The union says it will dialogue with the mining company to ensure that the workers that are not ready to retire now can be given a few more years before they can be retired.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Kitwe yesterday, MUZ president Joseph Chewe said KCM should not retrench workers using the court ruling which ruled that the company could retire workers that have reached the age of 55 and above.

Konkola Copper Mine is currently in the process of giving out retirement letters to workers who have reached the age of 55.

The decision comes as a surprise to workers most of whom were not ready to go on retirement as they were expecting to retire at 65.

Mr Chewe said KCM should realise that people need to prepare and plan for retirement before they can finally be retired.

The MUZ president said the union has consulted its lawyers, the Ministry of Labour as well as the Labour Commissioner and has a few options of pursuing the matter if the planned negotiations with the mine management do not yield positive results.

Last week, Konkola Copper Mine started issuing out retirement letters to workers who have reached the age of 55.

The Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Zambia, in partnership with MTN Zambia and Nkanmu Investments limited have announced a new initiative to deliver financial education through a mobile application called ‘Football Yatu’.

The initiative aims to reach over a thousand-young people in Kalingaling and Garden townships with basic financial literacy information that is crucial for them to make informed decision about their financial health.

Football Yatu is an android application that conveys real time access to the Zambian Super League including live scores, latest news and transfer information.

It is free for download on the android play store and currently boasts over Three thousand five hundred active users.

The application has been endorsed by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) as a partner in growing the game of football in Zambia.

The application now hosts the FSD Zambia portal where the Digital Financial Literacy training has been uploaded.

The three organisations are supporting 20 young lead facilitators who have been recruited and trained on the financial education topics such as saving, budgeting and insurance and will train over 1000 of their peers.

FSD Zambia Board Chairman Caleb Fundanga said that such initiatives that are deliberate about educating young people on their personal finances are a starting point for expanding the range of economic and social opportunities available to the youth in Zambia so that they are ultimately responsible for their own growth and development.

“The earlier children and youth are educated about finance, the better their lives can be. Early understanding pays off; young people across Zambia have consistently demonstrated that with the right skills and knowledge, they are able to unleash their potential.” Dr. Fundanga said.

And MTN Zambia’s Financial Services General Manager Mr. Edmund Barwuah noted that partnerships with FSD Zambia, Football Yatu and Mobile Money are fundamental in the Mobile Money ecosystem, hence his organisation’s partnerships with them.

“We currently serve more than 2 million mobile money customers, making MTN Zambia MoMo the largest platform in the country. We consider taking financial services to the unbanked and the youth a huge responsibility that demands constant innovation and this forms the basis of our partnership with the two organisations.”

“MTN Zambia is moving into the digital economy and Football Yatu has long been our partner and we are excited to be taking this partnership to the next level as this will spearhead innovative initiatives which will deepen financial access among the youths in the nation” Mr. Barwuah said.

Meanwhile, Football Yatu Founder Charles Nkandu said that the development of the application has increased the spectrum to see beyond football and deploy it to meet many social and economic needs of the Zambian people.

“To be able to host the Digital Financial Literacy Training for the young people in Kalingalinga and Garden township is such an honour for us. Football creates many conversations and has the power to unite and teach. Our work shall continue, and we are so thankful to our partners FSD Zambia and MTN Zambia for making this program possible” Mr. Nkandu said.

Minister of Sports and Youth Development Moses Mawere said the Football Yatu application will supplement government efforts in empowering the youth in Zambia.

In remarks given on his behalf by the Ministry’s Chief Youth Development Officer David Musonda, Mr. Mawere said such initiatives expand the reach of young people to understand their finances.

The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services has launched the integrated framework for basic social protection programmes.

Minister of Community Development and Social Services Olipa Phiri says the framework aims at improving coherence and create linkages within the social protection programmes.

Ms Phiri said the framework will also improve synergies across the social protection line ministries, and ultimately enhance impact of government interventions.

Speaking in a speech read on her behalf by Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Vice President, in charge of Administration, Stephen Mwansa, at the official launch, Ms Phiri stated that government is committed to the expansion of the social protection sector, as well as invest in efficient and effective delivery mechanisms.

Ms Phiri explained that the implementation of the framework will enhance service delivery to the poor and vulnerable in the communities.

Speaking at the same event, International Labour Organisation (ILO) Technical Officer James Canonge said the United Nations remains committed to supporting government efforts towards the implementation of the National Social Protection Policy, with the aim of realising an inclusive, sustainable and resilient national development pathway that leaves no one behind.

Mr Canonge said the implementation of the integrated Framework possess an enormous potential for improving outcomes that seek to be achieved through various social protection initiatives.

He stated that the framework is a fundamental step towards the creation of a coherent and coordinated social protection system in Zambia.

The U.S. Embassy recently donated personal computers to help the non-governmental organization, Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO), train traditional leaders in Eastern Province in the use of satellite-mapping software to enable them to improve monitoring and protection of the forests and wildlife within their chiefdoms.

Data and information collected through the computers’ Geographic Information System (GIS) software will help the traditional leaders better plan their actions for preventing wasteful and destructive land uses, such as charcoal production and unplanned agricultural expansion. The GIS software also provides deforestation alerts and can detect forest fires, examine natural water resource usage, and monitor illegal logging in protected areas.

“We’re honored to assist COMACO with its combined effort to support local resource management, particularly to improve conservation,” said USAID/Zambia Economic Development Office Director Jeremy Boley. “This is a great opportunity to reuse these computers in a way that aligns with a mutual goal shared between USAID and COMACO—community-led participation in the management of Zambia’s natural resources.”

The 16 donated computers provide an important opportunity to pilot technology aimed at safeguarding Zambia’s natural resources for future generations while improving market opportunities for local communities. The computers and training will also help community leaders, particularly local traditional leaders, to monitor better the impact of their efforts to enact and enforce conservation plans.

“This training is a major step up for community-led conservation in Zambia. The participants now have knowledge to visually interpret satellite images of their chiefdoms using Google Earth to monitor deforestation and Global Forest Watch,” said COMACO Assistant GIS Officer Angel Makungu. “These technologies will give them access to a wealth of information that empowers them to better protect their forests with real-time information to find and track fire incidences and the rates of forest loss and gain.”

COMACO has been involved with community-based conservation in the Luangwa Valley for the last 15 years, and previously received support from the American people through The Better Life Alliance initiative, a public-private partnership that strengthened the link between smallholder farmers and agricultural markets and promoted crop diversity and conservation farming. The initiative brought together the U.S. government, the Norwegian government, the non-profit community, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and private sector companies, such as General Mills and Cargill. The Alliance strengthened food security and sustainable rural economic growth in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Feed the Future initiative focus area in Zambia’s Eastern Province.

In partnership with USAID, collaborators in local government and other committed partner organizations and donors, COMACO is able to continue working with rural communities to manage and generate community-level income without endangering local wildlife and other natural resources. COMACO provides various market incentives, some of which are tied to the sale of “It’s Wild!” food products, which has become a popular food brand in Zambia.