The government will allow a farmers’ group and three other associations to export a total of 200,000 tonnes of white maize to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Namibia, an industry official said on Tuesday.

The Grain Traders of Zambia (GTA), the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU), Millers Association of Zambia (Maz) and the state Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will be given permits to export 50,000 tonnes of surplus maize and ground maize each, Maz general secretary Allan Sakala said.

“Most of this maize will go to the Congo, although we have inquiries of maize requirements from Namibia as well. We are just making arrangements to start exports because the permission from the government is with immediate effect,” Sakala told Reuters.

The DRC continues to heavily on maize imports from Zambia as it rebuilds an agricultural sector that was devastated by decades of civil war. The need for maize is particularly dire in Lubumbashi, a city just across the DRC border with Zambia.

Sakala said the price of the exported maize would be determined by the market, though he noted that the Zambian government had slapped a $2 levy on each tonne of maize or ground maize meant for export.

Surplus from the 2005/06 maize crop will be used, he said.

The impending Zambian exports are less than what had been originally expected.

In June, Zambian Agriculture Minister Ben Kapita told Reuters that the government would allow farmers to export 350,000 tonnes of maize after the southern African nation recorded surpluses in the last three agricultural seasons.

But Zambia’s 2006/07 maize output declined 4.4 percent to 1.36 million tonnes from the previous growing season due to flooding that destroyed crops in a majority of the country’s 72 districts.

Kapita said Zambia would keep 250,000 tonnes of maize in strategic reserves compared with a surplus of 160,000 tonnes the previous year.

President Levy Mwanawasa has implored Djibouti  to share  her experiences  gained  from operating economic free Zones, which Zambia is in the process of establishing.

Mr. Mwanawasa said Djibouti has been pioneering the implementation  of economic
zones in Africa as a way of attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

He said Zambia is also in the process of setting up economic and commercial free
zones with the help of co-operating partners.

He added that Zambia is in the process of transforming her economy from that which
was heavily dependent on mining to one that will be anchored on agriculture, tourism
and manufacturing.

Mr Mwanawasa said the agricultural revolution is happening at a time when the mining
industry is also on the upswing, both in terms of new mines opening up and expansion
of existing ones.

The President added that Zambia’s political and economic environment is conducive
for investment by foreign nationals who enjoy  extra incentives .

He has since invited Djibouti investors to come and invest in all productive sectors
of the economy.

President Mwanawasa was speaking when he held Official talks at State House with
visiting Djibouti President Ismael OMAR Guelleh , who is in the country for a  four
day state visit.

Mr. Mwanawasa commended Djibouti for having achieved macro economic stability adding
that President Guelleh has managed to maintain a manageable external debt  profile,
a challenge that has hindered economic and social development of most developing
countries.

Mr. Mwanawasa called for the strengthening of bilateral relations through exploring
advantages that the two countries accrue from their membership in regional groupings
such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

He said Djibouti can use its membership to export products to the market in the
region via the TAZARA railway link from the Dar-es- Salaam sea port in Tanzania to
inland port Mpulungu on Lake Tanganyika which offers a cheaper and shorter route to
markets in Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

He said Zambia could also benefit from the facilities of Djibouti port to transport
goods to markets of countries in the horn of Africa such as Ethiopia, Eritrea and
Sudan.

He has also implored Djibouti to ratify the protocol on policy and regulatory
framework for the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) Information
Communication Technology (ICT) broad based infrastructure for Eastern and Southern
Africa (ESA0 which Zambia has ratified.

He said as members of Comesa and AU, ratifying of the protocol by the two countries
would ensure harmonisation of policies, legal and regulatory disparities and improve
ICT and other communication capacities between two countries.

And Mr. Guelleh commended Zambia for  having achieved economic growth, prosperity
and  promoting good governance.

He said his country was keen to foster development cooperation economically which
would benefit  the private sector that would want to invest in Zambia’s wealth in
mining and other sectors.

Mr Guelleh revealed that his country is willing to render various facilities to
Zambia and set up a railway that would Link Djibouti to Zambia up to Cape Town.

He however urged the African countries to work together so that they become self
sufficient   to enable them rely on their resources.

He observed that it was through co-operation that the continent’s economy would
improve that will lead to improved conditions of its people.

Meanwhile President Mwanawasa has expressed happiness at Sudan’s willingness
co-operate in resolving the conflict in that country.

He said Sudan  has agreed  to allow the Africa Union and United Nations  to
reinforce  the peace efforts of the  AU force that has on the ground  trying to
monitor the situation in the Darfur region .

He said Zambia has a military presence under the AU peace keeping mission in the
Sudan through  which she  has encountered some difficulties similar to those   faced
by peace keeping force in Darfur.

Earlier the two heads of state  held one to one talks before holding official talks.

Copperbelt Province Chairperson for United National Independence Party (UNIP) Mrs. Jermima Banda has disassociated the party from the statement issued by provincial secretary Isaac Zyambo on the resignation of Colonel Panji Kaunda from the party.

Speaking to Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Chingola, Mrs. Banda
said the UNIP provincial executive has not made any comment on colonel Panji
Kaunda’s reported resignation from the party.

Mrs. Banda said UNIP on the Copperbelt is not shaken by Panji’s resignation.

Mrs. Banda said UNIP on the Copperbelt had more serious issues to discuss with its
members such as the ongoing constitution making process and other matters pertaining
to the organisation of the party.

She said as a party, they are in support of government’s stand on the adoption of
the new republican constitution as they would also like to see a constitution that
will stand the test of time and not one that will please certain individuals.

Mrs. Banda has since strongly warned party leaders in the province to desist from
issuing press statement without the party’s knowledge as this would breed  anarchy
in the party.

MINISTER of Justice, George Kunda, has assured the nation that the proposed constitutional conference will not depart from the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission (CRC) recommendations.And Mr Kunda said the CRC erred when it recommended that a constituent assembly (CA) should have final and binding decisions above Parliament.

Speaking on a Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Fifth National Development Plan radio programme on the subject: “The constitution and its impact on national development,” Mr Kunda was concerned that some people had not read through the CRC report.

He said the CRC was alive to the fact that legislative powers should not be given to the CA.

Mr Kunda explained that although the CA could be vested with legislative powers by amending Article 62 of the constitution which vested legislative powers in Parliament, there was no need to give a new body such powers for the sole purpose of coming up with a new constitution.

“The constitutional conference which we are going to create will have the characteristics of enabling people to debate the constitution thoroughly with the purpose of reaching consensus. The constitutional conference cannot make law,” Mr Kunda said.

He said the CRC made a mistake when it recommended that the CA would make the final and binding decision on the contents of the constitution.

The minister said two constitutional lawyers; professors Muna Ndulo and Patrick Mvunga also made this observation.

He said the supremacy of Parliament must be preserved.

“Indeed Parliament is supreme because it is vested with that supremacy by the constitution in Article 62. The people of Zambia created the constitution and (with) this clause, we can’t go anywhere else,” Mr Kunda said.

He explained that a national referendum was mandatory if article 79 of the constitution was to be changed.

“Professor Mvunga has said if the constitutional conference will do the same thing that the constituent assembly will do then well and good.

The constitutional conference is consistent with the CRC recommendations,” Mr Kunda said.

He said the Oasis Forum must convince politicians that their position on the constitution review process was the right one.

But Oasis Forum spokesperson, Musa Mwenye, argued that the CA provided the necessary safeguards against possible manipulation of the content of the constitution by politicians.

He argued that the difference between a constitutional conference and the CA in the manner the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue (ZCID) had proposed it was that members of Parliament could change what the people recommended.

Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes executive director, Lee Habasonda, was concerned that the constitution review process seemed to be driven by political parties.
Mr Habasonda said this had been done in the past and the results were bad.

ZCID spokesperson, Newton Ng’uni, said there was need to avoid a situation where Parliament was challenged because members of Parliament would not be comfortable if their powers were taken away.

The Consitinuent Assembly is not an easy route to take in making a costitution. 

The Chief Government Spokesperson said this is because setting up a Constituent Assembly will call for parliament to surrender some of its powers.

Mike Mulongoti said it is not likely that parliamentarians can agree to surrender their powers to facilitate the establishment of a Constitutent Assembly.

Mr. Mulongoti who is also Information Minister was speaking at a constitution seminar organised by the inter-religious federation for world peace.

He said the country might not have a new constitution by 2011 election if the constitution making process is done through the Constituent Assembly because it is a long route.

President Levy Mwanawasa has expressed sadness over the strike by unionised workers at Kansanshi mine in Solwezi in the North Western Province.

The President expressed the sadness today at Solwezi Airport on arrival from Lusaka
this morning on his way to Lumwana mine.

Mr. Mwanawasa, however noted that, for many years, Northwestern Province had been
called a Cinderella Province and the same workers on strike had no employment and
wondered what will happen to them and their families if Kansanshi mine closes down.

He said resorting to strike action would not solve anything but distortion of the
mining company.

He said he would wanted to visit Kansanshi mine but this time he could not go there
when workers have withdrawn labour.

The President said he would only visit Lumwana Mine to inspect progress there and
encourage the management to continue with their plans and work.

The strike action at Kansanshi Mine started on 11/07/2007 when workers strated
demanding to be paid their 25 percent wage increase.

The Africa Union (AU) says Africa needs billions of dollars to mitigate the challenges of post conflict reconstruction and peace building on the continent.

AU Commission Post Conflict Reconstruction and Peace Building Expert, Dr. Naison
Ngoma said resources that have been provided on the continent in comparison to other
region, was insufficient to meet its needs.

He stated that although the response from the international community has been
overwhelming more needs to be done.

The AU Expert said effective strategies needs to be put in place to ensure that
countries engaging out of conflicts are assisted.

Dr. Ngoma was speaking during a press briefing ahead of the AU Post Conflict
Reconstruction and Development Policy Workshop scheduled for next week.

He noted that Commission seeks to embrace all stakeholders in implementing the AU
Post Conflict and Development Policy.

And speaking at the same function, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA) Civil Society Expert Elizabeth Mutunga said the region having countries
that have emerged from conflict was party to policy formulation.

She said COMESA has since taken up the initiative to translate the policy to
actionable programmes.