With a temperatures ranging between 15 and 27 degrees for most parts of the year, the solar energy potential is high. The oil refineries in the country also emit gasses that can be tapped and turned into gas for domestic cookers. 3.4  Mining  Zambia’s mineral wealth remains substantial. Quite apart from the traditional mining activities in copper and cobalt the list of investment opportunities in this sector include: •  Precious metal-gold; silver; selenium;  •  The platinoid group – iron, tin, nickel and manganese;  •  Agro-minerals-rock phosphate and igneous phosphate suitable for conversion to fertilizer, peat, limestone;  •  Reclaiming of copper from slug tailing dumps;  •  Gemstones-emerald, amethyst, aquamarine, tourmaline;  •  Nickel;  BIS Review 76/2008  5  •  Uranium; and  •  Other deposits-talc, fluorspar, graphite, barites and clays, etc. The 1995 Mines and Minerals Act provide exemption from import duty and VAT on all machinery and equipment, including specialised motor vehicles required for prospecting or mining activities. In its 2008 Budget, the Government introduced the new fiscal and regulatory framework for the mining sector. Under this framework, the mining sector will begin to adequately contribute to the advancement of and the social economic welfare of the people of Zambia. 3.5  Tourism  Untapped tourism opportunities exist in all the 19 National Parks and 34 game management areas as well as the 23 million hectares devoted to the conservation of an amazing variety of animals.
The potential benefits of a well integrated ICT in agriculture are diverse and include: •  transparent dissemination of information such as weather patterns, seed and fertilizer use, availability and distribution;  •  easy accessibility to suppliers of inputs;  •  common distribution of information on market prices of crops; and  •  generally bringing together of suppliers and buyers of crops. Government has put agriculture at the core of rural development and poverty reduction as well as employment creation. It is therefore important to note that the expansion of ICTs in rural communities is more required now than ever before, as most information is now  4  BIS Review 76/2008  disseminated through internet and cellular phones. These facilities will help uplift the living standards of rural communities. 3.2  Agriculture  Zambia’s agriculture sector has enormous potential to become a major grower and exporter of agricultural and horticultural produce. The country has an abundance of quality land, water (over 40% of fresh water resources in Southern Africa) and ideal climate all suited to a wide range of agricultural products. Only 15% of Zambia’s 60 million hectares of arable land is under cultivation. The recent surge in food prices in the world presents an enormous opportunity for Zambia to become the food basket of the sub region. This can be achieved by re-doubling efforts to boost agricultural productivity coupled with substantial increase in infrastructure investment to ease supply bottlenecks that are pushing up prices.