Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) President Juba Sakala has called on mobile service providers to advance their service provision to the public and alleviate the poor network that is adversely affecting businesses.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times (ZBT) Sakala said the Association has made several calls to network providers to amplify their efforts despite the power outages that the Country is facing.
“A lot of businesses have raised concern over the poor network, we know there are power outages, and out of that we know that you cannot do transactions, you can’t send emails, you can do requests and there are times when business entities want to hold conferences but they can’t do that because there is lack of network, and this has made the businesses shrink, and if we talk about access to internet a lot of businesses are severely affected, and due to outages there are unable to make tangible profits due to lack of connection to partner’s,” he said.
Meanwhile Sakala said the Government must ensure to provide adequate solar loans to SMEs for them to survive through the prolonged outages.
“They want everyone to start producing power but how do they produce power when they do not have equipment, so the first thing they must do is to give people solar equipment, give them at soft loan, so they should start with one thing by giving the SMEs adequate solar equipment, if you give them equipment you are basically offloading the burden from ZESCO, so that whatever ZESCO has is concentrated on the Mines,” he said.
The call to action from the Zambia Consumer Association underscores the pressing need for improved infrastructure and support mechanisms to bolster the resilience of small businesses in the face of power outages.
As stakeholders evaluate the impact of inadequate network coverage and power disruptions on economic activities, the emphasis on proactive measures and collaborative efforts has gained momentum in addressing these pressing challenges.
This advocacy for enhanced mobile network services and sustainable energy solutions is of paramount importance to the country, signaling the imperative for industry players and policymakers to address the critical needs of businesses and facilitate a conducive environment for economic activities amidst the current operational constraints.
