november 2005. the main objective of the survey was to measure access to and use of financial services, along with how people manage their finances and what drives their financial behaviour. honourable minister and invited guests - this morning we are here to share with you, the findings of the finscope zambia 2005 survey. these findings are expected to play an important role in profiling demand for financial services in zambia. it is my hope that policy makers and financial service providers will utilise this information to develop strategies that will lead to the expansion and improvement of financial access for our people. in conclusion – may i emphasise that the nation is looking forward to the findings of the finscope zambia 2005 survey which will help us fully understand the financial landscape in zambia and therefore open up new market segments and allow us expand accessibility to financial services in zambia necessary for reducing poverty. the report of the finscope zambia 2005 survey will be posted to the bank of zambia website, www. boz. zm, for public information. thank you.

to be able to officiate at august gathering of business and financial writers knowing they are all putting in a more than average effort to attain today ’ s awards. ladies and gentlemen, the top prizes over the last 3 years have been designed to build capacity in the journalists nominated. attachments to top business newspapers in south africa and training our journalists in economics at the university of zambia should give us the comfort that a specialization is being built from which we can confidently tap into and exchange ideas and analysis. one of the challenges for our writers has been a lack of specialization. as such, they have had to understand all subjects broadly rather than in - depth to help them to communicate more authoritatively. as they are being strengthened through various training interventions, we should therefore be able to see a marked improvement in their performance. in this vein, i am told that the american centre and the canadian high commission have also been keen stakeholders in training our journalists in this area and to this end have worked closely with acca over the past two years in delivering one week workshops on key topical areas. the partnerships demonstrate that there are a number of interested stakeholders that all have a common goal – good, reliable and timely information. the announcement of the national budget is round the corner. it is that time of the year when many differing analysis are made. don ’ t take these analyses at face value – examine them in your own right and come up with alternative lines of reasoning so that the public can have a holistic view of the effects of the budget pronouncements. we would indeed expect this for any other economic, business and financial pronouncement. to all the prize winners for 2006, i extend my sincere and heartfelt congratulations for well deserved awards. please remember that it is not enough to only enjoy the glory of the moment, but also to take the responsibility to act as mentors to emergent writers. i believe that what the journalist fraternity needs is not individuals who excel alone, but a cadre of responsible reporters that leave an outstanding legacy. let me also take this opportunity to thank acca, the sponsors of this event and prizes for their continuing support to economic, business and financial journalism. in conclusion, allow me to encourage our journalists to compete for international media awards as well. this will be the true barometer of where you stand as zambian journalists because you will be judged against international best practice which is, in turn, the true barometer in global economy. as your patron,