Zambia is considering reintroducing regulations to make the kwacha
currency the country's only legal tender, treasury official Fredson
Yamba said on Wednesday.
The government of Africa's second-largest copper producer has often
blamed the weakening of its currency on the tendency of businesses to
price their products in dollars, and it banned the practice in 2012,
only to lift the restrictions again in March 2014.
This year the kwacha has shed more than 40 percent in value against
the dollar due mainly to a sharp fall in global copper prices, severe
electricity shortages and government mining regulations that spooked
investors.
"The government…is considering the re-introduction of currency
regulations whose principle objective is to reinforce the kwacha as
legal tender in the nation," Yamba said in a statement.
The other objective of such a move would be to ensure effectiveness
in the conduct of monetary policy, which is aimed at ensuring price
stability, he said.
By: Reuters.
Reporting: Chris Mfula.
Editing: Hugh Lawson.
Review: Emerging Market Formulations & Research Unit, Flagship Records.
For The #FacebookTeam