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Disciplinary action against two individuals charging for COVID-19 Tests at UTH-Health Minister

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Disciplinary action against two individuals charging for COVID-19 Tests at UTH-Health Minister

Health Minister, Jonas Chanda says immediate disciplinary action has been taken against two individuals from the University Teaching Hospital identified from a recent media expose by MUVI Television, where they were illegally collecting money from patients for COVID-19 tests.

Dr. Chanda says one person is already in police custody.

The Minister has explained that internal investigations have been instituted extending to several departments to identify the full extent of dishonest dealings
He says it is disheartening that while the Ministry of Health under the guidance of President Edgar Lungu has been working tirelessly to restore the confidence of partners and Zambians in the health system, some unscrupulous individuals have been taking advantage of people who seek health care services.

The Minister says he will not allow the image of the Ministry and the Health Sector to be tarnished by a few individuals.

The Health Minister says the happenings at the University Teaching Hospital should serve as a stern warning to all would be offenders across the country in all heath facilities, Ministry of Health and Statutory Bodies, that such people will not be spared.

He has warned of stern disciplinary action against all culprits, including instant dismissal, as provided for under the public service

Women lead voters register as Lusaka tops

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Women lead voters register as Lusaka tops

Zambia has more female registered voters going into the August 2021 elections compared to men, statistics from the provisional voters register have shown.

And Lusaka Province accounts for the highest number of registered voters representing 17.7% whilst North-Western is lowest at 5.5% of the total provisional register of voters.

Out of the provisional total of 7,002, 393, 3,739,971 are female representing 53.4% while 3,262,422 are male representing 46.6%.

At provincial level, Western Province accounts for the highest number of female registered voters which stands at 59% of the provincial provisional registered voters.

Electoral Commission of Zambia Chief Electoral Officer Patrick Nshindano released an update on the disaggregated data of the Provisional Register of Voters during a news briefing on Thursday.

“Commission recorded a provisional total of 7,020,749 registered voters. After de-duplication, the provisional register now stands at 7,002, 393 registered voters representing 0.2% marginal reduction from the initial 83.4% to 83.2% of eligible voters arising from duplicate records,” Mr Nshindano stated.

“Let me reiterate that this is a Provisional Register of Voters. The Final Register of Voters will be certified on 9th May 2021.”

ECZ press briefing in Lusaka
ECZ press briefing in Lusaka

Below is the full provisional breakdown by province ranked in descending order

 

1. Lusaka Province 1,241,992
2. Copperbelt Province 1,023,223
3. Eastern Province 896,213
4. Southern Province 778,099
5. Central Province 666,640
6. Northern Province 600,859
7. Luapula Province 562,230
8. Western Province 447,143
9. Muchinga Province 401,542
10. North Western Province 384,452

Chilufya: 2021 AFCON U17 Group A Draw Balanced

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Zambia U17 coach George Chilufya has described their 2021 AFCON U17 Group A draw as balanced group.

Junior Chipolopolo has been drawn against an opponent each from the other three corners of Africa who include Uganda from East Africa and Cote d’Ivoire from West Africa.

From North Africa, tournament hosts Morocco are Zambia’s other Group A opponents.

“I think football is a competition and in every tournament, if you want to become champions, you have to compete against other teams so whichever team’s come, you should be ready for the battle,” Chilufya said.

“I think it is a balanced group having teams from almost the whole Africa, we just have to do our best in our preps and during the tournament.”

Zambia will play Cote d’Ivoire in their opening Group A match on March 14, Uganda in their penultimate Group A match on March 16 and Morocco on March 19.

Junior Chipolopolo will be facing all three opponents for the first time at an AFCON U17 tournament.

Winner of Group A will play one of the two best third placed sides while the runner-up will face winner from Group B that comprises Algeria,Tanzania,Congo Brazzaville and two-time winners Nigeria- both those matches will be on March 24.

This is Junior Chipolopolo’s second tournament outing after making its AFCON debut at Niger 2015 where they made a first round exit.

The top two sides from the three groups will be joined by the best two third place finishers in the quarterfinals of the tournament that has been expanded from eight to twelve teams in this edition.

Defending champions Cameroon are in Group C with Senegal, Mali and South Africa and chasing an unprecedented third AFCON U17 title.

The top four finishers will represent Africa at the postponed 2021 FIFA U17 World Cup in Peru.

KITWE DERBY COUNTDOWN: Nkana Legend Sakulanda Wary of Wound Power

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Former Nkana star striker Musole Sakulanda has warned that Power Dynamos’ low form in recent matches will not be a factor when the two teams meet in the Kitwe derby on Saturday at Nkana Stadium.

Eleventh placed Power are winless in their last six matches in which they have recorded two losses and four draws.

In an interview from Kitwe, Sakulanda, a regular scorer in his hey days, believes Power will give Nkana a tough match.

“Even during our time Power used to wake up against Nkana even if they have been off form in other matches. Power wants to be seen that they have played well against Nkana. Each player wants to be seen that they have shined against Nkana,” Sakulanda said.

“The Kitwe derby requires too much concentration. During our time, we intensified training before the derby and literally stopped any other activity just to focus on training.”

The former Finland based striker expressed confidence that Nkana will triumph over Power.

“The game appears 50-50 but we have high morale as Nkana after qualifying to the CAF Confederation Cup group stage. I can assure you that we are winning this game,” Sakulanda said.

Powers have 22 points, two ahead of Nkana, although the Arthur Davies outfit has played two more goals.

2021 Golf Seasons Tees off on Friday in Kitwe

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The 2021 local golf season starts on Friday with the two-day Reliant Mining Classic championship at the Nkana Golf Club in Kitwe.

Golf star Madaliso Mutiya will be among 50 participating players as the new season tees-off in Kitwe.

The competition has excited the Professional Golfers Association of Zambia (PGAZ), the organizers.

PGAZ spokesperson Alfred Tamba said the teeing-off of the season was good for the local game and pledged that COVIDI-19 protocols will be followed at the Reliant Mining Classic championship

“All participants will be tested before the event. Then social distancing will be at two club-lengths on the course and no caddies. This means players will carry their own bags or push trolley themselves,” said Tamba.

Nkana golf star Beza Daka, Mwalikwa Sondashi, Mukuka Mwango, Gabriel Chibale, Morton Muwowo, Kelvin Phiri and Dominic Musonda are some of the famous players competing in the Reliant Mining Classic championship.

There will be no spectators at the competition.

NDC splits as Kambwili rubbishes his expulsion

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NDC splits as Kambwili rubbishes his expulsion

Deep confusion has erupted in the opposition National Democratic Congress with only a few months to go before the August general elections. The party through its Secretary General Bridget Atanga earlier today announced that it has expelled its Leader Chishimba Kambwili for differing with the Opposition Alliance’s decision to settle for UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema as its sole Presidential Candidate for the August 2021 general elections.

Mrs. Atanga announced Mr Kambwili’s expulsion at a media briefing in Lusaka today adding that the party will go ahead and work with the UPND Alliance.

Mrs Atanga who was flanked by Lusaka Province Party Secretary Joseph Kasonde and Roan Member of Parliament Joseph Chishala among others said Party Vice President Joseph Akafumba will act as Party President.

She stated that Mr Kambwili has not been acting straight over the issue of Mr Hichilema as the Alliance’s presidential candidate.

“When Mr Kambwili returned from the UK, I went to visit him and he openly told me that he cannot work with Mr Hichilema as President and that it would be better he went back to the PF,” Mrs Atanga said

The opposition Alliance yesterday resolved to rally behind Mr Hichilema as the sole presidential candidate ahead of the August elections, a decision Mr Kambwili has disagreed with.

But Mr Kambwili has rubbished his expulsion from the NDC as null and void describing it as a joke.

Speaking at a media briefing later today m. Mr Kambwili said the five Central Committee Members led by Vice President Joseph Akafumba did not follow the party Constitution in expelling him and has warned that they risk being expelled.

Mr Kambwili said the NDC Central Committee will on Saturday meet to discuss matters surrounding the UPND Alliance and agree on the way forward.

“You cannot have small ants fighting a Lion. This is a joke!”

He said the NDC Constitution stipulates how a President can be expelled adding that the reasons advanced by the party do not make sense.

“Firstly, only a full NEC can meet to expel a President and atleast 80 percent of those present should agree with that motion and before that, the President is charged and written to and he has to be heard before any decisions is taken and clearly these people didn’t follow that procedure,” Mr Kambwili said.

Mr Kambwili has clarified that he is still Party President and has not been expelled.

Mr. Kambwili has also advised Zambians to treat the statement by NDC Vice President Joseph Akafumba as baseless.

He said the decision taken by the five members that announced his expulsion does not represent the views of the NDC.

Mr. Kambwili has advised Mr. Akafumba and his team to carry out a risk assessment before starting a war.

Mr. Kambwili has also advised those willing to leave the party and join the UPND to do so in peace and not cause any confusion.

He said the decision to call an Alliance as the UPND Alliance is an insult to the NDC which should not be tolerated.

Meanwhile, NDC youths led by its Youth National Chairman Charles Kabwita have backed Mr Kambwili.

“As NDC youths, we’ve always put national interests above self and patronage. In continued efforts to see a better Zambia today and tomorrow, we retain our commitment to respect opinions made by leadership within and outside NDC. It is diversity in opinions that presents an opportunity to us and everyone to understand someone’s mind, plans, intentions and abilities. It is now clear that some of our leaders in NDC, led by our vice president, Mr. Akafumba, have always had intentions to work with UPND at all costs,” Mr Kabwita said.

“We have always been committed to the alliance as NDC youths too. However, we differ on certain grounds from Veep and his team. We can work with UPND and any other political party with mutual understanding and benefits. Above all, the nation that we wish to serve.”

“It’s extremely unfortunate that our colleagues in the UPND want us, NDC, to contest elections under the UPND umbrella. Foregoing the NDC flag. On contrary, an alliance must be all-inclusive. When NDC fields a candidate at any level, UPND must not but rather support that candidate.”

He added, “In the same event, when UPND fields a candidate, NDC must not challenge that but support that candidate. Just like we did in Roan Constituency.”
As NDC youths, we remain committed to NDC and the party president Dr Kambwili. We respect the opinions of the Veep and his team but we do not agree with them at all costs. It is a very unfortunate eventuality.”

“The same wrangles that the alliance has led NAREP into with same conditions, are the same they wish to see us go into. When Mr. Nyirenda refused to be bullied by HH, his vice, Mr Maboshe rose to expelling Mr Nyirenda and claimed to cling on to the Alliance. It’s the same systematic route being used on us.”

Mr Kabwita said Dr Kambwili has refused to be bullied in accepting one sided conditions while Mr Akafumba has gathered some members to do just like what his NAREP counterpart did.

“It clearly appears someone is sponsoring and championing this agenda of a one man lead alliance. As NDC youths, we remain steadfast and committed to Dr Kambwili and wish to distance ourselves from the Veep and his team.”

He charged that Dr Kambwili remains the party president and iconic flag bearer.

“As NDC youth National chairman, I call on all youths to remain calm, not issue any statement, bad or good as we wait for guidance from our president and NGC leadership.”

Chiteme urges stakeholders to actively participate in 8NDP formulation

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Chiteme urges stakeholders to actively participate in 8NDP formulation

The Minister of National Development Planning Honourable Alexander Chiteme has urged all stakeholders to actively participate in the formulation of the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).

Officially opening the National Development Coordinating Committee (NDCC) meeting today, Mr. Chiteme said the Government values the participation and contribution of various stakeholders in the formulation the of national development plans. He said the multisectoral contributions would enrich the contents of the 8NDP.

“In line with the National Planning and Budgeting policy of 2014 and the National Planning and Budgeting Act No.1 of 2020, Government has commenced the formulation of the Eight National Development Plan (8NDP),” Mr. Chiteme said. “Currently, the process is at the third phase: the analysis and priority setting. This follows the development of the concept note as well as an issues paper, undertaken in 2020, which constituted the first and second phases, respectively. The analysis and priority setting phase will be followed by the drafting and validation phases, which will culminate into the approval of the plan by the national assembly in December 2021.”

The Minister said the 8NDP will benefit from the Economic Recovery Programme 2020 – 2023 that His Excellency Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic Of Zambia, recently launched.

He explained that the general macroeconomic framework and targets for the Economic Recovery Programme will feed into the 8NDP.

“The 8NDP and Economic Recovery Programme will be complementary,” Mr. Chiteme said.

Mr. Chiteme encouraged members of the NDCC, Cluster Advisory Groups (CAGs), Provincial Development Coordinating Committees (PDCCs) and District Development Coordinating Committees (DDCCs) to make oral or written submissions when stakeholder consultations on the plan commence.

“The holding of the NDCC meetings demonstrate that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the business of actualising the development aspirations of this country must still forge ahead,” he said.

Reviewing the implementation of the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP), Mr. Chiteme said the year 2020 was the most challenging in the implementation of the 7NDP due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is no secret that the covid-19 pandemic has caused adverse impacts on our economy which has resulted in loss of employment, income and in some cases, loss of businesses,” the Minister said. “There has been a reduction in the collection of Government revenue while unforeseen expenditures due to covid-19 increased. For the first time in over 20 years, Zambia experienced an economic contraction now estimated at negative three (-3) percent. Arising from this, our fiscal space reduced further making it hard for Government to implement development programmes outlined in the 7NDP.”

The Minister said the7NDP was last year re-scoped to prioritise programmes for inclusion in the 2021 budget.

Therefore, Mr. Chiteme said: “Only high impact programmes and projects should be selected for execution in the spirit of doing more with less and in line with the recently enacted National Planning and Budgeting Act No.1 of 2020.”

And NDCC Chairperson, Secretary to the Cabinet Dr. Simon Miti, said a lot has happened in the implementation of Zambia’s development agenda since the last NDCC held in mid-2020.

“The main objective of this meeting is to reflect on the key developments in the execution of the 7NDP in the year 2020. Specifically, this meeting will: Receive and consider the 7NDP 2020 cluster performance reports as well as 2021 budget focus areas; Consider and adopt the July 2020 NDCC report and track the status of implementation of actions arising from the last NDCC meeting; receive the report from the secretariat encompassing several issues that have transpired since the last NDCC meeting including the enactment of the National Planning And Budgeting Act as well as the launch of the Economic Recovery Programme 2020 – 2023; and determine the way forward on items to be considered during the meeting,” said Dr. Miti.

Cyber laws pose a threat to our human rights – CiSCA

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Cyber laws pose a threat to our human rights – CiSCA

By Judith Mulenga CISCA Chairperson

The Civil Society Constitution Agenda (CiSCA) is concerned about the violations of freedoms embedded in the Cyber Crimes Bill 2021.

As CiSCA, we fully understand and are sufficiently aware of the millions of people that fall victim to the cybercrimes each year worldwide but we are equally aware that there are several provisions in The Cyber Security And Cyber Crimes Bill, 2021 which pose a threat to our human rights. The inalienability and inherency of human rights are not subordinate to laws especially inimical provisions contained in the law.

The Bill that the PF Government wants to pass as law in its current form, has a number of provisions that infringe on various freedoms, such as freedom of expression, freedom of speech, the right to privacy, to mention but a few.

The Zambian Constitution in Article 17 provides for the ‘Protection for privacy of home and other property. Except with his own consent, no person shall be subjected to the search of his person or his property or the entry by others on his premises.’ This freedom clearly includes the right not to have information relating to that person’s family, health status or private affairs unlawfully required or revealed or have the privacy of that person’s communications infringed.

Section 29 of the Cyber Security And Cyber Crimes Bill dispenses with the need to obtain a warrant for the interception of communication. A law enforcement officer is free to act without authority from a court or judge and intercept communication and then inform the judge after the event. This proposed provision lends itself to abuse, impunity and is ultra vires to Articles 11, 17, 18(a) and of course the overarching Article 19.

Without a doubt a law which permits the interception of any communication to or from the sender for purposes of determining the sender’s location cannot and does not allow the right to freedom of movement or the right to privacy which all Zambians are guaranteed in the Constitution. We state that Section 30 of the Bill is an infringement of these Freedoms.

The Cyber Security And Cyber Crimes Bill, 2021 makes a demand, in section 38, on electronic communication service providers to invest in electronic communication systems that would enable them to monitor fulltime and in real time and to intercept communications of its subjects. We wish to state that no subject would wish to subscribe for a service where the provider is able to follow everything they are doing and saying. This is not only unethical but also a serious infringement on their right to privacy.

We also note with some concern that the Bill would give unfettered freedoms to some persons or class of persons. Section 89 (1) provides that ‘the Authority may, by declaration, exempt a person or class of persons, for a limited or unlimited period of time, from the requirement to abide by the provisions of this Act.’ What criteria would the Authority use to determine which persons or class of persons should be exempt? Ant law enacted in the nation should apply equally to everyone. As far as we can see this is a lacuna which requires to be amended.

As CiSCA, we propose that the cause, or reason for the Bill should be discussed by several stakeholders where the government will provide evidence and extent of cybercrimes in Zambia, and how they intend to deal with and still maintain people’s rights and freedoms as guaranteed under the Constitution.

CiSCA strongly asserts that the Minister, a political figure, is not the right person to determine and declare what qualifies as ‘critical information’. The Bill should therefore be withdrawn and participation and submissions of other stakeholders incorporated.

New UK Trade Envoy completes successful first visit to Zambia, Virtually

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New UK Trade Envoy completes successful first visit to Zambia, Virtually

Newly appointed UK Trade Envoy to Zambia, Laurence Robertson MP, today completed a successful and productive first visit to Zambia. Conducted virtually, the visit included meetings with the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, the Ministries of Finance and Mines and a range of UK and Zambian businesses.

The theme of the visit was to build stronger UK-Zambia trading partnerships, increase investment between the two countries and support Zambia in taking advantage of regional and global trading opportunities.

Appointed by the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson in December 2020, the Trade Envoy has responsibility for enhancing and building on Zambia and Britain’s investment and trading relationship. UK-Zambia bilateral trade currently stands at over £150m, alongside significant UK investment into Zambia, with aspirations to increase this substantially in coming years through increased British business participation in Zambia’s economic recovery programme.

A particular focus of the visit was the mining industry and how UK partnerships can build more sustainability and increase wider economic benefits for Zambia. Recent increases in global climate commitments have helped support a resurgence in copper prices as well as demand for other metals such as cobalt and nickel which are critical to support clean energy development. As part of the visit, the Trade Envoy was briefed by members of the UK Parliament All Party Parliamentary Group on Critical Minerals in terms of the role of copper and other metals and the opportunities to support Zambia make more of its mineral resources.

In the mining industry, the Trade Envoy met with representatives from First Quantum, Munali Nickel Mine, Weir Minerals, and Rio Tinto.
The Trade Envoy met with UK-funded organisations Prospero Zambia and ImpactCapitalAfrica who have been working with the Ministry of Mines and the mining industry to ensure more value from the mining industry is captured within Zambia, through investment, jobs and business growth.
Through a meeting with the British Chamber of Commerce, the Trade Envoy met companies including Prudential Life Assurance, PwC, Financial Sector Deepening Zambia, Union Gold and Langmead & Baker, where topics of discussion included Zambia’s strategic location, the importance of enhanced UK-Zambia flight connections and aspects of recent Zambian Government tax and policy changes.

In addition, the Trade Envoy offered his congratulations to the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry on Zambia’s ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and looked forward to swift progress on Phase II negotiations, and effective practical implementation of the AfCFTA so that the Zambian private sector can realise its benefits on the ground.

The Minister of Commerce set out his vision to make the most of the trading potential of Zambia’s strategic regional location in Southern Africa. The Trade Envoy discussed the role of the UK in supporting this vision, including recent progress on Trademark East Africa’s (TMEA) work with ZRA to design upgrades to the Nakonde border crossing between Zambia and Tanzania, and the UK’s partnership with UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to support informal traders to resume their business safely during Covid19.

The Trade Envoy encouraged the Zambia-based private sector to strengthen regional trading links. He met with Zambia Sugar and 260Brands (Seba Foods) to talk about their ambitions in the food and agriculture sector, including how they can leverage facilities in Zambia to build a bigger and more valuable regional presence across Southern Africa. The Trade Envoy also discussed trade facilitation to help both companies increase their access to UK markets.

Given the depth and significance of the overall UK-Zambia relationship across UK business activity, the Trade Envoy discussed with the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry the best framework for future engagements, including a physical visit to Zambia as soon as travel options were possible. They proposed to ensure regular monitoring of key areas of UK-Zambia trading activity to ensure mutual objectives on investment targets, trade development and job creation were delivered successfully.

Concluding the visit, the UK Trade Envoy, Laurence Robertson MP, said:

“This has been a fascinating first visit to Zambia and it’s been a pleasure to meet with so many strong advocates and supporters of Zambia’s economic potential. Building increased connections with the UK across all areas of trade and economic development is clearly a significant opportunity and I look forward to working with the Government of Zambia to deliver on this in the coming years”

The British High Commissioner, host of the visit added:

“It has been a pleasure to host this first visit from our new British Trade Envoy to Zambia. Spreading across Zambia the shared economic gain of more Zambia-UK trade is central to our work here. We now look forward to building on these initial engagements and ensuring we maximise the benefits for both countries in our relationship.”

Government releases K 25 Million church relief package

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Government releases K 25 Million church relief package

The Government has released 25 Million out of the 50 Million Kwacha set aside to empower churches, religious and faith based organisations as a relief package amid the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs, Godfridah Sumaili said the government is aware of the challenges that churches and Religious organisations are facing due to the outbreak of the pandemic, hence the need to establish an empowerment scheme that will keep them running.

Reverend Sumaili disclosed this during the launch of the Church, Religious and Faith Based Organisations empowerment scheme in Lusaka today.

“The funds will support already existing charity programmes which have severely been affected among other empowerment schemes,” she clarified.

The Minister added that the scheme will be strictly monitored to ensure more churches, religious and faith based organisations also benefit from this relief package.

“The government decided to support the empowerment scheme, because the church and other faith based organisations have been supplementing the government’s efforts in social and economic activities,” Reverend Sumaili stated.

Reverend Sumaili implored all men of God to desist from partisan politics, urging them to instead preach peace and unity especially as the country heads to the polls.

And the clergy are thankful to the government for responding to their predicaments that have emerged due to the pandemic.

The Leadership Farm Lead Consultant, Oritsejolomi David indicated that the initiative if managed properly can create capacities and also build economies that will trickle down to the most vulnerable in society.

Pastor David added that the scheme is not just stimulating churches, religious and faith based organisations but also the economy.

“This money will go into every sector, the marketeer, the farmers, and many more will get something. So the empowerment scheme is very good,” Pastor David indicated.

Prophetess, Elfriday Musambazi, of Barack Ministries noted that the onus is now on the beneficiaries to effectively manage the funds, adding that the government has done its part by implementing the programme.

President Edgar Lungu, after hearing a plea from Ndola based faith organisations last year, he implored the Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs to come up with modalities of an empowerment fund just like other sectors.

NHIMA collects K800 Million contributions

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NHIMA collects K800 Million contributions

The National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA) has collected about K800 million as contributions from members since inception in October 2019.

NHIMA Director of Finance, David Kongwa said the authority has continued to record an upward trend in collections from K30 million per month in October 2019 to currently over K50 million per month.

Mr Kongwa said NHIMA has invested part of the funds in short-term instruments in the money market such as Treasury bills and fixed deposits to increase liquidity for the Authority.

ZANIS reports that Mr Kongwa was speaking at the signing of the partnership agreement between NHIMA and ZANACO in Lusaka today that will see the Bank incorporated on the NHIMA digital platform to facilitate payments of contributions to the NHIMA.

And NHIMA Board Vice Chairperson, Kingsley Chanda, pointed out that NHIMA has an important role to play in mobilizing resources for the country’s healthcare insurance.

Mr Chanda said digital platforms are vital in mobilizing resources for the health insurance scheme.

He urged NHIMA to develop reliable user friendly innovative digital platforms to facilitate seamless registration of Zambians onto the national insurance scheme and payment of funds into the scheme.

Mr Chanda challenged NHIMA to ramp up its rollout of the insurance scheme to the informal sector to reach out and capture all Zambians.

He urged NHIMA to use ZANACO’s extensive branch network to reach out to uncaptured and serviced Zambians.

ZANACO Managing Director, Munakwandi Chibesakunda expressed optimism that the partnership will help Zambians access financial services to facilitate access to health insurance.

Ms Chibesakunda said the partnership is significant as it will ensure that Zambians have easier access to financial services.

She said her bank is happy to support the initiative as the partnership demonstrates the bank’s resolve to provide alternative solutions that make access to financial services easier in an environment that has restrictions due to the impact of the Covid#19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, NHIMA Director General James Kapesa said the Authority will soon revise the benefit package it is offering in order to meet medical insurance expectations of Zambians.

Mr Kapesa noted that the current benefits may not be meeting the health needs of most Zambians.

He explained that most Zambians are unaware that they need to register as required by law in order to access health services in the country.

And Director of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Mpuma Kamanga dismissed public perceptions that its difficult to access NHIMA health services from public health facilities.

Dr Kamanga explained that people that have registered on the scheme and not accessing the health services are not approaching accredited health centres.

He said NHIMA services can only be accessed from 141 hospitals and health centres across the country.

Dr Kamanga disclosed that NHIMA has since disbursed K40 million of the K60 million to public health facilities to buy drugs for members.

Since inception on October 1 2019, NHOMA has captured 950, 000 members of the targeted 3.4 million people it plans to have in its data base.

Kapiri Mposhi Town Council Task force formed to spearhead development

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Kapiri Mposhi Town Council Task force formed to spearhead development

Kapiri Mposhi Town Council has constituted a task force to spearhead the development of an Integrated Development Plan (IDP) that will prescribe standard strategies to guide development in the district.

The task force comprising members from government departments and the private sector has been mandated to come up with a single development planning strategy document to provide a holistic approach for growth in the area.

Council Secretary, Isaac Zimba says the IDP will culminate into the development of a long term development framework to prevent haphazard growth of the district.

In a statement to availed to ZANIS, Mr Zimba disclosed that currently the council relied on the 1979 planning framework which does not provide for an overarching vision and development strategies.

Mr Zimba said there is need therefore for a long term and all-encompassing planning strategy to respond to the development needs of the growing population in the area.

He stressed that the IDP will incorporate social, economic and environmental factors in a single planning strategy to provide a holistic approach for growth in the area.

” The IDP will be used to direct the development of the district over a five year period with an indicative view of the subsequent ten years and beyond and all this is aimed preventing unplanned and haphazard development currently going on in the district,” Mr Zimba said.

He stated that the IDP will also be used by the local authority to coordinate investment programmes in the area.

Mr Zimba said the council will involve local people and many stakeholders in coming up with the IDP through a consultative process.

“The council through the constituted task force will undertake consultations and analysis of existing conditions in the district with the locals and various stakeholders before producing the development framework,” Mr. Zimba said.

It’s a fake news, presidential bus intact –COBUSU

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It’s a fake news, presidential bus intact –COBUSU

Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) president Lawrence Kasonde says social media claims that the bus President Edgar Lungu donated to the institution is damaged are false and misleading.

Mr. Kasonde said this in Ndola today, when Copperbelt Province, Permanent Secretary, Bright Nundwe requested for a report on the video that is circulating on social media purporting that the bus is damaged barely days after it was donated by the Head of State.

Mr Kasonde explained that the driver of the bus stopped to check if the height of the bridge was high enough for it to pass and in the process it caused alarm among the students who started chanting and screaming that the newly received bus had been damaged.

“Contrary to the video that is circulating on social media, I’m here to report that the bus is 100 percent in perfect condition. I’m also appealing to students to use social media in a positive manner. Because if we are not careful, social media can destroy our country. Let us all use social media to improve the way we think,” he said.

And COBUSU vice president Mutale Mumba pledged dialogue whenever students are faced with any challenges at the university.

“The university will not engage in riotous behaviour, but will always seek dialogue as a means to resolve the challenges at the institution,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Mr Nundwe has commended students at the Copperbelt University for exhibiting exemplary behaviour at the institution.

He said the government is excited about the manner in which the students at the university are exhibiting and urged them to keep up a good attitude.

Biofuel key to increased fuel supply – Nkhuwa

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Biofuel key to increased fuel supply – Nkhuwa

Minister of Energy Mathews Nkhuwa says the biofuel sector is a tool for increasing fuel supply in the country.

Speaking during the Surya Biofuels Limited launch of 99.9 percent Fuel Grade in Katuba yesterday, Mr Nkhuwa said Surya energy project is in line with government policy of promoting production and use of biofuels.

Mr Nkhuwa said the investment has come about as a result of the enabling environment that the government has created for private sector investment.

He stated that government believes that the private sector can be an engine and important partner for economic development.

He applauded the investment by Surya Energy which has led to the production of 99.9 percent Fuel Grade Ethanol within Zambia.

Zambia consumes about 474,500,000 (million) litres of unleaded gasoline (petrol) per annum.

“From this level of consumption, 10 percent bioethanol per annum would be required to meet the existing demand. In monetary terms, it means that government would be saving about 40.6 million United States Dollars annually in foreign exchange from the importation of petrol,” he said.

As Surya Energy is only able to produce about 5,475,000 liters of ethanol per annum, the minister noted that this will leave a deficit of 41,975,000 liters towards attainment of the 10 percent bioethanol blending ratio.

Mr Nkhuwa added that the Ministry of Energy carried out a national assessment on bioenergy and food security which indicated that Zambia has enough feedstock for sustainable ethanol blending.

The Minister implored Surya and other stakeholders to join hands and expand investment in the biofuel sector to meet the projected demand for bioethanol.

Mr Nkhuwa called upon the private sector, particularly those in the agriculture sub-sector to rise to the challenges of providing the feedstock needed for sustainability of the plant’s operations.

Government recently revised the National Energy Policy to include biofuels in the energy mix and has also set ambitious targets such as the 10 percent fuel blending ratios aimed at scaling up the contribution of biofuel to the country’s energy needs.

And Surya Biofuels Limited Chairman Kalpesh Patel said the purpose of establishing the plant is to meet the increasing demands for sustainable fuels.

Mr Patel said Surya Biofuels will provide efficient and effective environmentally friendly Biofuels through an advanced technological innovation.

Stressing that Surya Biofuels Limited is the first company to produce fuel ethanol in Zambia, the Firm’s chairman said the development will help reduce government’s costs of importing fuel because fuel will be blended locally and thus affordable.

“Once the fuel is on the market, the people of Zambia will be rest assured that this product will sustain the fuel supply in Zambia,” he said.

The company which will be generating 2.5 megawatts of electricity, is currently producing about 180Kv of power which is being used to run the plant.

Mr Patel highlighted that his company will support the agriculture industry by purchasing 350 metric tons of cassava, daily an activity that will support small scale farmers hence alleviate poverty and hunger.

“To foster the availability of Cassava, the company will partner with stakeholders like Musika, the Zambian Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to identify and provide us with cassava seeds to plant on 6000 hectares of land,” he said.

The company currently has about 100 Zambian employees working on site and will provide more employment opportunities to the local people once fully operational.

Meanwhile, Central Province Minister Sydney Mushanga said the plant will not only provide director jobs for Zambians but also a market for agricultural produce which can be used as inputs in the production of biofuels.

Mr Mushanga said the project has the potential to create new indirect employment opportunities and will serve as a source of income to small scale farmers especially in the rural areas.

“ I am pleased that such a big investment has been established in Central Province as it will benefit many people from there, “ he said

.

He encouraged the local people to take advantage of the opportunity and venture into cassava growing as it a ready market provided by the plant.

Surya Biofuels Limited was established in August 2016 and its main product was ethanol, organic fertilizer, hand sanitizer, animal feed, power generation and coal ash as by products.

Among other notable figures at the event included Chieftainess Mungule and Chief Liteta.

Raid on HH’s in-law village: Police Acted within the law, Kampyongo tell Parliament

Chief Editor
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Raid on HH’s in-law village: Police Acted within the law, Kampyongo tell Parliament

Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo says the police acted within the confines of the law when they searched village headman Polobe’s house in Shibuyunji District last week.

The Minister was responding to questions raised by Mwembeshi Member of Parliament Machila Jamba during the question and oral answer session in parliament.

Mr. Kampyongo said there was reasonable ground for searching the place adding that similar operations were conducted in Chisamba and Chibombo districts.

He said the outcome of the search cannot be disclosed because the matter is still under investigation.

And Mr. Kampyongo said it is important for the Zambia Police service to carry out their duties without interference from the public.

He has warned that the law will take its course on anyone found wanting and that people should not politicize the search conduct on the village headman’s house.

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