President Edgar Lungu says his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan is desirous of enhancing bilateral relations between Zambia and Turkey.

President Lungu said President Erdogan informed him during a high-level bilateral meeting that he was committed to improving diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries.

The President said Mr Erdogan has promised to visit Zambia soon.

The Head of State said this shortly before departure for Zambia after attending Mr Erdogan’s inauguration.

President Lungu was in Ankara to attend Mr Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony as Turkey’s first executive President under the new presidential system of Government

“Well from us from Zambia being part of the invited guests, I think we have learnt a lot. We want to see how we can enhance our bilateral cooperation between Zambia and Turkey,” President Lungu said

He said he was happy that the ministers and other officials in his delegation held fruitful meetings with the Turkish private sector comprising investors interested to invest in Zambia.

“We are already working with some of the private partners like in the energy sector. I have said in the past quoting some scholars who have said that there is no finishing line to development. I think mankind keeps developing. So In tourism, Turkey has done very well and in agriculture,” President Lunge said.

He said Zambia’s tourism and agriculture sectors are on the right development trajectory and it is through cooperation with countries like Turkey that they can record more growth.

“We are talking of value addition in Zambia, and I think that time is gone when African countries thrived by exporting raw materials and we want to export finished products and we can only do so if we industrialise our economies,” President Lungu said.

He said it is from that perspective that Zambia could benefit from agricultural practices such as agro-processing in Turkey to learn best practices in value addition in order for the country to export finished products as opposed to raw goods.

Mr Lungu said Government has added a new dimension to economic diplomacy by ensuring ministers include businessmen in their delegations to explore possible public private partnerships (PPP.

“So I think that it will not be ministerial trips anymore it will be business trips, ministers accompanied by businessmen visiting to see how they can cooperate in public private partnerships.

“And I think criticism will always be there , come to think of it, every time the President goes out of the country there is a lot of talk but I think that it is worth it,” President Lungu said.

Meanwhile, President Lungu’s plane took off from Ankara Esenboga Airport at 09:40 hours local time.

The President was seen off by Zambia’s Ambassador designate to the Republic of Turkey, Mr Joseph Chilengi.

He was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Malanji Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe, Minister of National Development Planning, Alexander Chiteme, Mwembeshi member of Parliament (MP) Machila Jamba, Lunte MP, Mutotwe Kafwaya and Chama South Davison Mung’andu and Special Assistant to the President for Economic and Development Affairs Hibeene Mwiinga.

Economics Lecturer Dr Lubinda Haabazoka says Zambia should shelve its plans of getting an economic bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.

Zambia has for the past three years pursuing a bailout package from the IMF believed to be in the region of US$1.3 billion.

Dr Haabazoka who is also Head of the UNZA Graduate Business School stated that Zambia has the potential to turn around its economy without support of the IMF.

“Forget about the IMF!!! One point something billion dollars is pocket change to Zambia. We have the brains to move this country forward,” Dr Haabazoka said.

“Let us embrace everyone!!! Let us not shy away from providing a service to this nation. We only have one nation! Let us give respect to the people in government and the people in the opposition. They don’t sleep because of the many problems facing our nation,” he said.

He said, “Government is not the policy makers or the civil servant, it’s you and me. Don’t vandalize government property but at the same time accuse another person of corruption.”

Dr Haabazoka warned that some Zambians might end up abandoning the county for greener pastures if things do not improve.

“Zambia, if you continue like this, some of us might abandon you for greener pastures. By doing so, you would be sending us into slavery,” he said.

He added, “In the next five years, we shall be admiring Rwanda the way we admire South Korea. We shall use Rwanda as a case study on how to develop a country. Let’s wake up! Rwanda Air can now fly to the States! Rwanda is now assembling motor vehicles!!! What are we doing?”

Dr Haabazoka observed that Zambia as a country has failed itself.

“With all that copper!!! Allowing foreign multinationals get it for a song? This is a sin our future generations will never forgive us.”

“In 2018 you hear people glorifying street vending!!! You have so many agencies such that even to access God given water you need to pay. We need to put our act together. And by that I don’t mean politicians. I mean you and me. Our shanty compounds should be a thing of the past.”

“They have no place in Zambia. Let’s use our mineral resources to build decent houses for our people.”

He said, “Let us stop the Pull Him Down syndrome. Let’s call back Clive Chirwa to realize his electric train dream. Let us support the idea of our neighbor, friend, work mate or even competitor. By pulling them down, you are making your own relatives suffer because they would not have enjoyed the fruits of that innovation!!!! Let us abolish tribes! They have no place in a Zambia of 2018!”

He advised, “Let us abolish chimbuya!!! All Zambians are mbuyas! This Mbuya nonsense is dividing the nation!!!! Much of the problems we face are because of stereotypes of tribalism. We can’t live in a single country divided by mbuyaship!”

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu was yesterday among 22 Heads of State and foreign dignitaries invited to attend Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony in the capital, Ankara.

Mr Erdogan took oath of office to become the first Turkish President under the new presidential system of Government.

President Erdogan invited President Lungu along with Gabonese President Ali Bongo, Jose Mario Vaz of Guinea Bissau and Equatorial Guinea President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema to his inauguration.

Others are Mauritiania’s Muhammed Veled Abdul Aziz, President Idriss Deby of Chad , Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajom, Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

Presidents of Bulgaria, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Emir of Qatar were also in attendance.

In his inaugural speech, President Erdogan said no country needs a saviour and the only thing that humanity needs is justice and equality.

“There are no borders to our hearts, the picture that I see in front of me is testimony of this, I would like to thank all leaders that have traveled from far places to celebrate with us,” President Erdogan said.

He promised to ensure that no Turkish citizen will goes hungry and fails to support their children’s education.

“From now on we will have a directly elected President whom the nation has the right to hold accountable,” President Erdogan said

Earlier, Mr Erdogan was sworn-in at the Grand National Assembly before Acting Parliament Speaker, Durmus Yilmaz.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Mr Erdogan visited the mausoleum of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk before proceeding to the Presidential Complex to make his inaugural speech.

On April 16, 2017, the Turkish people voted in a referendum to change the constitution from a parliamentary to a presidential system.

President Erdogan subsequently called a snap presidential and parliamentary election on June 24, 2018 in which he emerged victorious with a 52.6 percent first round majority vote to become Turkey’s first executive President under the new constitution.

Under the new executive presidential system, the Cabinet will be reduced from 26 to 16 while the Prime Minister’s office will be abolished.

The Lusaka Magistrate Court has acquitted former the Post newspapers proprietor Fred M’membe’s wife Mutinta Mazoka in the case in which she was charged with obstructing Police officers who had gone to her residence to execute a search on February 15th, 2017.

Delivering her judgment this morning, Magistrate Faides Hamaundu freed Mutinta on grounds that there was no proof that she had torn the search warrant and obstructed police officers from conducting the search.

Magistrate Hamaundu said prime video evidence which was captured by a ZNBC journalist who was assigned to capture the execution of the warrant did not show the accused tearing the search warrant.

She further stated that even if the warrant was torn, there was no way it was going to prevent police officers from executing the search warrant, adding that even in its torn state, it was still readable.

And speaking after her acquittal, Mutinta said she is glad that finally the case is over, adding that justice has taken its course.

And Mr. M’membe on the other hand slammed the Zambia Police Service for what he has termed as a shameful act to frame a case of obstruction against an innocent lady.

He further accused the Patriotic Front government of using the Police for their own political ends.

Special Assistant to the President for Project Implementation and Monitoring Andrew Chellah has expressed concern over the resistance shown by some foreign contractors over the 20% subcontracting policy.

Mr. Chellah said it is unfortunate that foreign contractors are not following the directive issued by President Edgar Lungu to subcontract 20% of their total works to local contractors.

Speaking shortly after inspecting ongoing construction works at the Ndola International Airport and the Kafulafuta Water Dam project in Mpongwe, Mr. Chellah noted that the 20% subcontracting policy is aimed at empowering locals and transfer of skills to local contractors.

Mr. Chellah added that Zambians are custodians of major construction projects being undertaken in most parts of the country and deserve a share through the subcontracting policy.

He further stressed that it is the President’s desire to see Zambians empowered and skills transferred through the 20% subcontracting policy.

Meanwhile, National Council for Construction Executive Director Mathews Ngulube said the 20% subcontracting policy is a means of increasing capacity in local contractors.

He said simple works such as bush clearing, foundation and concrete work could be done by local contractors who can also be given complicated work as a means of knowledge transfer.