Minister of Foreign Affairs , Joseph Malanji has thanked Turkey for its support to Zambia’s development agenda in various sectors.
Mr Malanji who was flanked by Zambia’s Ambassador designate to the Republic of Turkey, Mr Joseph Chilengi, said Zambia appreciates Turkey’s support in the health, tourism, education and media sectors in its quest to achieve the Vision 2030 of becoming a prosperous middle income country.
The Minister said this during a bilateral meeting with Turkish Co-operation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) President, Dr Serdar Cam in Ankara yesterday.
“Some of the priority areas that Zambia would like TIKA to focus its support include tourism development; capacity building as well as mechanisation in agriculture and agro-processing, support to SMEs, power generation, especially renewable energy, construction and infrastructure development, value addition in manufacturing and investment in areas that have high backward and forward linkages such as steel production,” Mr Malanji said.
The minister also called on TIKA to help Zambia mechanise the agriculture sector to enhance food production through donation of tractors and provision of technical know-how for efficient agricultural production.
Mr Malanji expressed Zambia’s desire to host the TIKA regional office in Southern Africa.
“Zambia is strategically situated in the centre of southern Africa, with ease infrastructure interlinks, making it an ideal location for TIKA offices to cover other countries in the region. Attaching a TIKA officer in Lusaka would go a long way in boosting trade and investment and overall cooperation between Zambia and Turkey,” Mr Malanji said.
And Dr Cam said TIKA was ready to support projects in Zambia to further strengthen relations between Zambia and Turkey.
He said TIKA was ready to fund priority projects identified by Government in various sectors and provide capacity building including support to Small and Medium –sized Enterprises (SMEs)
Earlier, the Minister visited Integrated Waste Management (ITC), a waste management company, which transforms waste to energy.
Mr Malanji said the waste-to-energy project was important to Zambia because it is one of the strategic options in waste management , which would ultimately support Government’s efforts in combatting epidemics such as cholera, make the environment cleaner and generate power.
The Minister urged ITC to consider travelling to Zambia to explore the possibility of investing in waste-to-energy projects in the major cities such as Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe and Livingstone
“For instance, Lusaka alone generates more than 600,000 tonnes of solid waste every year and other cities that produce substantial waste include Ndola, Kitwe, and Livingstone,” Mr Malanji said.
Why do we have to seek help ,borrow and extend a begging bowl for everything? Can’t we figure, execute and seek to empower ourselves wholly internally?
Exactly, why are we always asking for help? Some solutions lie at UNZA or NRDC, but since Edgar Lungu and his PF have no vision, they are selling UNZA and NRDC assets the Chinese and in turn begging for assistance. This is shameful, but our leaders have no shame, just greed!
So Zambia have found a new coach? This is the sort of team he will find and some things he should work on;
1. Totally UNFIT players – they’re a version of Neymar Jr
2. Very Poor BALL CONTROL and can’t manage a tiring of more than FIVE PASSES. No precision in passing
3. Giving away careless free-kicks around the 18-yard box
4. No mental strength – always conceding goals in the EARLY STAGES of the game, or SOON AFTER SCORING
5. Poor UTILISATION and DEFENDING of CORNER KICKS. Whereas they often concede goals from corner kicks, they themselves hardly convert them
6. Ideal team should include 2 TALL STRIKERS, 2 TALL DEFENDERS and 2 TALL GOALKEEPERS
They have no shame at all these lazy bones…if you are really serious about agriculture you can go to the big players but we know you can not do that as you want countries where its easier to cut corners and get kickbacks.
They do not even know what is happening to real farmers on the ground. High interest rates are knocking them out of business. And these are already mechanized farms. Does Turkey have a solution to that?
Honestly 54 years of being Independent but we are still flying around the globe begging for aid and even simple ideas like we do not have educated people in our country. It is embarrasing to read about all the begging and borrowing. How much in flight tickets hotel accomodation allowances etc has it cost zambia plus the minister certainly travelled with about 10 15 people. Put that money into a project instead.
Looking for a reason to travel..very soon Lazy will follow his minister to go and tour!!
You expect other people to develop your agricultural sector when you don’t support the farmers? Stop dreaming
What makes Malanji think that Turkey can turnaround our agricultural sector? How do we expect to develop with this kind of thinking? Instead of consulting Peter Sinkamba he chooses to fly to Turkey to embarrass himself, just sit down if you don’t know what Zambians expect from you
The Turks are even laughing at these lazy fooools who are blessed with so much fertile land coming to learn from them …what folly!!
Wrong Man at a right position.
We should encourage our students to study practical courses. But all we hear is introduction of the faculty of witchcraft at UNZA. Shame
This happens again and again because of our ‘pull him down syndrome’, we fail to support and run our own institutions based on the country’s priorities. Zambian problems can only be fixed by Zambians. Our culture and mentality are our biggest enemies. The mentalities like, everyone for himself, the ‘I mentality ‘ , no definiteness of purpose, no planning and retrospective of actions performed, we do not even look at existing solutions within and around us before going for begging and learning trips.
If these morons were serious about mechanizing …IDC would have a foot hold in assembling tractors right here in Zambia and much of the Euro-bond and loans would have been invested in Agriculture…its clear the have no vision.
“Zambia is strategically situated in the centre of southern Africa, with ease infrastructure interlinks, making it an ideal location for TIKA offices to cover other countries in the region.”
Please look kindly on Zambian people, stop using them has pawns, this is there land, is not to be used as a strategic to Enhance someone’s power.
If PF want donation from Turkish government do so. But don’t go there and represent the whole Country because power and policies changes hands.
TURKEY cannot do this for us for free as if they are our brothers. They will need to be paid.
Our University is very powerful. It has a very powerful school of Agriculture. Just fund that institution and you will see that Zambians can do all these things.
The same way Zambians manage to generate and transmitt power from Kariba. Agro mechanisation is even simpler.
Well said am impressed with the comments we should not tolerate mediocrity Zambia shall only be developed by Zambian if the ministers have nothing to do they should just stay home
I’m impressed too especially by #1 Enka’s comment.The psychological damage we do ourselves with these type of approach creates a “can’t do “attitude leaving our people to develop a dependency culture.
You can bring the world to Africa but until we take out the mediocre African Mentality and have some pride we will forever be the laughing stock on this Planet.
Pride for your people
Pride for your country
Pride for your Countinent
In other words Pride comes if Africans STOP stealing from thier own people.
Until we ditch this damaging dependency culture we’ll never develop.1 Enka’s comment shows the psychological damage we do ourselves with these type of wrong approach creating a “can’t do “attitude leaving our people to develop a dependency culture and a lack of belief in ourselves.