North-western Province Permanent Secretary, Grandson Katambi has called for the need to keep an eye on the effects that mining activities have on the environment and the people in different localities.
Colonel Katambi said that despite the creation of employment opportunities, mining activities can have a social impact on systems positively or negatively.
He was speaking in a speech read on his behalf by Principal Planner, Christopher Bwalya during a stakeholder meeting on improving multi-stakeholders dialogue and collaboration for Community Wellbeing Projects in Solwezi yesterday.
He said improved multi-stakeholder dialogue and collaboration for Community Wellbeing Projects in Solwezi is important because the town is in a mining community where health, physical and environmental hazards may ran higher than any other community.
“So we are a host community of mining activities and it is important for us to be able to sit down and be able to look at these issues a little more specific and attend to issues that arise,” Colonel Katambi said.
He, however, said that despite having a different impact on the communities and the environment, mining activities give opportunities for local employment, infrastructure development, and also enhancement of local business development.
“First of all you need to understand that mining activities do not only come with prose and corns, mining activities come with positive and negative impact and effects and therefore, it is important for us to be able to have a clear eye on each one of them as much as we need to celebrate the positive impact that mining activities bring,” Colonel. Katambi said.
He said that despite the heavy financial investment that has gone into the North-western province by the mines through cooperate social responsibility in Kalumbila and Solwezi districts, there is some level of dissatisfaction.
Colonel Katambi said both sides, the community and the mines, have something to point at in terms of what has been done and what has not been done.
“When you speak to the mines they will be able to tell you what exactly they have put in and the communities also are able to see what is there but there is some level of dissatisfaction and it is that level of dissatisfaction that we must pay particular attention to,” he said.
Colonel Katambi said there is need to try to get to a place where all come to appreciate what each and every one of the part involved is doing.
He said there is need to look at what will remain in Solwezi after the mines.
Colonel Katambi urged the people to think more differently and open up to other opportunities like agriculture so that communities do not totally depend on the mines.
The stakeholders meeting on improved multi-stakeholder dialogue and collaboration for Community Wellbeing Project in Solwezi district has been organized by the Extractive Industry Transparency Alliance (EITA) under the theme “Joint Action for Sustainable Development”.
This so-called “dialogue” is where corruption sets in, and colonel Katambi is the WORST example. NW province is DOOMED.
He is so right. Most African governments allow these vulturistic investors to destroy their environment without the possibility of recovery. Everywhere Zambia, Angola Nigeria Western companies are destroying our environment and we are allowing them to. Most of the time because government officials have been bribed to look the other way. We need to have strong NGOs to monitor this destruction
I dont know Colonel Katambi’s character. but @No Corruption Zambia please tell us
The Bemba speakers from other mining communities have dwarfed the local languages like ki Kaonde. In order to counter this Bemba dominance some Kaonde tribalists have tried to impose ki Kaonde in the communities but have failed. They even tried to ban Bemba songs from being played on local radio stations. This disquiet is simmering in their hearts but what they don’t know is that Bemba isn’t the property of Ababemba. It’s a commercial language that’s spoken by many that include non Bembas