Chibolya Empowerment Scheme underway

Kanyama member of parliament Gerry Chanda says plans to construct a youths skills training centre for empowerment purposes in his constituency are progressing well.

Colonel Chanda who is also Muchinga Province minister says that plans are underway for the construction of the centre were youths will be trained for self sustainability.

He said one hundred and fifty thousand kwacha from Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has since been set aside for the construction of the youths skills centre in the once infamous Chibolya township.

Col. Chanda expressed happiness that sanity is slowly returning to the notorious compound were youths were engaging in illegal activities to make ends meet.

He said the clean up exercise by the combined team of Police and Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) came at the right time as the area has been lagging behind in terms of development.

ZANIS reports that the Parlaimentarian revealed this in a telephone interview in Lusaka today.

He reminisced that at one time the ill-famed youths manhandled the contractors who had gone to survey the land for the erection of the youths training centre.

“The youths centre would have been constructed a long time ago but the youths beat up the Chinese contractors who had gone to survey the land that has been earmarked for the development and they had no choice but to cancel the deal for fear of being killed”, he said.

He recalled that the youths stated that they did not want any developmental projects in the area and opted to be selling drugs such as cannabis and cocaine.

The area MP said that he wants the centre to benefit the youths not only in Chibolya but also the entire constituency further stating that he now wants to acquire more land were the prestigious centre will be built.

In June this year, police and DEC raided Chibolya to rid the compound off illicit activities and made several arrests.

Some victims have since been jailed for various offenses while others are still appearing in court.