Minister of Labour and Social Security, Brenda Mwika Tambatamba (MP) says Government is expanding the private sector in order to create jobs, hence the need to transition informal enterprises into formal ones.
Speaking during the 2025 Kaizen conference yesterday themed “Fostering Economic Resilience, Innovation and Growth through Continuous Improvement”, Ms. Tambatamba said Government will transform the KAIZEN Institute of Zambia limited, into an anchor of national productivity.
She said this is aimed at influencing actions towards adopting a productive culture.
Ms. Tambatamba said in order to promote productivity, the Ministry through the National Productivity Development Department (NPDD) and the KAIZEN Institute of Zambia trained 239 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in productivity enhancement services, 77 enterprises were supported with productivity enhancement services, whilst 130 enterprises were applying productivity techniques.
She said the national productivity policy will be revised and a legal framework will be formulated to support its implementation.
The minister said to cushion the impact of drought on households which has negatively impacted productivity, jobs and income growth , Government introduced cash for work, to provide financial relief to vulnerable families.
Ministry of Labour and Social Security Permanent Secretary, Zechariah Luhanga said the aid grant for the Kaizen project has increased from K3.3 million in 2021 to K6.7 million.
Kaizen Institute Zambia Chief Executive Officer, Tamala Namakobo said Small and Medium Sized enterprises have contributed to economic transformation and job creation pillar of the 8th National Development Plan (8thNDP).
She said K3 million financial gain has been recorded from cost reduction and revenue growth initiatives and 213 jobs were created, which is significant in property reduction.
Japanese ambassador to Zambia TakeuchiKazuyuki said Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will continue supporting Kaizen programs in various sectors, in order to promote quality and productivity improvement.
Former Kaizen Director General in Ethiopia, Getahun Tadesse said the implementation of infrastructure projects is significant to national development and emphasized on project management and prudent resource utilization.
Zambia Federation of Employees (ZFE) president Myra Ngoma said enhanced productivity must be prioritized in production in the small and medium enterprises, the private sector and the public sector.
She emphasized on service delivery through hard work and bridging skills gaps to improve productivity.
And the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) deputy secretary general finance and planning Dr. Evans Chungu urged workers to stay up to date with industry advancements by embracing emerging technologies such as, artificial intelligence and data science which have robbed many of their jobs.
By PR Unit,
Ministry of Labour and Social Security
