LUSAKA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's economy showed promising growth in 2023, expanding by 5.8 percent compared to 5.2 percent in 2022, according to data released by the country's statistics agency.
Chola Daka, the acting statistician general, said that the information and communication industry experienced the highest positive growth, contributing 2.7 percent to the overall growth. The agriculture, forestry and fishing industries, however, had a negative impact, decreasing 0.6 percent.
During a monthly press briefing, Daka also said that the economy grew 8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, marking a significant increase from the 4.6 percent growth recorded during the same period in 2022.
In terms of inflation, Daka reported an increase to 13.7 percent in March, compared with 13.5 percent the previous month. This rise was attributed to price movements in selected food items such as bread and cereals, rice, meat, as well as cooking oil and sugar. ■