Leaders attending the 2007 Langkawi International Dialogue, LID2007, have been urged to become more practical in implementing policies to facilitate infrastructure development as an effective mechanism for poverty reduction.

About 16 African and Asian leaders, attending the Eighth Dialogue, have been urged to become more innovative in devising new sources of value required for the creation of wealth.

Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said leaders in developing countries should shift from concentrating on economic rhetoric to becoming innovative by putting in force policies that would create a strong foundation for infrastructure development as a prerequisite for economic growth and poverty reduction.

Mr. Badawi was speaking during a State Dinner hosted in honour of the Heads of State and Government attending the LID 2007 taking place at Berjaya Beach and Spa Resort on the Island city of Langkawi in Malaysia.

The Malaysian leader pointed out that human resource was another significant element in the development process and implored governments and the private sector in developing countries to place priority to the development of skilled human capital.

“Given the central role of people in the development process, it is crucial for developing countries to give priority to the development of skilled human capital,” Mr. Badawi said.

President Mwanawasa is among the 16 African and Asian leaders attending the LID 2007 which is being held in the resort town of Langkawi, Malaysia.

This year’s Dialogue is being held under the theme ‘Poverty eradication through human capital development and capacity building’.

“But for those of us who are decision-makers and public servants, we have a specific role to play; we must create the necessary infrastructure and a police environment which is necessary not only for social and economic development but also conducive for achieving the ultimate objective, that is the eradication of poverty in our community,” He added.

The Malaysian Prime minister was of the view that the development of the small and medium scale industries could effectively generate economic activity and help reduce unemployment levels
among the people.

He challenged participating leaders at LID2007 to put in place deliberate policy measures that would facilitate the channeling of Foreign Direct Investment towards activities that focus on poverty reduction in the respective nations.

LID 2007 is focusing on identifying practical measures that could help reduce the devastating impact of poverty among the people in African and Asian countries.

The Dialogue initiated in 1995, creates a platform for governments, private business sector and civil society to discuss and find solutions to issues affecting the economic developments of the people.

Mr. Badawi said Malaysia has significantly reduced poverty levels through a programme that brought on board the business sector in the provision of healthcare, education, housing and skills training for the people.

Earlier, Lesotho President, Pakalitha Mosisili,said the Smart Partnership principles that promote south-to-south cooperation should be promoted to address the problem of poverty and disease in African countries.

Professor Mosisili was confident that wealth creation should be encouraged as a sustainable measure of supporting efforts of combating the HIV/ AIDS pandemic and poverty that have ravaged people in Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing countries of the world.

He acknowledged the enhanced networking among countries towards the goal of promoting investment for economic growth and improving the living standards for the people.

About 500 delegates are attending the Three-day Dialogue that officially opened today.

President Mwanawasa, as an active member of the network involving governments, would on Tuesday August 7, be convener of a session under the theme ‘capacity building for poverty eradication.’

LID creates a forum for government and the private business sector to exchange views, experiences and lessons on issues affecting economic and social development of African countries.

The Dialogue which was initiated in 1995, has been an effective avenue for the promotion of foreign direct investment in developing countries.

GOVERNMENT has directed the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to pay farmers within seven days of the purchase of their maize.

And Government has vowed not to pay satellite depot supervisors who are allegedly conniving with ghost farmers to demand payment of undelivered maize.

Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ben Kapita, told Parliament yesterday that farmers were only expected to wait for less than seven days before receiving payment for their maize.

He said the seven-day period was aimed at enabling FRA officials to ensure that stocks were verified before making the payment.

Mr Kapita also said FRA would purchase 270,000 metric tonnes of maize from the K205 billion allocated in this year’s budget.

However, he said FRA would have to find alternative sources of funding to purchase the rest of the 130,000 metric tonnes of maize.

The minister was responding to a supplementary question by Kalomo MP Request Muntanga (UPND) who wanted to know why farmers were not being paid their maize in good time.

This followed a question by Gwembe MP Brian Ntundu (UPND) who wanted to know the cash crops the FRA was buying and the measures Government had taken to ensure that all the crops grown in Zambia were purchased by the agency.

In response to the question, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Daniel Kalenga, said the FRA Act only allowed the agency to purchase maize, rice, soya beans, cassava and sorghum.

He said it was not possible for FRA to purchase all crops grown because it was not within its mandate.

And Mr Kapita said his ministry has received information that some satellite depot supervisors were conniving with ghost farmers to demand payment for undelivered maize.

He said some supervisors had failed to prove that the maize whose payment was being demanded was delivered.

Mr Kapita also told the house that Government had signed an agreement with a Chinese company to rehabilitate silos for storage of maize.

And Mr Kapita defended FRA as the most competent board.

This was after calls by Mr Ntundu for the minister to dissolve the board.

Mr Kapita said the chairman of FRA was the biggest farmer in the country and that there were other experts in the field of agriculture who sat on that board.

Forum for Leadership Search Zambia has welcomed the proposed NGO bill in parliament by government.

In a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today Forum for Leadership Search Zambia Executive Director, Edwin Lifwekelo, said the bill will bring sanity to the
operations of NGOs.

Mr. Lifwekelo also noted that the bill will instill levels of responsibilities and
accountability in the operations of NGOs in Zambia.

He accused some NGOs of  behaving like political parties, adding that although a lot
of money is donated to them, it is not used for the intended purpose.

Mr. Lifwekelo said his organisation suspects that the recent beating of  innocent
citizens by suspected criminals in some parts of Lusaka could be sponsored by people
who allegedly intend to cause political anarchy by justifying that it was wrong for
government to remove street vendors from the streets.

He warned that if laws to restrict movement of colossal sums of  money in the
country are not strengthened the security of the country risks being endangered.

He said that this  can be observed by how some groups of people want to disrupt the
SADC summit scheduled for this month.

Mr. Lifwekelo further noted that there is need to improve  public confidence in the
activities of  civil societies by ensuring that this integral part of  public policy
is not abused.

He however said that the introduction of a mechanism to review the operations of
NGOs will serve citizens interests if government does not abuse the piece of
legislation.

Long queues of Zimbabweans have been piling up at the Victoria Falls Border Post in Livingstone as they await to be cleared.

A check at the border yesterday found a long queue of Zimbabweans still waiting to be cleared so that they could enter into Livingstone with their merchandise.

By 15 hours, one of the affected Zimbabwean talked said she had been in the queue
from 10 hours and that they were still waiting to be cleared.

The Zimbabwean  national who could not disclose her name said she buys subsidised
goods from Zimbabwe and sells them to Zambia in order to earn a living.

She however complained that her country had banned them from buying goods at a
subsidised rate and
selling them off to Zambia.

A check revealed that only Zimbabweans who were using passports were being allowed
to enter the country while it was unclear whether those with border passes would be
allowed into the country.

One of the sources within the immigration department spoken to said those with
border passes were not being allowed to enter because the stipulated stay in the
country on the border passes was only one day.

”These are some of the people who enter and then what next because the border pass
only stipulates one day and time has already run out for them to go and do business
in Zambia and then come back,” he said.

ZANIS

Government has warned that it will not tolerate Road Contractors in the habit of doing shoddy work when awarded contracts.

Ndola District Commissioner (DC), Gladys Kristafor said this when she conducted an
on-the-spot-check of road projects in Ndola yesterday.

Mrs Kristafor expressed disappointment with works put up by Turner Contractors on
nine roads that it was tendered to work on..

The District Commissioner said it was wrong for contractors to waste Governments’
time and money and threatened that legal action could be taken against the company
adding that such operations amounted to breach of contracts.

The visibly disappointed DC said Turner Contractors had been offered a contract of
over K6 billion and that it was supposed to have been executed from May to
September this year.

She said rehabilitation works on Kalewa road had delayed and wondered why  the
project had taken long taken. 

And Turner Contractor site agent, Terry Chileshe told the DC that the lack of cement
in the district had slowed the works.

Mr Chileshe promised the DC, that in a week’s time some change would be made.

Among the roads that are supposed to be worked on are Matelo road, Livingstone
road, Vitanda road, Makoli road, Macha.

President Mwanawasa says he is not happy with pace at which FRA is buying maize from farmers.

Mr Mwanawasa says there is a lot of maize around the country which needs to be
bought by the agency.

The 81st Zambia Agriculture Commercial Show (ZACS) has opened its doors to the public.

Speaking when he toured exhibition stands at this year’s Zambia Agriculture and
Commercial show in Lusaka today, Mr Mr Mwanawasa however commended farmers for increased food productin.

Mr. Mwanawasa was flanked by Commerce and Industry Minister Felix Mutati, Lusaka
Province Minister Charles Shawa and ZACS Officials during his conducted tour of the
exhibition stands.

On energy, the President hoped that the Zambia Electricity supply corporation
(ZESCO) wil live up to the people’s  expectations to alleviate the power deficit the
country is current experiencing.

Mr. Mwanasawa noted that while the power company was faced with many challenges, it
was important that measures are taken to forestall a serious power deficit in the
country.

He hoped ZESCO could export power to the region next year without any problems.

The President toured 20 stands among them the  Anti-Corruption Commission, ACC;
Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Poultry Association of Zambia, the
University Teaching Hospital (UTH), FRA and ZESCO.

Visiting Botswana President Festus Mogae also toured stands at the show.

Mr Mogae is this afternoon expected to officially open the 81st Zambia Agriculture
and Commercial Show.

The theme for this year’s show is ‘Economic Empowerment.’

The visiting President is expected to depart home, Botswana soon after opening the
Show.