sites in Zambia to tap into the Congo. There is a lot of potential and more incentives should be put in place to realise more manufacturing.” He said there was no doubt that most Zambian companies had been affected by the global economic crisis. “I see what we’re going through more as a road bump. We have reduced the cost of doing business and made some changes, but I am convinced that we have a bright future,” said Bhagat.