Improved power supply leads to higher growth

12 Feb, 2016

This is apropos a Business Recorder news item "Zambia sees higher economic growth on improved power supply". According to it, Zambia's economy is expected to expand by 3.7 percent this year, largely stable from last year but could grow more than four percent in 2017. An electricity shortage in Africa's number 2 copper producer has stunted the mining sector, while weaker copper prices due to slower growth in top consumer China have put pressure on Zambia's economy and its currency.
The news item in relation to an African country's economy presents a sardonic comment on our policymaking processes. The incumbent PML-N government has been making tall claims about 'visible' improvement in electricity generation since it took over in May 2013. But the question is: What about the prospects of economic growth in Pakistan and consequent generation of new job opportunities?

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