The Zambia Business in Development Facility (ZBiDF) working with the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI) and the United Nations Development Programme (Business Call to Action BCtA) held an Inclusive Business Breakfast meeting on 15^th April, 2016 in Lusaka.

The aim of the meeting was to bring together business and government leaders to discuss the private sector’s role in contributing to the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), exploring the opportunities SDG implementation can create for inclusive businesses, discussing existing policy environment as it relates to inclusive business, identifying critical challenges and innovative solutions in inclusive business as well as share successful business cases across sectors. The event would pave the way for a longer-term engagement of the private sector in Zambia to contribute to achieving the SDGs.

There was a good representation from the donor community and the private sector. The meeting took an interactive approach and there was an exchange of ideas as to how Inclusive Business can be incorporated as a business model to cater for the people at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP).

The meeting had a panel discussion with three panellists representing different organisations giving case studies of what they are doing to incorporate in their businesses the
people who are at the Bottom of the Pyramid. After the panellists had given their case studies, there was a Question and Answer session with key questions such as:

• How does business innovate and work around the SDGs?
• How does business move the Inclusive Business agenda in Zambia forward?
• How does incorporating the IB Model benefit business?

From this meeting, it was clear that the private sector was eager to engage and innovate to work around the SDGs in their businesses including their day to day lives.

On the other hand, UNDP invited the private sector to partner with UN Agencies in their projects. The companies present were challenged to be aware of what is happening in the development space so that they are able to report and communicate on what is being done with regards to the SDGs.

On the same day in the afternoon, the facility called together a number of people from various organisations to come for an afternoon of knowledge sharing on Inclusive Business, this meeting was facilitated by Aart Van de Bos of  BoP Inc, the meeting included group exercises and interactions amongst the participants on what Inclusive Business is and how it can be incorporated into their business.