The latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) report has revealed that the living conditions of people in Northwestern Province has remained poor over the years with poverty levels standing at 76 per cent.
The report says out of the 76 percent, 61 percent were extremely poor while 15 percent were moderately poor.
However, the CSO report indicates that the coming of Kansanshi, Lumwana and other small mines dotted all over North western Province has created close to 7 600 jobs in the formal sector mainly in mining and other sectors serving the mining industry.
Apart from Government, It notes that Kansanshi and Lumwana mines account for over 95 percent of employees in the private sector in the province.
The report further acknowledged that although the province was rich in natural resources such as minerals and good soils, a lot had to be done.
“The road net work in the province is generally poor as a result, economic development is being slowed down at the moment copper has to be transported by road from all the mines in the province to markets or processing plants outside the province’.” The report observes.
It added that North western Province had no industries to support the mining sector as such most of the consumables in the mines were imported from other provinces or outside the country.
The economic boom in the province, Solwezi in particular, the report noted, has seen an increase in the population of motor vehicles resulting into unnecessary congestion. This is because of the few roads and the number of road accidents reported to Police has also increased.
The report has suggested that there was urgent need to build other bridges across Solwezi and Kifubwa rivers because the whole province could be cut off from the rest of the country should there be a serious accident on the two existing bridges.
Despite, the economic development in the province, the report also observed that there were challenges of productivity and economic growth that needed to be addressed.
[ZANIS]
Now mines will change things to bulongo, I grew up with Kaondes.
it is the same mindset like yours that is distroying this nation…yr comment is tribalist in form..wht is in luapula?
The question is, what is the government and us as a concerned citizenry going to do about this report? Are we going to just let it be and gather dust?
IT’S SAD TO SEE A COUNTRY BLESSED WITH NATURAL RESOURCES YET THE PEOPLE ARE LANGUISHING IN EXTREM POVERT AND THE SO CALLED INVESTORS GET RICHER AND RICHER.ALL TOP POSITIONS ARE GIVEN TO THEMSELVES AND FEW ZAMBIANS LOWER POSITIONS WITH MORE RESPONSIBILITIES AND LOWER RATES.ZAMBIA NEEDS A LEADERSHIP THAT WILL STAND A TASTE OF TIME.
THIS IS A PARADOX.SO RICH IN RESOURCES & YET SO POOR ECONOMICALLY
Where are we going wrong? Rich but poor- anything like that!!!
What is Tetamashimba and his goonies doing? These fools called leaders in NW Province just take advantage of the poor souls that vote for them. All of them come from one large family decending from John Kalenga and Humphry Mulemba. Others are totally nothing in NW Province and shall remain so for years to come. They have no leaders in NW Province apart from criminals taking care of family members. The rest must perish. That is their belief.
I thought the country is doing well. Atleast from the reports and blogs we read. Surprising
let the chaps owning mines start paying royalties now!we need to redeem that area.
#8
i wouldn’t agree more with you. where’s the mining royalties going from these mines? its supposed to improve people’s lives in that area.
GRZ collects these revenues for the government in fact GRZ is collecting millions of Kwacha from mining royalties this year “surplus they said”.
i suggest the government use the same money to improve the standard of living that side.
It is so sad to see the town that has so much in terms of mineral reserves with roads like we have here in North Western Province.One wanders where the money realized from from land rates is chanelled. Honestly no one else will come and develop the roads for us, we have a GVT in place. It is so expensive to live in this part of Zambia because vehicles have to be repared every month. What has gone wrong? Why should a Tax Payer be so neglected????
Ailing Citizen
wht can i say? selfshness, selfshness frm our leaders in this country ad to mch focus only in lusaka..wht we need is education in the province, thre is a need for a change in the mindset of the pepo ad to stand up to wht is there”s