CFC and Zambia explore pathways for enterprise growth and value addition
Amsterdam, 22 October 2026 – Amb. Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), welcomed H.E. Mary Chirwa, Governor of the CFC for Zambia and Ambassador of Zambia to Belgium, to the CFC Headquarters in Amsterdam. She was accompanied by Ms. Melissa M. Summerton, First Secretary for Trade and Investment, and Mr. Patrick C. Mulwanda, First Secretary for Economic Affairs.
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the CFC’s evolving approach under CFC 2.0 and its Strategic Framework 2025–2035, and how closer engagement with Zambia could support the country’s priorities for sustainable economic development, enterprise growth and greater value addition across commodity sectors.
Discussions covered Zambia’s potential in both agriculture and minerals, including opportunities to move beyond the production and export of raw commodities towards more local processing, stronger domestic enterprises and greater participation in downstream markets.
Turning commodity wealth into local opportunity
Commodity dependence can expose economies to fluctuations in international prices and demand. Developing local processing and value addition can help diversify economic activity, create jobs and enable more of the value generated from natural resources to remain within the country.
For Zambia, this includes opportunities across its mineral resources and agricultural commodities. While minerals are an important part of the country’s economic landscape, agriculture and food processing also offer opportunities to build local businesses, improve domestic supply and create more resilient livelihoods.
Amb. Belal highlighted the importance of looking beyond commodities themselves to the people and enterprises behind them.
“Humanizing the value chain means looking at what happens to the value created from a commodity, and who benefits from it. Whether we are talking about minerals, maize or other agricultural products, we want to see businesses grow, jobs created and more opportunities reaching the communities connected to these resources. This is central to the CFC’s approach under CFC 2.0,” said Amb. Belal.
Supporting businesses in the missing middle
Through direct investment and technical assistance, the CFC seeks to help eligible commodity-based enterprises overcome barriers to growth, improve their operations and access markets. The growing number of applications received through the CFC’s Calls for Proposals reflects the importance of reaching businesses with viable ideas and development potential.
The CFC’s engagement in Zambia has included technical assistance supporting agricultural enterprise development under AATIF Technical Assistance Facility. One example involved a Zambia-based maize and wheat processor that doubled its maize milling capacity in 2018. Technical assistance supported the development of a market and product strategy to make better use of the expanded capacity, diversify its maize products and improve commercial viability. This included support for fortified maize meal, product testing, packaging and branding, and access to retail markets. The work demonstrated how targeted technical assistance can help businesses make better use of their investments while contributing to the availability of nutritious, locally processed staple foods.
The exchange also highlighted the importance of attracting more proposals from Zambia, so that additional enterprises can be considered for CFC support and opportunities for investment and technical assistance can be explored.
A shared interest in value addition and closer cooperation
Ambassador Chirwa welcomed the discussion and emphasised the relevance of the CFC’s mission to Zambia’s development priorities.
“Zambia has significant opportunities to create more value from its natural resources and agricultural commodities. The CFC’s focus on enterprise development, value addition and access to finance resonates with our priorities. We see value in exploring how closer engagement with the Fund can help Zambian businesses grow, develop local processing capacity and create more opportunities for our people,” said Ambassador Chirwa.
The meeting offered an opportunity to deepen mutual understanding of the CFC’s evolving priorities and consider how Zambia’s development objectives could align with the Fund’s expanding partnerships and financing instruments.
Amb. Belal thanked Ambassador Chirwa and her delegation for taking the time to visit the CFC Headquarters and for the open and constructive exchange. He expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to strengthen the relationship and continue exploring practical areas of cooperation.
The meeting concluded with a shared interest in maintaining close contact and continuing discussions on opportunities to support Zambia’s commodity-based enterprises. As the CFC advances its Strategic Framework 2025–2035, closer engagement with Zambia could help identify investment-ready businesses, expand access to technical assistance and support a more inclusive approach to commodity-led development.