President Edgar Lungu will this Saturday fly to Kasane, Bostwana where he is expected to join Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Botswana leader Seretse Khama Ian Khama to assess progress on the construction of the Kazungula Bridge that will connect eight SADC countries.

The Kazungula Bridge will connect Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In a statement yesterday, the Botswana government said the three presidents would assess progress on the project.

“His Excellency Lt- Gen Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama, His Excellency Edgar Lungu and His Excellency Emmerson Mnangagwa will visit Kasane on Saturday 10th March at 0900hrs to appreciate progress on the Kazungula Bridge project and conduct a Kazungula Bridge tour,” said the Botswana government.

The Botswana government said the Kazungula Bridge project was a multi-national project which would improve trade relations among Sadc countries.

“The project will facilitate trade through reduced transit time for freight and passengers and reduced time-based trade and transport costs,” it said. “There will also be improved border management operations arising from the new one-stop border facilities.

“The project will contribute to boosting of the regional economy through increased traffic throughout the North-South Corridor; increased global competitiveness of goods as a function of reduced time-based trade and transport costs; and reduction of transit time from three days to less than half a day.”

The project involves the construction of a 923 metres long rail and road bridge on the Zambezi River.

Saturday mornings in Zambia will never be the same again. ZNBC, the oldest and largest radio and television service provider in the country, is now airing two new educational cartoon shows, Akili and Me and Ubongo Kids, which promise to help kids in Zambia learn in fun ways.

Akili and Me is a popular African preschool show aimed at 3 to 6-year olds. The show is about Akili, a curious 4-year-old who is transported to a magical world of learning when she falls asleep. Akili sings, dances, and learns to speak English, count, make art, and so much more!

The show was created in 2015 by Ubongo Learning, a Tanzania-based non-profit dedicated to helping kids learn through fun and imagination. Akili is the most watched preschool show in Tanzania, and a recent study by researchers at the University of Maryland found that kids who watch Akili outperform their peers by 24% in counting and 12% in overall school readiness after just 1 month of daily viewing!

Older kids will also be entertained by Ubongo Kids, another show by Ubongo Learning aimed at 7 to 16-year-olds. The show follows five friends who love learning science, technology, engineering, math, and life skills and use their new knowledge to solve problems and mysteries in Kokotoa Village. Ubongo Kids is already incredibly popular in East Africa, with over 6.2 million monthly viewers!

Currently, Akili and Me and Ubongo Kids are watched in over 30 countries across Africa, making them one of the most popular African-made cartoon shows on the continent. As the largest broadcasting network in Zambia, ZNBC is dedicated to providing Zambian people with the best content that not only entertains but also educates. So do these cartoons actually deliver on their promise?

Tune in to watch Akili and Me and Ubongo Kids every Saturday at 10 am on ZNBC and repeats on Thursday and Friday at 16:30 pm to find out!

Creative and talented Zambian musician Paul Banda aka Just Slim in duet with a music living legend Cactus Agony (Humphrey Mwila) have collaborated in the must listen hit entitled “Mi Want Yuh” showcasing the very best contemporary pan-African musical genre.

The hit promises to be nothing short of a continent song piercing through the frontiers of the nations mentioned in the works whilst elevating the position of women in general. The magical and clever usage of sober sweet Zulu, Swahili and local lyrics spices the song whilst catapulting it to international standards.

The danceable song is firmly premised on a diversity of work that represents the forefront of ingenuity and innovation and praises both the unpararrel beauty and immeasurable works that the women around us exhibit with zeal and zest.

The duo’s artistic work is not only content focused but places specific focus on the vital role women play at the same time enlightening listeners and pleading with the menfolk to say “Mi Want Yuh…” to the women. It was written by Paul Banda with additional lyrics by Cactus Agony, produced by Eselayem and mastered by Shom C.

The song is set for release on 8th March 2018 which is also International Womens Day as we aim to celebrate Women in a special way. It will be available for download on Mvesesani (Link: https://www.mvesesani.com) which is Zambia’s digital music store and on Just Slim’s YouTube channel

A dazzling display of virtuosity commands one to listen to this mid-tempo song over and over… with the melodic voice of Cactus blending, twinning and twisting methodically with Slim’s soothing voice in a scintillating fashion.

As part of the International Women’s Day celebration, Women’s History Museum of Zambia and the Embassy of Sweden in Lusaka, in cooperation with Wikipedia and BongoHive, have joined the global #WikiGap campaign which aims to improve the representation of articles by and about women on Wikipedia. The initiative’s goal is to highlight women profiles, experts and role models in Zambia, and help to make the internet more gender-equal.

On 7th March, the Women’s History Museum and the Embassy of Sweden joined the global #WikiGap initiative by aligning the articles in Zambia to the campaign, and a breakfast was hosted by the Embassy of Sweden to celebrate the subjects of Wiki Women project in Zambia as part of highlighting International Women’s Day. The Wikipedians, members of the media and a number of the women profiled were present. The list of women include Cynthia Zukas, Linda Kasonde and Nsofwa Petronella Sampa.

“I am honoured to have been selected and I feel the weight of generations of histories of women that have never been recorded ”, said Linda Kasonde, President of the Law Association of Zambia and one of the subjects documented.

The Embassy of Sweden in Lusaka has supported the project in line with Sweden’s feminist foreign policy, which is based on the ambition to strengthen women’s and girls’ rights, representation and resources.

On 8th March – International Women’s Day – we will be joined by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Swedish embassies in the global campaign #WikiGap which aims to improve the representation of articles by and about women on Wikipedia. Parallel events will be organised in more than 40 countries, from Sweden to Vietnam, Egypt and Colombia, together with local actors and partners.

There are four times more articles about men than women on Wikipedia globally, and nine out of ten Wikipedia editors are men. We want to change this and close the internet gender gap. During our #WikiWomen edit-a-thon that took place on 26-28 February in Lusaka, about 40 Zambian writers were trained to become Wikipedia contributors and they have been submitting content on Zambian women for the past one week.

“The lack of gender equality is a universal problem and everyone gains by changing it. Research, our own experience and the experience of others show that gender equality contributes to greater wellbeing and peaceful societies,” said Henrik Cederin, Ambassador of Sweden in Zambia.

The Women’s History Museum is working to forge partnerships with various stakeholders to mainstream and functionalise historical narratives. The Museum will be announcing a list of projects and activities that will be designed as public and private partnerships with various organisations.

Co-founders of the Women’s History Museum Samba Yonga and Mulenga Kapwepwe have been working to create joint collaborations and implement innovative and inclusive ideas that will highlight the important work of documenting history.

The Zambia Airports Corporation Limited has donated 2000 sanitary pads to 350 Girls in Lusaka under the Menstruation Matters project, an initiative that seeks to reduce the dropout rate of girl pupils due to not being able to afford sanitary pads.

During a handover ceremony held at Lubuto Library Partners Model Library, Garden Compound, Zambia Airports Corporation Limited Communications and Brand Manager, Mweembe Sikaulu said they were happy to learn that ‘Menstruation Matters’ helps girls from poor social economic backgrounds reduce absenteeism from school through the simple and kind act of providing sanitary towels which has the potential to enhance school performance.

‘In the spirit of being a responsible corporate citizen, Zambia Airports Corporation Limited remains deeply committed to making a substantial and tangible impact on the communities in which we operate. Today, we donate ten thousand kwacha worth of sanitary towels. This means 340 girls will benefit from the distribution of 2,000 sanitary towels enabling them to focus on their education.’ She said.

Ms Sikaulu said education is one of their main CSR objectives which is why they partnered with the Lusaka Global Shapers Community in honour of International Women’s Day.

‘Lusaka Global Shapers Community is one of those important organisations needed in our society to look after the many young girls who unfortunately are forced to miss school due to a very natural female experience. The great work being done by organisations such as the Lusaka Global Shapers Community and their partners remains increasing vital in giving young girls the chance to obtain a full education without being put at a disadvantage for something they cannot control.’

In receiving the Donation Ms. Sekayi Fundafunda, Curator of Lusaka Global Shapers Hub thanked Zambia Airports Corporation Limited for the donation adding that it will help the 340 girls take care of their monthly periods.

And Given Besa, Library Manager Lubuto Library Partners said they were grateful to the Zambia Airports Corporation Limited for the role they have played in helping the girls to succeed. She added that without access to feminine hygiene products, girls often cannot attend school and miss out on important opportunities.

‘So we would like to thank, from the bottom of our hearts, the Zambia Airports Corporation Limited, Lusaka Global Shapers, and Copper Rose for their contributions to the success of all the girls you see here today. You are truly making a difference for the girls and women of this community, who we in turn know will one day go on to make a difference in our city, our country, and our world.’ She said.

 The ‘Menstruation Matters project is being implemented by the Lusaka Global Shapers, Copper Rose and Lis. The project is aimed at helping girls from poor social economic backgrounds with a pack of sanitary towels to reduce absenteeism from school which has the potential to enhance poor school performance. The project goes beyond distribution of sanitary pads by carrying out Menstrual and Sexual Reproductive Health Education in schools giving girls in rural communities the building blocks to build their lives and their dignity.

Pictures from the event: