Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
Professional golfer Sydney Wemba has expressed his excitement after winning the 2021 Sanlam Classic Championship staged at Lusaka Golf Club over the weekend.
Wemba won the Professional Golfers Association of Zambia (PGAZ) organized championship with a combined score of five-under-par 211, beating his closest rival Mwalikwa Sondashi.
Runner up Sondashi finished on one-over-par 217.
‘I want to thank all senior golfers that have been inspiring me to work extra hard and for believing in me,’ Wemba said.
Gabriel Chibale emerged third on seven-over-par 223 while Malawian Paul Chidale and Kelvin Chibuye were joint fourth on 11-over-par 227.
Bwembya Chanda was the best amateur golfer after finishing one-over-par 217 while Dominic Muyunda and Raphael Phiri finished second and third on five-over-par and eight-over-par respectively.
This was the second competition on the 2021 PGAZ calendar.
Zambia has in the last 24 hours recorded 140 new cases of COVID -19 out of 3,393 tests conducted representing a 4% positivity.
This also brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to date to 88,012, Minister of Health Jonas Chanda has announced.
According to a statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Dr. Chanda indicated that the new cases broken down by province shows 61 for Lusaka, North-western 29, 23 Luapula, 14 Copperbelt, 5 Eastern, Central and Southern Provinces 3 cases each while Northern and Western 1 each and zero cases for Nakonde.
The Minister further stated that the province with the highest positivity rate was North-western with 15% while Central, Southern and Western had the lowest positivity of 1%.
“There were zero or no new deaths recorded from the provinces in the last 24 hours. The cumulative number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded remains at 1,200, classified as 667 COVID-19 deaths and 533 COVID-19 associated deaths,” he said.
Dr. Chanda added that 117 discharges were recorded from both the COVID-19 isolation facilities and home management bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 84,464 representing 96%.
“We currently have 2,348 active cases, of whom 2,253 are under community management and 95 are admitted to our COVID-19 isolation facilities. Among those admitted, 80 are on oxygen therapy and 16 are in critical condition,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister stated that government has worked hard to ensure that it can confidently introduce the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme as the ninth strategic objective in COVID-19 response.
Dr. Chanda said it is therefore worrying to note the level of skepticism, hesitancy and the conspiracy theories including ill-informed myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines.
“As a listening government, however, it is our duty to diligently address all the concerns of our people and these will be adequately addressed in our detailed Communication Strategy which will also look at the frequently asked questions around the vaccines,” he stressed.
The Minister added “It is our sincere hope that with continual community engagement, we will be able to reach common grounds and provide our people with the necessary information and assurance on the safety and efficacy of the vaccines choices in our approved basket which will protect people’s lives. We wish to emphasise that the Vaccination Programme will be carried out in a cautionary, voluntary, phased manner targeting priority groups, with dedicated pharmacovigilance systems in place to monitor the roll out,”
He observed that despite the current delivery delays from the Serum Institute of India under the COVAX facility which will see the deliveries of the vaccines sometime around April and May, government is pursuing other avenues to bring in the vaccines sooner through other Vaccine pillars provided they meet the safety and efficacy criteria as determined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and local regulatory agency, ZAMRA.
“As previously stated, the first pillar under COVAX will provide coverage for 20% of our eligible population meaning those aged 18 years and older while the other two pillars comprising vaccine diplomacy channels as well as government and private sector financed acquisition will provide coverage for the remainder of our eligible and priority groups from the basket of vaccines,” he noted.
Patriotic Front (PF) Liuwa constituency aspirant candidate in Kalabo district of Western province, Mwangala Mwenda has donated 4 thousand chickens and 50 goats to 150 women cooperative groups in the area.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mrs Mwenda said the donated birds and goats were meant to reduce on the escalating poverty levels among the women in Liuwa constituency.
“As you are aware that the place is prone to floods, forcing our women who are most bread winners in the family to perpetual sufferings in the locality,” said Mrs Mwenda.
Mrs Mwenda said many women in Liuwa depend on subsistence farming of which crops once harvested from the fields is mainly for consumption.
She said the chickens which are at the point of lay will enable women cooperative groups to have enough eggs for sale that would result in many of them raise money for their living.
“The PF government under the leadership of President Edgar Lungu emphasizes the need for farmers to engage in crop diversification. The whole constituency of Liuwa is engulfed in water making trade difficult for our people to access food,” said Mrs Mwenda.
Mrs Mwenda said many women who live in rural areas like Liuwa face a lot of challenges hence the need to empower them so that they can shift their mindsets to other viable and sustainable farming activities.
“Empowering women can be a powerful force of change and can influence future development in ways favourable to many families in Liuwa constituency. As an aspiring candidate for the ruling Patriotic Front, I believe in empowering my fellow women as they are the backbone of every family in the constituency,” said Mrs Mwenda.
And when receiving the donation on behalf of the cooperatives, Mrs Emmah Katiba of Kutundamena women cooperative group said the animals will assist the welfare of women in the locality.
Mrs Katiba complained that all their maize fields in the district have been submerged adding that the rearing of chickens and goats will relieve them.
“We want to engage ourselves in other farming activities such as chicken rearing and keeping goats. You know goats are more resistant to diseases as compared to cattle farming, we promise as cooperative groups to keep the chickens and goats for our benefit,” Mrs Katiba said.
CAF Confederation Cup envoys Napsa Stars on Tuesday host top four chasers Power Dynamos in a FAZ Super Division Week 22 fixture at Woodlands Stadium in Lusaka.
Thirteenth placed Napsa go into the game battling to free themselves from this seasons relegation battle with 13 games left before that end of the business is decided.
Napsa made one small step towards that objective last Friday when their ten-man side rallied from one-down to beat sixth placed Buildcon 2-1 at the same venue.
Another win on Tuesday will lift Napsa to 11th place on 27 points displacing Nkwazi on goal difference.
But Napsa will be without midfielder and captain Dickson Chapa who was sent-off against Buildcon.
The good news is teenage striker Jimmy Mukeya is back after missing the Buildcon match due to a family bereavement.
Also back is Kenyan defender David Owino who sustained a first half injury in their CAF Confederation Cup Group B home match against JS Kabylie of Algeria on March 17 that ended 2-2.
And Tuesday’s game will be Napsa’s last league match before resuming Group B action this Sunday when they host Coton Sport on Cameroon.
Meanwhile, Power head into the game on the back of a two-match winning run and currently sit at number five on 31 points.
Victory in Lusaka will see Power displace Lusaka Dynamos from third spot who have 33 points.
The three points away will firmly put Power in the race for the top four continental qualifications.
I hereby welcome and congratulate His Excellency the President of Zambia Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu for the recent successful commissioning of the Munali Flyover Bridge which is part of the Lusaka Decongestion Project (LDP). The LDP project is well intended, with potential wider benefits for economic growth and motoring safety.
Widening Lusaka’s road network or increasing capacity is the most common solution proposed for congestion: just add extra lanes. But, when a congested road is widened, it attracts more motorists (who switch from other modes, change their travel times, or move to new housing developments in areas surrounding the motorway) and soon becomes congested again. The additional traffic is called induced traffic.
It’s clear that the walking and cycling measures have not been considered in the LPD project, as a means of improving transport system performance or for reducing congestion. The LPD project has sadly missed the significance of walking and cycling given that lots of our people do a lot of walking compared to motorists.
The inability of the LPD project to accurately assess the transport benefits and impacts of walking and cycling measures has led to a belief among the public that walking and cycling is not important for reducing congestion. This has deprived Lusaka City of an effective means for reducing congestion.
Walking and cycling should be put on an equal footing with motorized transport modes as a solution to tackle Lusaka congestion. We have many examples that have worked in most cities around the world for us not to wait another 50 years for this to happen.
For instance, in Dublin, Ireland pedestrianization improves mobility and accommodates 700 more people during rush hour; pedestrian improvements reduced bus travel times by 40% in Strasbourg, France, while new pedestrian plazas reduced journey times for taxis and buses by 15% in New York, USA.
In Copenhagen, Denmark cycling improvements led to 45% less car traffic and faster public transport, cycle highway reduced time spent in congestion by 3.8 million hours in The Netherlands, and cycle highway network reduced the need for 50,000 car journeys daily in Ruhr area, Germany.
A recent analysis of travel survey data established that Londoners make nearly 2.4 million journeys daily by motorised modes (car, motorcycle, taxi or public transport) that could be walked all the way. 40% of these trips would take most people less than 10 minutes to walk
We should invest more in the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Motorists rarely consider safety when making travel decisions because there is a certain common level of safety (everyone is in large metal boxes), but safety is an important consideration when walking or cycling.
Walking is the only universal mode: everyone walks, regardless of their age, gender, and social status. Walking is also the absolute oldest way to travel from one place to another.
Similarly, cycling is associated with significant benefits in terms of health, decrease in local air pollution, reduction of the transport contribution to climate change, and the contribution to a safer urban environment. By investing in cycling infrastructure and by promoting the bicycle as a sustainable, healthy, and reliable mode of transport, the government through the Lusaka City Council can play an important role in increasing the cycling modal share.
I am, therefore, appealing to the government to make all transportation modes count in urban transport. Let’s put walking and cycling on an equal footing with other modes to reduce the impacts of congestion. We have to make the best use of our road space. Pedestrians and cyclists use space more efficiently than private cars. The future of cities is about walkability, bikeability, and liveability!
Government has received K36.75 million from the United States government meant for the country’s COVID -19 vaccination campaign.
Minister of Health, Jonas Chanda who announced the development in a Ministerial statement on COVID-19, said the funds will be used to implement the successful delivery of the vaccines.
“We are grateful for the support of Zambia’s all-weather friend the United States government who have announced a commitment of an additional K36.75 million ($1.75 million) to provide technical assistance to Zambia’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign targeted at providing critical technical and logistical support to the Ministry of Health for planning, coordination and delivery of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for Zambians,” Dr Chanda said.
He said the Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC) converged on Friday and formulated the National Vaccine Deployment Plan to guide the rollout.
“The Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC) met on Friday 26th March 2021 to consider key aspects of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Among the key issues discussed were consideration of the findings of the report from the Zambian Immunization Technical Advisory Group providing guidance on COVID-19 vaccines being considered for deployment.
“The ICC formally adopted the National Vaccine Deployment Plan to guide the roll out, including considerations for the cold chain, in line with Cabinet’s guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations which are critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to boost the economy. Zambia has also successfully met all the requirements set by GAVI under the COVAX facility,” Dr Chanda said.
And in a quest to stop propaganda and misinformation around the vaccine, the Minister of Health announced that his ministry is working towards finalizing the Communication Strategy.
“The Ministry is working to finalize the Communication Strategy which will guide the nationwide communication activities to ensure citizens have accurate information about vaccines and the vaccination process to make informed decisions, as well as address frequently asked questions and dispel myths, misconceptions and conspiracy theories around the COVID-19 vaccines,” he said.
Dr Chanda also announced that the Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education are undertaking close scrutiny of institutions of higher learning so as to ensure students adhere to public health guidelines.
The Minister further disclosed that the Ministry of Health and the Electoral Commission of Zambia are working together to ensure the safety of political players and the public in view of the pandemic and the looming August elections.
Meanwhile, Dr Chanda disclosed that two new deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.
“We recorded 145 new cases out of 4,817 tests conducted (3 % positivity). This brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to date to 87, 872. The new cases broken down by province are as follows; 43 Lusaka, 20 Copperbelt, 17 Central, 14 Luapula, 14 North Western, 12 Eastern, 12 Western, 7 Southern, 3 Muchinga and 3 Northern.
“Two new deaths were recorded from Eastern (1) and Northern (1) provinces. The cumulative number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded now stands at 1,200, classified as 667 COVID deaths and 533 COVID-19 associated deaths,” he said.
He stated further that a total number of 83 discharges were recorded countrywide.
“A combined 83 discharges were recorded from both the COVID 19 isolation facilities and home management, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 84,347 (96%). We currently have 2,325 active cases, of whom 2,235 (96%) are under community management and 90 (4%) are admitted to our COVID-19 isolation facilities. Among those admitted, 74 (82%) are on oxygen therapy and 15 (17 %) are in critical condition,” he noted.
The Minister said that only 90 patients are currently admitted to COVID-19 isolation centres countrywide.
He added that the reduction in COVID-19 cases has continued to decline with the figures dropping to 3.7 % in the just ended week compared to 4.7 % the week before.
“However, from the lessons learnt from previous waves of the pandemic experienced the world over, there has usually been a lapse of a few weeks before a successive wave has reached us. Looking at the current situation in East Africa where a third-wave has already hit, it is clear that we are potentially close to experiencing one in the next few months,” he warned.
The Department of National Parks and Wildlife in collaboration with the Frankfurt Zoological Society is this year set to restock Nsumbu National Park in Northern Province with 200 buffaloes and 60 zebras.
The animals will be trans-located from North Luangwa National Park under Nsumbu – Tanganyika Conservation Project.
This came to light when Northern Province Permanent Secretary Royd Chakaba visited Nsumbu National Park.
And Mr. Chakaba said the restocking of the national park is a key step towards the promotion of the Northern Tourism Circuit.
He expressed confidence that the exercise will help to boost tourist arrivals in the region and thereby contribute to the growth of the tourism sector.
Mr. Chakaba said government is implementing policies that promote tourism as an economic equalizer for national development.
“This development will definitely help to attract more tourists to our province and it is going to promote the Northern Tourism Circuit” said Mr. Chakaba
The Permanent Secretary added that region is ready for the restocking exercise which will be implemented over a number of years to address the depletion of animal species such as lions, rhinos, buffaloes and zebras.
He has since paid tribute to the Frankfurt Zoological Society for partnering with government in developing the tourism sector through protection of wildlife and management of the ecosystem.
Mr. Chakaba also thanked Senior Chief Nsama of the Tabwa people for working with Chief Mukungule to support the tourism development agenda.
“This exercise would not have happened if not for the collaboration between Senior Chief Nsama and Chief Mukungule and of course the support of Frankfurt Zoological Society. As government we are very grateful” He said
Earlier, Nsumbu – Tanganyika Conservation Project leader Craig Zytkow said his organization is working with government and other stakeholders to restore Nsumbu National Park to its full glory.
Mr. Zytkow revealed that a number of preparatory works which include recruitment of community scouts to curb poaching and setting up of a sanctuary for the animals have been done ahead of the exercise.
“We want to see Nsumbu National Park fully restored to its past glory and attract more tourists” said Mr. Zytkow
And Senior Chief Nsama said the Nsumbu – Tanganyika Conservation Project is an economic game changer for his chiefdom which is endowed with a number of tourist sites.
Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo says police are well equipped and ready to police the August 12, 2021 general elections
Speaking on the national broadcaster, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Kabusha Bemba Radio programme on Radio one this morning and monitored by ZANIS in Chinsali, Mr. Kampyongo said Government has bought equipment for the police to enable them to perform their duties effectively.
Mr. Kampyongo who is also Shiwang’andu area member of parliament said Government has also bought vehicles for the police service saying the onus is now on the police to prove that they are equal to the task.
The Home Affairs Minister said the police service has undergone transformation in recent past and Government is committed to improve the operations of the police in providing peace and safeguarding property for all the Zambian citizens.
“We have fully equipped the Zambia Police and they are ready to police the forthcoming general elections, “said Mr. Kampyongo.
Mr. Kampyongo also disclosed that the recruitment of police officers which has been decentralised in all provincial headquarters, was going on smoothly.
He said the decentralised recruitment of police officers has enabled youths across the country to find it easy to take part in the recruitment exercise.
The Home Affairs Minister added that with more funding permitting, and depending on the coronavirus situation, Government will recruit more officers next year.
On the eligibility of President Edgar Lungu in the 2021 general elections, Mr. Kampyongo said President Lungu will be on the ballot paper in the 2021 presidential elections because he is eligible.
He said when President Lungu took over following the death of President Michael Sata, he did not save a full term but merely finished the term started by President Sata which was less than 3 years.
Mr. Kampyongo said the Constitutional Court has already ruled on the eligibility of President Lungu in the 2021 general elections and President Lungu will be on the ballot paper.
Mr. Kampyongo said President Lungu has taken development to all parts of the country because he loves all the Zambian people.
He appealed to the Zambian people to ignore rumours that President Lungu will not contest the 2021 presidential elections.
Mr. Kampyongo said the Patriotic Front (PF) government has delivered and transformed Zambia making it the people’s party of choice.
Mr. Kampyongo said Government under the able leadership of President Lungu has performed and will continue bettering the lives of all the Zambian people.
He said Government has managed to improve electricity supply through massive investment in the energy sector that has seen several hours of loadsheding that rocked the country in recent years, being a thing of the past.
“We had difficulties in power generation that resulted in long hours of loadsheding which is now a thing of the past, “said Mr. Kampyongo.
And Mr. Kampyongo has disclosed that Mwika to Lubwa Road will be worked on by the Zambia National Service (ZNS) immediately after the rains.
He also reaffirmed government commitment to finish construction of the Kasama -Chinsali Road which has been re-scoped.
And Mr. Kampyongo has announced that he has applied to re-contest the Shiwang’andu parliamentary seat.
He said he will continue to better the lives of the people of Shiwang’andu District through massive infrastructure development that he is initiating in the constituency in the areas of health and education.
Mr. Kampyongo who is also PF Member of the Central Committee (MCC) has appealed aspiring candidates at various levels not to use money to entice people to adopt them.
Mazabuka District Commissioner Jane Chirwa has disclosed that President Edgar Lungu has given Mazabuka District over One thousand bags of Mealie meal for distribution to vulnerable communities.
Ms Chirwa said the One thousand 25 kg bags of breakfast Mealie meal we’re received in the District last week.
The D.C told ZANIS in an interview that President Lungu has since instructed her office to identify among others those whose fields were submerged in water and are likely not to harvest anything.
Ms. Chirwa added that President Lungu is also concerned with the welfare of the vulnerable families and should therefore be given the Mealie meal as well.
She said the District Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit has since started identifying beneficiaries to receive the mealie meal.
Ms Chirwa has since thanked the President for showing so much love to the people of Mazabuka whom she said have continued to receive various forms of relief from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU).
A child rights activist in Mungwi district has called for the prosecution of perpetrators of violence against children.
Mable Mulilo who is also Executive Director for Agenda for Development said the law should be strengthened to punish offenders who abuse children.
Ms. Mulilo explained that children who are abused face serious physical, mental and emotional torture adding that this is why perpetrators should be punished severely.
“Victims of violence remain traumatized with indelible injury, mental torture, social neglect and stigma for the rest of their lives,” she said.
Ms Mulilo said this is in an interview with ZANIS in Mungwi today.
She has further called on stakeholders to work together during this period of Covid 19 to end all forms of abuse against children.
Ms. Mulilo said traditional leaders should also be involved in protecting children from bad vices that causes injury to their lives.
“We all need to be involved in ensuring that perpetrators of violence against children are brought to book,” Ms. Mulilo said.
Government has implored the public service and private sector to emulate former Secretary to Cabinet Roland Msiska’s 35 years legacy of professionalism and dedication to public service.
Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Godfridah Sumaili said late Dr Msiska was a gallant public servant and true son of the soil.
Reverend Sumaili said Dr Msiska was a principled man who valued service above personal gain and contributed immensely to Zambia’s development through the various capacities he served in the public service locally and internationally.
Speaking on behalf of the Government during the funeral service of Dr Msiska at Healing Word Ministries Global Heart Church in Lusaka, Reverend Sumaili said the late Secretary to Cabinet believed in transforming the public service to meet the aspirations and expectations of Zambians.
ZANIS reports that Rev Sumaili said Dr Msiska was influential in implementing reforms aimed at transforming the public service in order to improve public service delivery to Zambians.
The Minister pointed out that the Smart Zambia concept introduced by Dr Msiska has positively changed the way the government operates and conducts business.
Rev Sumaili eulogized Dr Msiska as a public service worker who exemplified loyalty to the Head of State and believed in doing what is right.
Reverend Sumaili added that Dr Msiska also worked hard as Director General of the Zambia Atomic Energy Agency to help the country develop alternative energy sources due to increasing climate change effects on the country’s traditional sources of energy.
In his homily, Apostle Christopher Kalima urged Christians and Zambians in general to make use of the talents and skills God has given them to impact and serve society as demonstrated by Dr Msiska.
Dr Msiska served as Secretary to Cabinet from 2013 to 2019 and as Director General of the Zambia Atomic Energy Agency from 2019 until his death on Wednesday March 24, 2021 after some health complications.
At the time of his death, Dr Msiska was serving his second term as President of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM).
AAPAM Secretary General George Kojo Scott described Dr Msiska as a servant leader of impeccable qualities with an entrenched vision of transforming the public service in Africa.
Dr Kojo Scott said Dr Msiska legacy will live on as an outstanding public servant who provided best solutions to Africa’s Public administration and management ills.
His widow Glynis and four children described him as a great spiritual and generous person who strived to improve the welfare of not only his family but strangers and society.
Global Heart Church Elder Mwaba Chilekwa said Dr Msiska was a spiritual and prayer warrior who strived to serve God and started the implementation of President Edgar Lungu’s vision of the construction of the National House of Prayer in Lusaka.
Dr Msiska was put to rest at the Leopards Hill Memorial Park in Lusaka.
And family representative Christopher Msiska thanked President Edgar Lungu for according Dr Roland Msiska a state funeral.
Mr Msiska thanked the government, well-wishers and the church for the financial, material and spiritual support provided to the family.
He thanked Secretary to Cabinet Dr Simon Miti and the Medical Association of Zambia for providing a befitting professional send off for Dr Msiska.
The funeral service was attended by Deputy Chief Justice Micheal Musonda, First Deputy Speaker Catherine Namugala, Justice Minister Given Lubinda, Lusaka Mayor Miles Sampa and Bank of Zambia Governor Christopher Mvunga, and other serving and retired senior government officials, representatives of Service Chiefs and Dean of the Diplomatic Corp.
Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo says police are well equipped and ready to police the August 12, 2021 general elections
Speaking on the national broadcaster, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Kabusha Bemba Radio programme on Radio one and monitored by ZANIS in Chinsali, Mr. Kampyongo said Government has bought equipment for the police to enable them to perform their duties effectively.
Mr. Kampyongo who is also Shiwang’andu area member of parliament said Government has also bought vehicles for the police service saying the onus is now on the police to prove that they are equal to the task.
The Home Affairs Minister said the police service has undergone a transformation in recent past and the Government is committed to improve the operations of the police in providing peace and safeguarding property for all the Zambian citizens.
“We have fully equipped the Zambia Police and they are ready to police the forthcoming general elections,” said Mr. Kampyongo.
Mr. Kampyongo also disclosed that the recruitment of police officers which has been decentralized in all provincial headquarters was going on smoothly.
He said the decentralized recruitment of police officers has enabled youths across the country to find it easy to take part in the recruitment exercise.
The Home Affairs Minister added that with more funding permitting, and depending on the coronavirus situation, Government will recruit more officers next year.
On the eligibility of President Edgar Lungu in the 2021 general elections, Mr. Kampyongo said President Lungu will be on the ballot paper in the 2021 presidential elections because he is eligible.
He said when President Lungu took over following the death of President Michael Sata, he did not save a full term but merely finished the term started by President Sata which was less than 3 years.
Mr. Kampyongo said the Constitutional Court has already ruled on the eligibility of President Lungu in the 2021 general elections and President Lungu will be on the ballot paper.
Mr. Kampyongo said President Lungu has taken development to all parts of the country because he loves all the Zambian people.
He appealed to the Zambian people to ignore rumours that President Lungu will not contest the 2021 presidential elections.
Mr. Kampyongo said the Patriotic Front (PF) government has delivered and transformed Zambia making it the people’s party of choice.
Mr. Kampyongo said the Government under the able leadership of President Lungu has performed and will continue bettering the lives of all the Zambian people.
He said Government has managed to improve electricity supply through massive investment in the energy sector that has seen several hours of load shedding that rocked the country in recent years, being a thing of the past.
“We had difficulties in power generation that resulted in long hours of load-shedding which is now a thing of the past, “said Mr. Kampyongo.
And Mr. Kampyongo has disclosed that Mwika to Lubwa Road will be worked on by the Zambia National Service (ZNS) immediately after the rains.
He also reaffirmed government commitment to finish construction of the Kasama -Chinsali Road which has been re-scoped.
And Mr. Kampyongo has announced that he has applied to re-contest the Shiwang’andu parliamentary seat.
He said he will continue to better the lives of the people of Shiwang’andu District through massive infrastructure development that he is initiating in the constituency in the areas of health and education.
Mr. Kampyongo who is also PF Member of the Central Committee (MCC) has appealed aspiring candidates at various levels not to use money to entice people to adopt them.
FIRST Quantum Minerals (FQM) has given thirty-one laptops valued at more than K300,000 to Trident Foundation Ltd (TFL) sponsored students at Northern Technical College (Nortec) in Ndola.
Speaking during the handover of 31 laptops to TFL sponsored students at Nortec, FQM Government relations specialist Godwin Beene said in Zambia, the mining firm’s corporate social investment (CSI) activities focus on agriculture support, health support and education support as pillars for sustainable development.
Dr Beene said the need for computers arose from the Covid-19 situation that called for online classes as students could not be in school.
The school management reached out to Trident Foundation to assist the students and the company obliged because of the value that both companies place on education.
He noted that TFL is a “not-for-profit” organisation funded by FQM to facilitate corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and manage community relations in the area of operation of its subsidiary company, Kalumbila Minerals Limited.
He said the organisation aimed at building local capacity in the areas of agriculture, education, local businesses, and health. FQM also supports initiatives that are of public benefit in nature and aligned with sustainability values.
“Education support is one of the key areas of support and we at FQM strongly believe in its ability to empower and liberate the mind, thereby giving individuals an opportunity to live dignified lives,” Dr Beene said.
He stressed that the mining company has been sponsoring students at Nortec since 2017.
This year the mining giant has a total of 38 students pursuing various livelihood support skills development programmes in addition to in-house and customised training initiatives between FQM and the institution.
“We greatly appreciate the partnership with your institution and through working together, we believe that we shall make a sustainable positive change in the lives of our scholars. It is with great joy that today we meet to handover 31 laptops valued at K324,929 to our students at this institution, to enhance access to information as a way of adding value to their education,” Dr Beene told Nortec acting Principal Martin Kasonso.
Dr Beene expressed gratitude that the Northern Technical College Management and staff enjoyed a good relationship with the institution since 2017 when FQM first enrolled its sponsored students.
“We are indeed cognisant of the role Nortec is playing in skills development at national level and the ripple effect is visible countrywide, hence the rationale for FQM to also sponsor students at the institution,” he added.
He reiterated that TFL has been offering education support to the communities in the Kalumbila Mine area of operation from its inception, which includes a scholarship programme. The scholarship programme started in 2015 with only 62 students who were sponsored at primary school level.
Dr Beene added that currently, 208 students were being supported at different levels of education starting from primary school right through tertiary education.
A total of 57 students had graduated in different skills training in various fields including heavy equipment repairs, mechanical fitting, metal fabrication and welding; and electrical engineering courses.
Dr Beene urged students to utilise the laptops and maximise them to their own benefit.
“I call upon each one of you to take care of these laptops as other students coming after you will also need to utilise them. You have an opportunity to do your research, finish your assignments on time and ensure that you succeed in your courses. Your future depends on all that you do during your school life and my advice to you is to make informed decisions because the future of this country lies in the youths, such as yourselves,” he stated.
Dr Beene said FQM remains committed to supplementing Government efforts in providing quality education in line with Zambia’s Seventh National Development Plan; and the Education and Strategic Skills Plan and that the firm’s education support principles are also aligned with Sustainable Development Goal Number Four.
“Imagine a society without education, and just imagine how life would be! In accordance with FQM values of working smart, our institution believes that education should result into positive change, otherwise it is a waste of resources. The knowledge and skills being acquired here must make good change in your lives and contribute to the community you are coming from,” he explained.
Nortec acting Principal Martin Kasonso expressed joy that the donation of laptops by the mining entity to its sponsored students had taken off in line with Government’s call to increase access to technical education and vocational training.
“What Kalumbila Minerals Limited has done by empowering the young people from the region where they have mining interest, is to empower them with tools that they can use to access technical education is something other sponsors at Nortec should emulate.”
NORTEC students sponsored by Kalumbila Minerals’ Trident Foundation listen attentively during the donation of laptops.
