ABSTRACT
Like most other countries which have adopted the mixed economic system, the Zambian economy since 1968 has been characterized by the emergence of a large public enterprise sector. In relative terms, much of the economic activity (about 80 per cent) is undertaken by the parastatal sector with the private sector, accounting for the remaining 20 per cent. The activities of the parastatal organizations are spread across almost all sectors of the economy including mining, energy, industry, agriculture, transport, trade, communication, tourism and construction. Most of these companies fall under the umbrella of a large conglomerate: The Zambia Industrial and Mining Corporation Limited (ZIMCO), a state-holding company charged with the responsibility of supervising and monitoring the parastatals under its wing and undertaking economic investment activities on behalf of the government. Under ZIMCO are several subholding companies based on sectors such as ZCCM (Mining), INDECO (Industry) NHDC (Hotels and Tourism) and NIEC (Trading).
