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“Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel — which, when translated, means, God with us”
(Matthew 1:23, AMP)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
In the Bible, Jesus has many names that identify His character. One of those names is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” See, before Jesus came to the earth, the Spirit of God resided in the temple. People weren’t able to be connected with God the way we are able to connect with Him today. They had to go through all sorts of rituals to make themselves clean enough to go to the temple. Because of Jesus, we believers are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He is the one who cleanses us and makes His home in our hearts.
Isn’t it good to know that God is with us? He is closer than the very air we breathe. His peace is always with us. His joy is always with us. His power is always with us, and His victory is always with us. The next time you feel alone, remember, you are never alone because you serve Emmanuel — the God who is always with us!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus and choosing to make Your home in me. Thank You for filling me with Your peace and joy. I bless You today, knowing that You will never leave me nor forsake me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Defence Minister Kalombo Mwansa has dismissed media reports that tribalism and violence has rocked the ruling Movement for Multi Party Democracy (MMD) party ahead of its Eastern Province conference slated for next January.
Dr. Mwansa said what was obtaining on the ground was stiff competition among the people wishing to contest positions in the party in Eastern Province.
Responding to questions from Journalists in Lusaka today, Dr. Mwansa said the MMD was resolving the process of candidacy.
He cited positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman as those being looked at.
“There is no tribalism in MMD in Eastern Province. There is only stiff competition for persons vying for party position at provincial levels,” he said.
The Minister said the MMD was very strong in the East and no amount of violence would disrupt it from holding free and fair elections in that province.
The Eastern Province conference is expected to be opened by President Rupiah Banda next year. The Provincial conferences were deferred to next year to allow party members celebrate the Christmas and New Year festivals.
And Defence Minister Kalombo Mwansa has disclosed that Government intends to construct 9,000 housing units for defence forces in the country to mitigate the critical shortage of accommodation faced by militarypersonnel.
Dr. Mwansa said the project was due to start in various cantonments across the country.
He said Government was concerned about the welfare of men and women in uniform hence it was in a hurry to improve their conditions of service.
The Minister said this last night in Lusaka when he officiated at the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) annual ball held at ZAF Chamba Valley
He further said Government was committed to ensuring that Defence Forces were adequately prepared to meet the country’s challenges.
He reminded the defence personnel that peace and stability the nation had continued to enjoy could not be taken for granted but should be guarded jealously.
He commended ZAF for being supportive to Government when called upon to do a service in national interest adding that Government shall continue making concerted effort towards equipping the defence force to enable them perform their duties efficiently.
Dr. Mwansa also commended efforts made by Air Power Ladies Club to spearhead the construction of hospitals and nursery schools in ZAF bases among them Eugenia, Kabwe and Samora Machel respectively.
He further warned the members of the defence and security services to avoid engaging themselves in partisan politics as the country drew closer to the tripartite elections next year.
He urged them to be disciplined and exhibit high moral behaviour .
And speaking earlier, ZAF Commandant Andrew Sakala commended Government for the modernisation programme which had enabled the Force enhance its delivery service to the people.
Lieutenant-General Sakala said ZAF would continue to carry out its mandate and meet its obligations with professionalism and dedication.
He told the Minister that the personnel would remain loyal to the Government.
Annual balls accords officers and their families a chance to interact with their civilian counterparts.
This year’s Annual Ball was celebrated under the theme, “Achieving Efficiency through concerted Efforts”.
ZRHL Group of Companies, a Chinese firm says Zambia is destined for economic prosperity as a result of her cooperation with other countries.
Company Board Chairman ZOU LING says Zambia’s stance on embracing investment flows in the country especially from China will result in economic boom.
Mr. LING noted that Zambia and China have for a long time enjoyed mutual cooperation based on mutual respect and dignity for mankind in the two countries.
Mr. LING said this in an interview with ZANIS in Chibombo today when he presented Christmas gifts to Golden Valley Farms Community.
The donation worth about K 50 million comprising assorted food stuffs include bales of sugar, 100 x 10kg bags of meali-meal, dressed chickens, biscuits and sweets among other gifts.
He said the donation is part of the Company’s corporate responsibility of ploughing back to the communities they serve.
And in his Christmas message, Mr. LING has urged the Zambian people to remain calm and celebrate the festive season in harmony.
He advised people to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ who died for their sins on the cross of Calvary.
Health Minister Kapembwa Simbao has disclosed that the presentation of Christmas gifts to babies will be extended to all the major hospitals across the country.
And Dr. Simbao has said Government will train 7,000 Community Health Workers (CHW) to vulnerable communities especially in rural areas in order to reduce the high mortality rate of women during deliveries.
ZANIS reports that Dr. Simbao was speaking to Journalists at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) soon after giving gifts to 25 Christmas babies that were born at UTH.
Dr. Simbao said Government was determined to reverse the trend of women dying from complications arising from delivery.
Among the gifts the Minister donated mothers delivered of Christmas babies included a push chairs, clothes and baby bath-basins. Government has made it a deliberate policy to donate assorted items to mothers who have given birth to Christmas babies annually.
Dr. Simbao said that Zambia was eager to address the high mortality rates among women during child birth.
He said the development was a threat to the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on health goals number four and five.
The Health Minister was accompanied at UTH by Ministry of Health Spokesperson Dr Kamoto Mbewe and other senior ministry officials.
The Minister however, commended the media for highlighting more stories on reproductive health to keep the nation abreast.
And the Minister revealed that Traditional Birth Attendants have been transformed into Community Health Workers to assist local communities in emergency cases where medical personnel were not available.
Sylvia Nyirenda 34, a mother who gave birth to a baby girl thanked Government for the gesture saying Government had demonstrated its commitment to the welfare of women in the country.
And UTH Managing Director Lackson Kasoko said the visit by the Minister had motivated the workers at his institution.
Dr. Kasoko also commended Government for the funds UTH was receiving.
UTH, the largest health institution in the country records an average of 50 new born babies on a daily basis. A total of 25 Christmas babies have been recorded at the institution this year with the first infant born at 00 -15 am while the last one was delivered at 08-15 am.
Former Finance and National Planning Minister Ng’andu Magande has charged that the 6 percent annual economic growth is not strong enough.
Mr. Magande said to Qfm in an interview that government should have been seeking a stronger growth of 10 percent in order to accommodate Zambians.
The former minister has expressed sadness at the manner in which young people in the country are filling up the streets because of lack of employment despite attaining some level of education.
He has charged that the economy is not for an individual person and that there is need for government to identify categories of individuals that need development and intervention methods needed to put in place.
Mr. Magande says as the country’s economy grows, it must trickle down to the poor Zambians.
This is to inform you that the site migration was not successful and the process had to be aborted because the amount of time allotted was typically insufficient to complete the task. We hope to make another attempt at the process at 18:00 hrs ZMT. During that period that site would be offline. We hope to complete the migration by Sunday morning.
Again, sorry for the inconvenience this will cause and thanks for your support to LT
As announced in our last update, the site will be offline tonight from 22:00 hrs ZMT (GMT +2) to facilitate migration of the site to a scalable platform that would allow us to introduce more services without knocking the site out.
Internet traffic has been on the increase , resulting in poor performance of the site to the point that we had to shut down some services, like popular posts, to just keep the site afloat. We expect this traffic trend to continue its strong upward trajectory going forward because of the presence of more bigger players (Phone Companies especially ) in the ISP space in Zambia. It is just wise that we anticipate this growth in traffic. Broadband access in Zambia is slowly but surely beginning to tick up.
Currently, LT has outgrown the current platform and it high time we did the migration.While hoping to complete the migration by afternoon 12:00hrs ZMT we have instructed the technical team to work flat out and shoot for 06:00hrs ZMT in the morning to minimise the inconvenience this migration will cause to our esteemed online visitors.
Thanks for your understanding and support to Lusakatimes.com. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011.
LT team
PS: Don’t forget the LT 2010 Awards. Please take part and submit your nominations
Ambassador Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika inspects a guard of honor after presenting Credentials to Queen Beatrix of Netherlands
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Ambassador Dr. Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika inspects a guard of honor after presenting Credentials to Queen Beatrix of Netherlands
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Former Zambia Army Commnder Isaac Chisuzi (l) greets former Zambia Air Force Commander Peter Zuze. General Zuze was a fighter pilot who fought air battles against Rhodesias enemies
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Defence Minister Kalombo Mwansa launches the book by former Zambia Army Commander Francis Sibamba at a dinner in Lusaka.
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Mission Press director Father Miha Drevensek positions a microphone for former Zambia Army Commander Francis Sibamba during the launch of a book called The Zambia Army and I.
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Former Zambia Air Force Commander Samuel Mapala (l) and his counterpart from Zambia Army Isaac Chisuzi (c) and the wife of former Zambia Army Commander Francis Sibamba, Catherine in Lusaka
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Soldiers from the Zambia Air Force make a toast during the annual ball in Lusaka
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Some senior Zambia Air Force officers and their spouses make a toast during the annual ball in Lusaka
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Bare Feet dance troupe in action during the Zambia Air Force Officers' annual ball in Lusaka
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First lady Thandiwe Banda tries out one of the two tractors donated to two farmers from Kazungula and Kalomo districts during the launch of The Conservation Agriculture Mechanization Scheme in Kazungula
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The Mwale Sisters in action at one of Lusaka's popular night spots.
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Dancers for the Mwale Sisters putting up a traditional stunt in Lusaka.
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A male dancer for the Mwale Sisters in action in Lusaka
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FAZ interin committee Secretary General Simataa Simataa and National Sports Council of Zambia chairman Chifumu Banda captured before leaving for Zurich at Lusaka international airport.
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FAZ interim Committee secretary General Simataa Simataa captured before departure for Zurich.
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New Generation Party leader Humphrey Siulapwa (r) with his secretary general Robert Chabinga before a press briefing in Lusaka
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New Generation Party leader Humphrey Siulapwa addressing a press briefing in Lusaka
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The New look emblem for the New Generation Party
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Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane (l) with Nchelenge Member of Parliament Ben Mwila
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Vice president George Kunda receives the ZANAMA attire with his wife Irene on the right
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Vice president George Kunda donning the ZANAMA chitenge outfit
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Vice president George Kunda when he arrived in for a three day working visit in Kitwe
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Egyptian Ambassador to Zambia Salah Eldin Sadek addressing 10 Zambian engineers who have been sponsored for training to Egypt
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Chief Justice Ernest Sakala waits to present awards to journalists during the 2010 MISA Zambia awards
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Chief Justice Ernest Sakala (l) presents the Freedom of the Press award to United Liberal Party leader Sakwiba Sikota during the 2010 MISA Zambia awards
Interim Faz president Andrew Kamanga said Fifa’s green light for Faz councilors to put a no-confidence vote as an agenda item at next March’s general council meeting as an endorsement of a vote of no confidence in Kalusha Bwalya.
Kamanga said this at a press briefing just 24 hours after arriving from Zurich where the interim, Kalusha executive and government met Fifa to find a solution to the current Faz impasse.
Fifa had prior to the tripartite meeting on Monday said that if any part was aggregated with the Kalusha Bwalya administration, they should do so at the next Faz congress in 2012.
However, Fifa continue to recognize Kalusha as the legitimate head at Football House.
“FIFA itself has passed a vote of no confidence in Bwalya’s executive,” Kamanga said.
“And they have simply asked us to finish it off.”
He said the interim committee’s job now was to start the final push to next March’s general meeting.
“FIFA recognized us because when the FIFA president came into the meeting, he acknowledged that there were problems with FAZ and its members,” Kamanga said.
“So our job is easy, we will closely monitor the Kalusha executive and we will start campaigning.”
FTop: President Rupiah Banda with traders and Bottom: PF leader Michael Sata at Nsenga Hill market in Mpulungu
By Elias Munshya wa Munshya Just this year Zambia has had several by-elections. Some came as a result of death of incumbents while some were necessitated by expulsions or resignations. In a few months’ time, another by-election will take place in Mporokoso, after the resignation of its MP, Maynard Misapa.
Several NGOs, some politicians, and a good number of candid citizens have condemned the number of by-elections that Zambia conducts each year. By-elections are condemned as expensive and in some cases as unnecessary. Most recently a prominent Zambian political party said the money used for by-elections, which runs in billions of kwacha, could be well used for other developmental projects. However, I wish to argue in this article that Zambia needs more by-elections as they have more benefits for our growing democracy.
First, by elections are needed as they help the nation get to know interior parts of the country. Much of our media in Zambia is mostly based in Lusaka and the Copperbelt. As such, the focus of all these newspapers, radio and television stations are undoubtedly Lusaka, the Copperbelt and surrounding areas. The only time at which other rural areas receive some amount of national publicity is when there is a by-election in those rural areas. Bring a by-election and suddenly we get to know about the needs of the people of far flung areas such as Mufumbwe, Luena, Kanchibiya and Mporokoso.
Second, by-elections help further the tenets of democracy in between the general elections. A Zambia which goes to polls only after five years would be a politically boring country. There would be no political creativity and political rising stars would be thwarted. For example, the UPND rose to political prominence as a result of by-elections during Chiluba’s second term. I will leave it up to other commentators to debate why from 1996 to 2001 so many MPs from Southern Province died. This death of mostly MMD parliamentarians led to the rise of Anderson Mazoka and his UPND as they swept each seat that the MMD dead incumbent left. While the causes of these deaths or the morality of these deaths is beyond this article, it suffices to mention that the UPND could not have discovered its genius without those particular by-elections. In terms of political science, the UPND should go into history as the party that has gained more seats in parliament through deaths of incumbents than any other party. It is quite ironic that the UPND’s rise under Hakainde Hichilema is also connected to winning by-elections especially in Northwestern Province necessitated by the deaths of MMD incumbents. These deaths include that of Ben Tetamashimba (Solwezi Central) and Misheck Bonshe (Mufumbwe).
Third, by-elections promote the spirit of national unity and bring about the feeling of national solidarity. Suddenly during a by-election, it is not just Lusaka or the Copperbelt that matters. As in the Luena by-election, all sorts of politicians converged on Mongu. These politicians from all walks of life and from all corners of the country travelled to show solidarity to their party and their candidates. This solidarity is basically non-existent during the general elections as most politicians get busy with their own constituencies.
Fourth, by-elections are good for the local economies. Politics is big business in Zambia. By average, apart from the billions that the Electoral Commission spends on the elections, political parties also pour in billions of kwacha. It may not be a lasting investment for a particular constituency, but at least for that particular moment, the elections provide the cash and several business opportunities. Bars sell more beers, restaurants cook more meals, and lodges fill up their beds. Even in if such a boom does not last long, it nevertheless brings temporary smiles on a few faces.
Fifth, by-elections bring the ruling party and indeed a sitting president closer to the people. By-elections also provide the opportunity to test the sitting president. If we had no by-elections, the only time a sitting president would be tested is at a general election. Five years is too long. At least with randomly occurring by-elections the president is forced out of the presidential helicopter to interact with real people in various constituencies. Such interactions usually result in some tangible government help. One example is Kabwe. It is no doubt that the creation of Mulungushi University was expedited during the Kabwe Central and Bwacha constituency by-elections. Equally during the Mufumbwe by-election the president and the government ministers were forced to camp in Mwinilunga and interact personally with the ordinary folks on the ground. Undoubtedly, the ECZ spends a lot of money on these by-elections. And truly some of them are unnecessary. But still the benefits that these by-elections have for our democracy, for our economy and for the political development of our country far outweigh any disadvantages. As such, Zambia should have more and not fewer by-elections. For now, the next buzz is taking place in Mporokoso. We could also meet in Mufumbwe again if the Supreme Court agrees with Judge Philip Musonda.
Time to eat... A group of women going to deliver Matebeto to a would be husband
By Martin Mwango
Zambian anthropology defines marriage as a union between a man and woman. Marriage is the first gift that God gave to human beings, the creator blessed it and gave us the power to be pro creators on earth. Hence, Marriage has accompanied the human story from the very Genesis. Each culture defines marriage life differently.
In the Zambian culture we have some marriage values that we cannot do without. There are values and beliefs that have been there for generations and these are rituals that prepare one for a good and long lasting marriage. Here are some of the traditions of our lovely Zambian culture, though I’m not here to discuss them more profoundly but just to give a brief hint of them. The process that leads to marriage consists of the following steps
1) Insalamu when two young people fall in love, the man takes the first step and takes the Insalamu (token) which shows the commitment he has towards a woman he intends to marry. The two families then accept and acknowledge the intention of their children.
2)Nkobekela is the period that goes from the time that the insalamu is accepted by the woman’s side up to marriage or wedding day. During this time the two partners get to know each other and their families better.
3) Amatebeto The woman’s family responds to the man’s side with amatebeto. It’s a ritual practice for social and union between the two families.The womans family prepares a feast for the mans family.
Before the wedding day, the elders organizes themselves to teach both the man and a woman traditional values on how to abide in their new marriage life.
In Zambia today we are slowly losing these traditions and in the end we shall forfeit our identity just because of the so called world globalization. Our marriages should not be influenced by any other cultures.Besides Westerners have their own way of interpreting marriage life.
Nowadays, there are lot of divorces in Zambia which was something very rare many years ago. Are we easily disregarding the traditional values we are taught in exchange for the frivolous western values. Do our women deserve divorce? Perhaps its the women who nowadays want to wear the pants in the home.When we stand up for gender and change of some cultural practices we have to be careful.For example, when people stood up in Zambia to fight for liberty of dressing, what has come out of this liberty? We have lost our dressing code and our identity. Zambian men and women, we need to go back to our roots and pick up our identity and have respect in our marriages.
Let’s not just rush to make a change without putting into consideration the effects it will give us tomorrow.
Touch not marriage, otherwise our families will soon become like that of westerners where marriage has become like a contract. God created man and a woman and he consecrated them for marriage life and our culture as taught us how to interpret marriage life.
President Rupiah Banda has donated assorted items and K5 million cash to a Kabompo couple that recently appealed for assistance in raising their triplets.
President Banda’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere said in statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today that President Banda was sympathetic with the couple after reading about their plight in the press on 19th December, 2010.
The President has since appealed to well wishers to assist vulnerable people during this Christmas period.
He said people should show love to others during this festive season especially that the period was a time for giving.
In June last year, Emelda Chikamba of Chikamba Village in Kabompo district of Northwestern Province gave birth to triplets.
Since then, she and her husband have been facing challenges in looking after their children.
The Chikamba family already has five other children.
Shoprite Checkers, Pick ‘n’ Pay, Pep Stores and Zambia Sugar have so far responded towards helping the couple with assorted items.
The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has commended Government for coming up with a law meant to protect consumers against exploitation by business people.
ZACA Executive Director Samuel Simutunda said the Consumer Protection Act of 2008, which was enacted into law in April 2009, would significantly help in curbing the sale of substandard and counterfeit products to consumers in the country.
Mr. Simutunda said this would therefore bring sanity to commerce.
He has since urged consumers to take advantage of the statute and use it to seek redress if aggrieved during this festive period.
He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that most business people had for a long time now taken advantage of the absence of a law that gave consumers an impetus to take to task traders that duped them through the sale of counterfeit products, especially during festive periods.
Mr. Simutunda also appealed to business firms to uphold highest levels of professionalism and refrain from selling substandard and counterfeit products to consumers.
He warned erring traders that they risked being prosecuted for flouting laws which Government had put in place to protect consumers.
Mr. Simutunda prodded business firms to sell consumer products that reflected the value for their money.
He also urged consumers not to get too excited and spend their monies unwisely during the festive period.
He noted that consumers have a lot of responsibilities to take care of after the festive period.
Stanbic Bank Zambia has said the increased number of banks on the market was helping the financial institution to provide quality services to its clientele.
And Stanbic Bank Zambia has described the year 2010 as successful for the bank and attributed this to the support the Zambian media has continued to render to the financial institution over the years.
Head of Marketing and Public Relations Kamiza Chikula said with the coming of new banks on board the bank was forced to devise strategies aimed at improving quality service in the banking sector.
Mr. Chikula said competition was healthy as it brought out the very best of banks but noted that an increase in banks also posed a challenge.
In an interview with ZANIS during a cocktail organised for the media, the Head of Marketing and Public Relations described 2010 as a success business year for the bank.
He stated that the current economic environment in the country was very conducive to do business, a development he also attributed to increased banks on the market.
Mr. Chikula said the bank opened new branches in Chipata and Livingstone (Eastern Province and Southern Province respectively) this year and had intentions of opening two more in Choma and Kabwe, (Southern Province and Central Province respectively).
Meanwhile, Mr Chikula has described the year 2010 as successful for the bank and has attributed this to the support the Zambian media has continued to render to the financial institution over the years.
The Stanbic Bank Head of Marketing and Public Relations said the media had continued to play a pivotal role in spearheading most of the successes his bank had achieved through effective coverage of its products.
Mr Chikula pledged his bank’s continued support to foster national development through its involvement sectors such as agriculture, health among many others.
The Stanbic Head of Marketing and Public Relations was speaking last night during a media cocktail organised by Stanbic Bank.
In the same vein, he hoped the relationship between the media and his institution would remain cemented in the coming years for sustained economic development.
Mr Chikula further prodded the media to continue partnering with Stanbic Bank in bringing about social and economic development in the nation.
Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Li Qiangmin has said the bilateral relations that exist between Zambia and China have impacted greatly on the economic development of the two countries.
Mr. Li observed that bilateral trade this year realised 100% increase compared with the same period of last year adding that the bilateral trade volume from January to August this year climbed up to US$ 1.688 billion.
ZANIS reports that he said in Lusaka last evening during a media conference that with a growing balance in favour of Zambia, the country could be ranked as China’s third largest trade partner within the sub sahara region.
And Mr. Li noted that as of November this year, 13 enterprises settled down in the Zambia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (ZCCZ) realising US$ 780million and a turnover of US$ 770 million in 2009.
He pointed out that if the turnover reaches US$ 1.4 billion this year, it will bring US$ 40 million revenue to the Zambian government, thereby creating 4000 jobs for local people.
Mr. Li noted that currently, more than 300 Chinese companies operated in Zambia, a development which he said had increased the total value of Chinese investment in Zambia from US$ 500 million in 2006 to 1.26 billion in 2009.
He further explained that Chinese invested enterprises at the moment account for 60% of Zambia’s infrastructure construction market, 50% of the construction materials market, 20% mining projects and 10% of the agriculture and service market creating at least 20,000 jobs for Zambians.
Mr. Li also pointed out that interactions in culture, education, health and military have been more frequent and closer between the two countries.
He noted that Zambia and China signed the implementation plan of China-Zambia Culture Cooperation Agreement from 2010-2012 in July this year and that all cooperation projects under the agreement were progressing well and as scheduled.
Meanwhile, Mr. Li noted that China and Zambia will next year enjoy a wider range of cooperation and face new historic opportunities.
He said the two countries will continue promoting more robust bilateral relations, enhance mutual political trust, upgrade the level of effective cooperation in economic and trade among others.
Mr. Li also said China and Zambia will make great contribution to peace, stability and prosperity not only for the two countries but the whole Africa and the world at large.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
