Economic instability in the Great Lakes region has become complex due to the accumulated problems that most states faced, state-owned Times of Zambia cited an official as saying on Sunday.

"These (problems) include bad governance, lack of democracy, monopolization of political power by an individual or ethnic group, a policy of exclusion, widespread corruption, nepotism, violation of basic human rights and ever deepening poverty," Lubinda Aongola, Great Lakes Task Force (GLTF) chairman for economic development and regional integration, said over the weekend in Kitwe, 350 km north of Lusaka.

Aongola said the economic development needed to be consolidated with peace, which he said had started returning to the region.

Meanwhile, he said there was need for the private sector to take advantage of peace developments now taking place in the region especially countries that had no conflicts.

And governments should also provide an enabling environment for the development of private sector by ensuring regional reconstruction of productive sectors and infrastructure, Aongola said.

"As peace begins to return to the region, we all need to help the economy of the region by incorporating them together as business development is as good as attaining peace," he said.

Currently there are 21 countries in the Great Lakes region, 11 of which are core members while 10 are co-opted members.

Source: Xinhua