ZAMBIA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY PROJECTS INCREASED INVESTMENTS

Zambia recorded 4.2 billion dollars of pledged investments for January-September 2011 period.

Zambia Development Agency says this follows rising interest in the energy, manufacturing and real estate sectors.

ZDA has said in a statement that Investment pledges during the period are expected to create a total 25,710 new job opportunities in various sectors across the country.

The energy sector has attracted investment pledges of up to 1.09 billion dollars with 31 countries pledging major investment, among them South Africa and China.

Last year, Zambia's total pledged investments hit 4.8 billion dollars, compared with 2 billion dollars in 2009, propelled by increased investments in mining, manufacturing and agro-processing.