The European Union (EU) and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) have signed a 7.6 million financing agreement for the COMESA institution capacity building programme.

European Union Ambassador accredited to Zambia and COMESA, Jacek Jankowski indicated that the programme aimed at responding to the institution, will help the Secretariat as well as member states, towards effective implementation of regional cooperation projects.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Mr Jankowski pointed out that the regional integration continues to encounter challenges, which includes overlapping membership, inadequate capacities of regional economic communities and over-reliance on external funding from developed countries.

“The programme clearly responds to COMESA’s institutional capacity constraints. It will address among others human resource, capacity and management challenges at both the Secretariat and at member states levels,” Mr. Jankowski explained.

The Ambassador expressed confidence towards COMESA’s capabilities of engaging its member states and delivering concrete results, thereby benefiting the targeted beneficiaries.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, Mr Jankowski stressed the need for private sector and international financial institutions engagement if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved by 2030.

He explained the importance of promoting value addition and regional value chain amidst COVID-19, saying that they go hand in hand with free, fair and more sustainable trade.

The Ambassador reiterated the EU’s commitment to supporting COMESA in better fulfilling its central and transformative role in the region.

He however implored COMESA to effectively coordinate, manage and implement the programme at regional and national levels.

And COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Kapwepwe disclosed that the Euros 7.6 million is the last series of the Euros 85 million overall COMESA sub envelop under the institutional capacity building programme.

Ms Kapwepwe indicated that the programme will provide necessary backing to achieve the set goals for the good of the member states who remain the target beneficiaries.

She added that the programme was timely for the region as it will help to strategise the priority activities and create a public awareness with a view to organize resources.

“These priority areas include strengthening technologies, systems and enhancement of statistical skills on new tools,” Ms Kapwepwe explained.

She added that the programme will strengthen partnerships, dialogue and communication on regional integration policies among all key stakeholders.

The Secretary General was happy that the support will enable COMESA to implement a business process, re-engineering to redesign ways of doing business to better support its mission.

She said this will enable the institution to influence policy and decision-making through dissemination of information on the benefits of enhancing the regional economic integration.

The COMESA institutional capacity building programme is financed through the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). It is in line with the EU and COMESA policies to enhance the capacity of both the COMESA Secretariat and COMESA member states, including the private sector to deepen regional integration. The Euros 7.6 million programme will be implemented over a period of five years.

Ministry of General Education Permanent Secretary Jobbicks Kalumba has disclosed that the government is working on a robust program towards teacher recruitment, aimed at improving the education system in the country.

Dr. Kalumba indicated that in the recent past government has been recruiting about 5000 teachers every year, in order to refine the student-teacher ratio.

The Permanent Secretary noted that his ministry is aware of the challenges that pupils in various schools go through due to an inadequate number of teachers, thereby compromising on the provision of quality education.

He guaranteed that the government will soon make pronouncements that will transform the education sector, saying that it is the responsibility of the authority to ensure that teachers are recruited, hence parents should not be worried.

“We are a Ministry that is concerned about the plight of the children in the schools and we need the adequate number of teaching staff to handle the children, but we must not also forget that some five years ago, every year government would recruit 5,000 teachers yearly, and the number went to over 30, 000 teachers. It’s just this period when we have slowed a bit but there is a robust program ahead,” Dr. Kalumba explained.

The Permanent Secretary expressed happiness that the school calendar is successfully being implemented amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

He stated that with the outbreak of COVID-19, many people expressed negative sentiments towards the school calendar among which included doubt that the country would manage to conduct general certificate examinations.

He commended the teachers for ensuring that learning was on course after laxity of COVID-19 restrictions, announcing that grade nine exams have concluded today, incident-free while grade 12 exams have also commenced.

He acknowledged that it was only through concerted efforts from the teachers, parents, and pupils who adhered to the COVID-19 guidelines that the 2020 school calendar was not compromised.

“From what we have seen today, there is a successful conduct of examinations, we want to thank the teachers, pupils and the general public for having to safeguard the future of the nation through examinations,” the Permanent Secretary stated.

The Permanent Secretary was speaking in an interview with the media in Lusaka, today.

The government has announced plans to invest 8 million Euros in improving the water and sanitation system in Chipata City of the Eastern Province.

Minister of Water Development Sanitation and Environmental Protection Jonas Chanda disclosed that the project dubbed Urban Water Supply and Sanitation is expected to benefit 200 thousand residents of Chipata district.

Dr Chanda announced the plans when he paid a courtesy call on Paramount Chief Mpezeni in Chipata today.

Dr Chanda said the government has intentions of creating access to clean water for all citizens in the country by 2030.

“I want to announce to your Royal Highness that His Excellency President Edgar Lungu with support from cooperating partners will be bringing a very big project. The project is called urban water supply and sanitation project and it will cost about € 8 million,” Dr Chanda said.

He stated that the project will include a modern water treatment plant and a modern sewer that has been necessitated as a result of the increase of population in the city.

Dr Chanda noted that Eastern Province has had water challenges that has resulted in people depending on boreholes.

“Chipata is very big city and we hope that ‘urban water supply and sanitation’ project will benefit 280,000 people here because the population of Chipata is increasing. Chipata needs modern water treatment plants and modern sewer systems because by 2030 the population will be more than what we talking about,” he said.

And in related development, Dr Chanda disclosed another project that will be rolled out to each district in the region where each will benefit 10 new boreholes and rehabilitation of 20 boreholes.

Dr Chanda noted that the project of boreholes will cost 7 million euros.

He further disclosed that Living Water International, a faith based organisation based in the United States America (USA) intends to implement a water sanitation project in the region.

And Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni Speaking People in Eastern Province has commended the government for the efforts made to ensure that people have access to clean and safe drinking water.

“Many years back, people went to the streams to fetch water and in most cases they shared water with domestic animals. This is now a thing of the past because Government has worked by putting up boreholes so that people can access water not far from their homes,” he said.

Paramount chief Mpezeni also appealed to government to construct more dams in the province so that domestic animals have water to drink.

“There were dams years back and some of them have completely dried up. We need dams because our people do not have points where their animals can drink water from,” he said.

Vice President Inonge Wina has called on the Ministry of Finance to release the required contingency funds to help prepare for possible disasters in the country.

She said it is important that resources are readily made available for response in case of emergencies.

Speaking when she chaired the Disaster Management Council of Ministers virtual meeting, the Vice President stated that with the intensified rains, the country is expected to experience floods, washed away bridges and blown off roofs among other calamities that will negatively affect a lot of families.

Mrs Wina said the country is also at risk of the cholera outbreak and other water borne diseases hence the need for the Ministry of Health and other line Ministries to intensify surveillance to ensure that lives are protected.

“Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection to work closely with local authorities in ensuring availability of clean water which will help minimize disease outbreaks. I also implored the ministry of agriculture to continue to observe, address and guide on the status of the African Migratory Locust as well as army worms which had emerged in some parts of the country posing a threat to food security,” said the Vice President.

The Vice President also called on the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock to intensify the surveillance and treatment of the reported foot and mouth disease.

She has since directed the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit-DMMU to complete the construction of Simon Mwewa and City Markets in Lusaka within two weeks.

“I further call on the ministries of local government, defense and the disaster management and mitigation unit to complete the remaining works at Soweto Market and roofing within the next two weeks. I also call upon the ministry of health, education and defense to ensure the safety of returning students to schools, in disaster prone areas and during covid-19,” Mrs Wina directed.

She noted that men and women in uniform should help where quick responses are needed to mitigate and manage emerging hazards as may be required.

Mrs Wina further called on the Council of Ministers to enhance community participation in preparedness activities so that the response approach is holistic.

She said it was important for the Council of Ministers to meet and make critical and timely decisions to mitigate emerging hazards as well as those anticipated in the coming weeks and months.

And speaking at the same meeting, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit-DMMU proposed to the Disaster Management Council of Ministers that the government should increase funding towards risk reduction and community preparedness in readiness for any disasters.

DMMU National Coordinator Chanda Kabwe told the Disaster Management Council of Ministers that during the recently held meeting for Permanent Secretaries which was co-chaired by UN Resident Coordinator Dr Coumba mar Gadio, it was agreed that government increase funding to many other areas of need of the disasters that are associated with the rain season.

Mr Kabwe said the meeting recommended that community engagement activities be funded adequately in order to make the communities to be primary responders to calamities.

The DMMU National Coordinator said government should also quickly fund the procurement of tents in readiness for the flood victims in various parts of the country.

He added that this follows a warning from the Zambia Meteorological Department regarding this year’s rainfall forecast.

Mr Kabwe further reported that the meeting recommended that government should fund the ministry of water development so that it can channel the money to utility companies.

He said this is because all utility companies have not disconnected anyone since the outbreak of COVID-19 despite customers not paying.

He indicated that the move is the only way people will be assured of quality water to avoid cholera and other diarrheal diseases.

And Making a contribution during the Council of Ministers meeting, Home Affair Minister Stephen Kampyongo called on DMMU not to overlook the plight of Refugees and inmates as it prepares the contingency plan for the 2020 to 2021 rain season.

Mr Kampyongo said the two categories of people have not been spared by the various hazards that come with the rainy season.

The Minister cited Milima Correctional Facility in Kasama as one of the structures that was blown off due to heavy downpour.

He however commended the UN through its refugee agency, the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for their support to refugee settlements in the country.

Mr Kampyongo acknowledged that in collaboration with the UNHCR, government is implementing the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) which ensures that facilities meant for refugees are shared with the host communities.

He also appealed to the council to scale up interventions to mitigate and manage disasters in Refugee Settlements where asylum seekers are hosted.

In the same meeting Minister of Agriculture Michael Katambo disclosed that government is on course to address the issue of army warm in selected parts of the country.

Mr Katambo further updated the council that the African Migratory Locusts in Southern, Western and Central Provinces has been controlled.

He thanked DMMU and the Zambia Air force for their pro-activeness in combating the paste that would have affected the crop production in the affected provinces.

This is according to a statement issued to ZANIS by DMMU Senior Communications Officer, Matthews Musukwa

Save Environment and Peoples Agency (SEPA) in conjunction with Civil Society Poverty Observatory groups with support from Oxfam have called on communities in Zambezi district to participate in governance issues.

The organizations observed that participation in governance issues will enable their district to share in the development process.

SEPA Chief Executive officer, Mailes Mike said during a one day workshop organised to determine whether the budget speaks through communities.

Ms Mike said that budgeting process is an important document which every Zambian should take an interest in as it seeks to address people’s needs.

She noted that participation in governance issues is the only way communities will have their concerns addressed.

“Let me tell you, if you do not participate in the national budget and other government issues, forget about seeing development in your district. You don’t expect to see development without participating in it”, she said.

Ms Muke added that participating in governance issues is important as it improves the performance, accountability and social justice in the country.

“National budget is key to all development in this country and you should know that Zambia is for you, me and everyone else hence your voices matter,” Ms Muke said.

She has also called on Zambezi residents not to leave everything to the government, adding that their inputs also matter in the development of the country.

She also challenged residents of Zambezi district to have the correct information in order to make informed decisions that contribute positively to the development of the country.

“We want the best for our country and our children and the only way we can do that is by embracing good information through participating in governance issues as citizens”, Ms Muke said.