ECONOMIST Professor Lubinda Haabazoka says Zambia must aim for about $5 billion in gold reserves to become a respected country on the African continent. Recently, the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) disclosed that Zambia currently holds 3,226.51 kg of gold with a market value of $446.9 million since the Bank embarked on purchasing locally produced gold in December 2020. In an interview, Tuesday, Prof Haabazoka said curbing illegal gold mining was a prerequisite to increasing gold output. He added that the country was likely to double its GDP if the government maintained fiscal discipline. “I think curbing illegal mining, especially illegal gold mining, is a prerequisite to increased output of gold because whatever the informal sector mines ends up in the...