areas of investment in this sector include : • game ranching ; • provision of accommodation ( i. e. high quality five and four star hotels, lodges and camp sites near the popular tourist areas ) ; • transport service – investment potential exists in air charters in form of helicopters and / or small planes to service game areas ; • adventure holiday packages ; • organised tours ; • out door sports facilities ( golf courses and stadia ) ; and • zambia ’ s cultural heritage. 3. 6 construction and real estate the construction sector is yet another area of investment as the economy expands. a lot has been done in the recent past in construction with housing schemes coming up in various parts of the country. however, there is still a large deficit in terms of housing in zambia. this deficit in housing provides an opportunity for further investment in the construction of more houses. 4. 0 conclusion looking ahead, the achievement and maintenance of a low and stable inflation rate, remains key to enhancement of investment, business planning, confidence in the economy, maintaining external competitiveness and stabilising people ’ s incomes. in the medium - term, government continues to pursue market and structural reforms in partnership with the private sector with the view of consolidating the gains so far attained for sustained economic growth and development. currently, there are enormous business opportunities which still lie unexploited in zambia in virtually all sectors of the economy. the overall economic growth in the economy would be enhanced underpinned on low and single digit inflation and relative stable exchange rate. with an enabling environment, the private sector would exploit their full potential. hence, employment would increase and poverty reduction would be achieved. this would contribute to the achievement of mdgs and towards the attainment of the vision 2030.

market. for obvious reasons, this move is not only uplifting to the technological advancement and capability of the matero community through the provision of modern banking services like the autobank, but also goes a long way in assisting the bank of zambia, as a monetary authority, to have a firm control over the implementation of monetary policy. you would agree with me that it is quite difficult for a central bank, like ours, to implement monetary policy effectively in an environment characterised by inadequate banking facilities. it is for this reason therefore that i commend the management of stanbic bank zambia for bringing banking facilities closer to the people. in this regard, i wish to assure you that on our part we shall continue to support you in your endeavours to open more of such branches, because we firmly believe that you are making our work and that of the government much easier. however, may i take this opportunity to advise the management of stanbic zambia that if you want this branch or many of such branches you intend to open in future to be beneficial to the communities in which they operate, kindly be flexible on the requirements for opening accounts as well as lowering the minimum account balances to be maintained by your clients. i say so because communities like matero and the surrounding areas comprise mainly of people who are in the informal sector. therefore, it would be unreasonable for you to ask an unemployed prospective customer to bring a letter from their employer before an account could be opened with your branch! in other words, i strongly urge you to tailor your banking services to the needs of the community you operate in. finally, let me also take this opportunity to urge the other commercial banks operating in zambia to emulate stanbic bank zambia by establishing community banking branches. as your regulator and supervisor, we take a lot of pride in seeing commercial banks coming up with innovative and progressive financial services, such as community banking. i believe that it is through the provision of such tailor - made banking services that banks would meaningfully fulfil their role as financial intermediaries in our economy. with these few remarks, ladies and gentlemen, it is now my honour and privilege to declare the stanbic bank matero branch officially open. i thank you.