NIPA executive director, Ambassador Professor Royson Mukwena says support to libraries and information sharing will help Zambia attain some of its goals such as vision 2030.

“The Institute recognises that the role of information in development is cardinal. However libraries have often been alienated and ignored in the role that they play in national development,” he said.

Prof Mukwena has emphasised that some of the social and economic challenges communities face can be avoided by building strong communities, pointing out that communities can achieve their goals if they are armed with information.

And Zambia Library Service Senior Education Officer, Mrs. Jennifer Mulambia has hailed NIPA for its realisation that white collar jobs are not the only means that Zambian communities can grow economically, hence there were many entrepreneurship trainings that were open to members of the public at the NIPA main Campus Library.

“We are happy for the Institute’s three innovative libraries, namely; Ndola Campus library, Burma Campus and Main Campus library for reaching out to the community in various ways such as entrepreneurship trainings, skills training and providing spaces for community interactions.” She said.

NIPA hopes that libraries in Zambia can collaborate in areas of research so that communities in the country can achieve economic prosperity.

The Zambia Library Service, under the Ministry of General education held this year’s National Library week at the just ended Copperbelt Investment Exposition (CIEX) in Ndola under theme “Libraries = Strong Communities”.

NIPA scooped the best exhibitors among ten other library exhibitors.