FIRST Lady Christine Kaseba says she will use her orientation visit to the Netherlands’ Epe City Council to market Zambia as a foreign investment destination and lobby for donor funds to improve the health care system.
Speaking in an interview on arrival at Schiphol Airport yesterday, Dr Kaseba, who is here at the invitation of Epe City Council, said she accepted the invitation because it is beneficial to Zambia.
“I thought it would be a nice opportunity to market Zambia and help the government, although I am not in Government, to see how investors can be attracted to Zambia,” Dr Kaseba said.
The First Lady was received by Ape town clerk Vincent Smit and Zambia’s Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, before she was driven to Epe.
She is accompanied by Ministry of Health child health specialist Penelope Kalesha-Masumbu.
And in attempt to raise donor funds for the anti-measles campaign, Dr Kaseba will give a lecture to the Rotary Club here.
She said President Sata is keen on improving public health and taking medical services closer to the people, which is why his Government recently decided to increase the number of health posts.
“A lot of countries are decreasing aid, but with a bit of a push, they may consider increasing the allocation,” she said.
She said measles cases seem to be on the rise in Zambia, which is why the country needs more funds to do a successful campaign against the disease.
Dr Kaseba hopes that Dr Kalesha-Masumbu, a child health specialist, will be able to bring out child-health challenges during her interaction with cooperating partners in The Netherlands.
“We hope that the tour will help us to mobilise funds to decrease the rising rates of measles. We need partnerships with NGOs and we hope that the Rotarians will fit into our strategic plan at community level,” Dr Kaseba said.
And Dr Kaseba and her entourage hope to learn from the Dutch Medical Equipment Distribution Centre, an institution that assembles and refurbishes medical equipment, how its technology can be adapted to the Zambian situation.
She said medical personnel in Zambia need a conducive working environment, not only in terms of better remuneration, but medical equipment too.
The First Lady is also championing the twinning of Zambian towns with major towns in The Netherlands.
Luanshya mayor Nathan Bwalya, Lusaka deputy mayor Theresa Funga, and Livingstone town clerk Vivian Chikoti are in the First Lady’s entourage to learn from the Dutch local government system, which has a viable social care programme.
The First Lady, who proposed the twinning of Luanshya and Epe prior to her trip to the Netherlands, hopes that if implemented, the initiative will strengthen the visibility of Luanshya and bring about socio-economic development in the district.
“I hope that Luanshya will take this opportunity to start expanding as a town,” she said.
And Mr Smit said Epe looks forward to a fruitful orientation visit by Dr Kaseba and her entourage to the local political structure and procedures of a typical Dutch municipality.
“We hope she will tell a good story about The Netherlands when she returns to Zambia,” he said.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Please dont allow any one market our country. If not an expert marketing person, she can make a ess of it and bring counter productive result. The Zambian Scenario is very bad at the present moment, because of the Zamtel and Pepsi issue. It hasn’t gone down well with the investors. The investors are a sensitive lot. Let not the First Lady disturb this now. Let some time pass.
Wow, what world do you live in?!!!!!!
ba chalie you are very dull
Very dull and backward thinking my friend @#1
Does this site randomly pick countries for you??
Please go and do whatever you have to do as first lady, but stay away from attempting to market Zambia. Zambia’s issues are so complex at the moment that you need top of the drawer economists and analysts of key strategic sectors of our economy to market Zambia. Being married to the president does not equip you with the knowledge to market or promote Zambia. Go and ask for funds for your NGO’s
Why are you guys so concerned about international investors. These guys invest in Zim, Zaire, N a lot of other War torn countries and you think they will be scared off by Sata. Investors will invest anywhere where there is money to be made you just need to show them that the opportunity exists. PS investors might be scared of buying public companies in Zed but that does not mean they are scared of starting companies from scratch.
i need to start thinking son
Even the 1st lady for that country has no time to receive you, who will want to spend their capital in a country thats nationalising former parastatals, i can’t even invest in a kantemba …
Even if it is hatred for her husband, ni so!? You were happy with Vera Chiluba doing that job! Be grateful
Go tell them that in zambia there is an outbreak of a disease called ‘Investiment Reversal Syndrome’ let them come and invest at own risk.
Thats why Vera Chiluba will always be the one. Her she succefuly took the government to the remote parts of Zambia. Do you all remember SHANGOMBO? The rest of these ladies love flying arround and at the end they get there businesses. And look at the entourage. It’s a tourists group site seing in the Netherlands.
If the first lady means business he should lovingly tell her husband to stop being a bully and kaponya.
YOU ARE DULL
Stop using this wooing term please! We heard it under RB so much that there was wooing everywhere. Now, tell us, where are those who were woowed?
So Christine is as mad as her husband. Rabobank that owns 49% of Zanaco is a Dutch Bank. How ironic that you want the Dutch to invest in your country while back home in Zambia; a Kangaroo court instituted by your husband is in the processes of kicking Rabobank out. You people are crazy. Cry My beloved Zambia! Comedy! Comedy! Comedy!
@4, PM:
Are you being serious with your comments or you are just bull-sh*t**g? Don’t you know that even you where you are in RSA (going by the flag), if you really were concerned by the plight of your country, can market Zambia to the community you are living in? What more the first lady who was simply invited by the Epe City council in the Netherlands?
How many first ladies get a chance to be invited outside their borders to speak or orientation? Are you really that hateful not to appreciate this as a positive sign and move for our country on the part of Dr. Kaseba? Would you be happy if she went to the Netherlands to talk about how Toba umutwe and Maheu are made instead? My goodness!!!!
Oh my god. Rabo Bank, Phillips medical equipment supplies. The Rat is smelling terribly. These white guys are smart. Africans will always be manupilated. What an easy way of getting to Sata without passing through Chipoya from the Bantu botatwe
Its like this site has been attached by the tribal *****s from the watchdog. they are attacking every positive move the PF government makes. Their party is childish and will never come to power because of the tribal mark it carries on its forehead. Since they have realized they are failures, they now resort to attacking our much loved party. They are blinded to the fact that one province can never give you a president but you need to respect other tribes.Fortunately our God is great, the language they hate most has grown in number even in the capital town of their province it dominates. They have no way out but to face facts. take heed of Chibamba Kanyamas advise.
Please leave the educated and the most intelligent first lady Zambia has ever had,she’s right.please leave her alone.She has the right to woooo investors who are credible,also she wants to like Luanshya and L/stone with Dutch cities….Leave Dr, from the president.
ba christine just go and shop for your hubby ,maybe you will find some suits which fit him better.Get yourself some urgly wigs also.Do not forget Jaribu for him as well .Do not open your small mouth about investorsyou will embrass us to much.Your hubby believes in socialism so just forget about those guys coming to invest.Abena GBM have enough money to run the economy.
@8, John:
Bwana, read the article again! She was simply invited by the City council in the Netherlands. Most likely the Epe City council is going to cover the expenses for her entire stay in the Netherlands. And who do you have in mind that the first lady should have invited to accompany her on this visit? Since the entire mission is about issues concerning local government (city council) and children’s health, who do you suggest should have been on this tour? Did you want or expect Dr. Kaseba to bring along the Ngambelas and Indunas?
I am sure her background as a medical doctor makes issues of health dear to her heart. Vera Chiluba or Thandi Banda may have had different issues they wanted to bring attention to, and that’s perfectly OK!
Any time you have to justify your actions when not asked to do so means your action will not pass the smell test.Why is the first lady feeling guilty and perceives a need to explain that the trip will benefit zambia?
@Yamba yamba
and Kangwine –
you are the only sensible chaps on this site…How many first ladies get to be invited by other countries, and why should she be received by the first lady of that country when the most senior peron is the mayor of the town inviting her..please know your protocol before making remarks that will show you up..go madam first lady with your work..vera was local cos her vocabulary limited her ability to interact while Thandiwe was busy investing in family fortunes…
Taking into account how she, as a Medical Doctor, stumbled on a married man in the name of Sata – consolidated by a story of her mother’s drama with a truck driver – Dr. Kaseba can do better to revive the “TANSINTHA” NGO. She is best qualifiedd to operate under moonlights.