Advertisement Banner
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Subscribe
Advertisement Banner
Home Blog Page 2286

HH demands that Tayali apologizes for calling him a Freemason or face court

editor
-
83
HH demands that Tayali apologizes for calling him a Freemason or face court
HH speaking to Journalists outside the Cathedral
UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema

Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has issued a 48 hour ultimatum to EPP leader Chilufya Tayali to apologize and withdraw his recent statement that the UPND President is a Freemason.

According to Mr Hichilema’s lawyers L.M Chambers, Mr Tayali should retract the statement, issue an apology within 72 hours or face a legal suit.

The matters relates to a Facebook post on Mr Tayali’s page in which he alleged that he can prove that Mr Hichilema practices Freemasonry.

It later emerged that Mr Tayali fabricated the WhatsApp conversation which was purported to have taken place between Mr Hichilema and a South African based Freemason colleague.

But Mr Tayali has vowed that he will not withdraw the statement.

He said he cannot wait to face Mr Hichilema in court and that he will use the court hearing as an opportunity to expose the UPND leader.

“There times when jack-pot comes your way and you should never hesitate to take it. This is good, I would love to meet HH in court, and since his lawyers are taking things from social media, let them get this one as well,” Mr Tayali said.

He vowed, lI am not retracting anything, let HH go to court immediately, I shall meet him there so that we can talk about a lot of things. I have a number of questions for HH, this is my chance. I will make him retire from politics and he will thank me later for the favor.”

Commodity prices and rentals increased in Ndola ahead of new salaries

editor
-
9
Commodity prices and rentals increased in Ndola ahead of new salaries

Some concerned civil servants in Ndola district in Copperbelt province says the salary increment which is expected next month should not result in increased rent and essential commodities in the area.

.

Mrs Memory Ndeila a teacher by profession notes that it was unfair for landlords in the area to have increased rentals by 25 percent already in expectation of increased civil servants’ salaries who are have been awarded increment of less than 10 percent effective next month.

She explained that it was unfair for someone who gets an increment of five percent to have his or her rentals increased by 25 percent.

“So these landlords that want to increase the rental should also increase them according to the salary percentage increment. If you get a 5 percent increment then the landlord should also consider giving you a 5% increment on rentals and not the 25 percent or 50 percent they are coming up with,” she said.

Another resident observed that an upward adjustment in commodity prices would not be very fair considering the electricity tariffs and fuel prices had already been adjusted upward.

“As civil servants we are not looking forward to having prices of various commodities increased for the simple reason already government has increased the price of fuel and also the electricity tariffs have been adjusted upwards.

Salaries for public service workers will be increased next year.

This is according to a statement on the proposed 2016-2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework issued by Secretary to the Treasury Mr. Fredson Yamba.

He however cautioned that the overall size of the public sector pay as a share of GDP should not rise during the period 2016-2018.The public service pay is therefore programmed to fall to 8.4 percent of the GDP by 2018.

Ndola motorists call for user friendly issuance of drivers’ licenses

editor
-
3
Ndola motorists call for user friendly issuance of drivers’ licenses

Some motorists in Ndola City in Copperbelt province have appealed to the Road Traffic and Safety Agency (RTSA) to consider introducing a more user friendly system of issuance of drivers licenses.

ZANIS Ndola reports that some motorists complained that acquiring of drivers licenses in Ndola was marred with inefficiency and irregularities.

A concerned driver Simon Zulu who applied for a license alleged that some officers at the agency were biased when dealing with clients.

He explained that some clients were given priority and attended to swiftly while others were made to wait in queues for long periods of time.

“When some of us go there, we wait in queues, while others just go straight to the counters and are attended to, when we complain they make us fail the tests,” he complained.

Another applicant Andrew Mubanga complained that even successful applicants were being inconvenienced by the agency as they took their time to issue the license.

“Imagine you are in the queue before lunch time then at 13:00 hours you are told they are closing for lunch, you have to come back later. Why can’t they work shifts? This is why we don’t develop as a country,” he said.

Another applicant Maybin Chewe advised that RTSA Ndola should speed up the process of renewing old licenses.

“My appeal is to RTSA Ndola to speed up the process of renewing one’s old license. It should not take as long as a first time applicant,” he said.

The residents have since appealed to the agency to be more efficient in its operations considering that it offers very cardinal services to the general public.

Efforts to get RTSA Head of Public Relations Fred Mubanga to comment on the matter failed by broadcast time as he was unreachable on his mobile phone.

Veteran Kitwe United supporter salutes sides promotion

sports
-
0

80-year-old Kitwe United supporter Vincent Kabanda has saluted Chingalika for securing promotion back to the FAZ Super Division.

The Buchi Boys are back in the topflight league after winning the 2017 FAZ Division 1 Zone 2 championship with 62 points from 30 matches.

“I am very excited that we are finally back in the Super Division. We need to thank God and the boys for their hard work,” Kabanda said at Garden Park Stadium.

Kitwe last tested Super Division football in 2006.

“Now we will be playing with Super Division teams like Zesco United and Nkana. This is good news for us,” he said.

Kitwe needed a 2-0 win over Zesco Luapula in Mansa on Sunday on the final day of the season to clinch promotion.

“I didn’t go to Mansa but I was following the game through phone updates. At first I heard that we have scored one goal and later we scored another and from there I knew we had done it,” Kabanda recounted.

Uganda crush Cosafa U20 champions Zambia

sports
-
8

Zambia U20 made bad start to their COSAFA U20 Cup defence after a 2-0 home loss to Uganda at Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe on Wednesday night.

The defeat left the 2016 champions slumped at the bottom of Group A after day one.

Muhammad Shaban scored a second half brace in the 52 and 63rd minutes in a bruising battle between the sides in the third kickoff on day-one of the tournament Zambia is hosting from December 6-16.

Not even the presence of 2016 winner and 2017 U20 AFCON champions attacking midfielder Edward Chilufya could not lift Zambia’s prospects as they were restricted to half chances against a well-oiled Uganda side.

Uganda and Malawi share the lead on 3 points, Swaziland are 3rd on zero points after losing 3-2 to the former at the same venue earlier in the day.

Zambia must now beat Malawi in another on Friday at Nkana Stadium to keep their dim hopes of progressing to the semifinals alive.

The breakdown in talks between the Zambian government and IMF

editor
-
83
The breakdown in talks between the Zambian government and IMF
Chibamba Kanyama
Chibamba Kanyama

By Chibamba Kanyama

I have received many enquiries from colleagues about what I make of the ‘breakdown’ in talks between the Government and the International Monetary Fund. My views are as follows:

1. Both parties, the Zambian Government and the IMF want the Program. On the part of the IMF, lending for balance of payments support is one of its three co-mandates. When Zambia requested for a program this year, the IMF expectedly went into motion, preparing ground for lending to one of its member states; in part to support economic stability and second, to contain spill-over effects. As things stand, Zambia is at high risk of debt distress and all efforts must be made to bring the risks down, moderate as the target. IMF responds professionally and aggressively to requests for lending for a three-year package that attracts the barest of interest rates (presumed to be below 1 percent).

On the part of Government, the economic fundamentals have been very weak since 2015 and if not fully arrested, the country can slide back to what we just experienced despite a rebound in copper prices, an end to power outages (certainly at huge cost) and an end to election-induced spending. Both the Minister of Finance Felix Mutati and Bank of Zambia Governor Denny Kalyalya are aware of the potential risks and the best response is to build economic buffers the IMF route. Creditors to Zambia, particularly sovereign bondholders, are fully aware of this risk and that is the reason the ongoing talks are international news. Any indication of breakdown in talks has an immediate impact on the exchange rate. Just recently, the government securities were undersubscribed hence (in part) the scarcity in dollar supply.

2. The real problem leading to what we may term ‘breakdown in talks’ is Zambia’s true debt position. IMF has in the past three years (learning from Mozambique and, in part Greece) placed substantial weight on Debt Sustainability Assessment (known as DSA). I have privately shared with government officials in the past one year to take time to understand how the IMF operates because any mishap in negotiations will trigger reputational problems. IMF is a ‘data’ organisation. You can lobby, talk and persuade it on a position using qualitative information. They will just look at you. Dealing with IMF requires authentic quantitative information. It appears the data government has provided the IMF is not speaking to the data IMF has about Zambia’s debt profile. IMF wants government to come clean on this issue.

Let me use an analogy to drive the point home (this analogy is grossly misstated but helpful for purposes of this communication): You are planning to marry a king’s daughter, all is going well in terms of wedding preparations except for the setting of the date for exchanging rings and vows. Suddenly, information emerges that the ‘groom’ is seeing someone else, who is already pregnant. The king’s daughter will not call off the wedding but may ask you to come clean before you proceed with the marriage! Were there loans contracted in 2017 while program negotiations were in place? This appears to be the case.

3. Way forward: Government has done a lot so far to ensure the program succeeds. The level of commitment on the part of the Minister of Finance and his team cannot be under- estimated. Sufficient ground has been made for an IMF program such as subsidy reforms and many more reforms associated with debt contraction underway. President Edgar Lungu has personally made announcements in support of an IMF program, an assurance that sits well with IMF. However, a few things ought to be done:

a. Dedicate a fully commitment team of technocrats to skim through the mountains of data and provide that which sits well with IMF expectations. Having chatted with the IMF Zambia team on several occasions over lunch when I served at the Fund, I would urge Mr. Mutati to rehire the former permanent secretary Felix Nkulukusa to support the current Permanent Secretary Mukuli Chikuba. Nkulukusa is highly respected in the IMF ranks and can fully support the Zambian team as a consultant for speedy and authentic execution of the project. The duo, plus other negotiation team members, cannot fail to deliver.

b. There must be a definite buy-in by the Cabinet. I have raised concerns before that Cabinet does not appear to be in full agreement on an IMF program and that’s why it seems, in the eyes of the investors, the program is pushed by only two people, Mutati and Kalyalya.

c. Communication around the programme should be in simple clear language for all stakeholders. However, given the presumed stalemate, I propose the IMF engagement be withdrawn from the public eye. It is either you disclose the whole truth or you say nothing at all. The latter is the best option as things stand.

d. Let us not give up. The IMF program is good for Zambia. There are no more conditionalities to come following what Government has already done. The benefits will be fiscal discipline, beefing up of reserves, unlocking of budget support from concessional lenders and the closing of the Chapter so that energies of technocrats are redirected elsewhere.

 

Chibamba Kanyama recently served as Front Office Communications Advisor at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC and currently serves as Managing Consultant for Bridges Limited, specialising in Leadership and Management Training.

Chilubi hubby beats wife to death

editor
-
10
Chilubi hubby beats wife to death

Police in Chilubi have arrested a 35 year old man of Chief Matipa’s area for allegedly murdering his wife following a domestic dispute.

Northern Province Deputy Police Commissioner Edwin Bwanga has confirmed the incidence to ZANIS today and identified the suspect as Zacharia Mwelwe.

Mr Bwanga said the couple is said to have picked up a quarrel which resulted in a fight and led to the death of the wife.

He said the man is believed to have used kicks, fists and other unknown objects during the fight.

Mr Bwanga identified the deceased as Muma Chale whose remains have since been buried.

Meanwhile, Mr Bwanga has advised couples to desist from resorting to violent behaviour whenever they have misunderstandings.

He said couples must learn to seek counsel and avoid violent acts which may lead to death of either partner.

The deputy police chief added that it is unfortunate that such an incidence has occurred when the world is observing the 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.

There is no application fees for teacher recruitment-TCZ

editor
-
5
There is no application fees for teacher recruitment-TCZ

The Teaching Council of Zambia says did not in anyway charge applicants fees to enable them qualify for the recent teacher recruitment but the money applicants paid to the Council of Zambia was for purposes of teacher Registration.

In a statement, the Teaching Council of Zambia must be separated from the teacher recruitment exercise as it is not an employer and therefore not mandated to recruit teachers.

It said teacher recruitment is a mandate of the Teaching Service Commission which is the employer of teachers in the Public sector.

Below is a full statement

THE TEACHING COUNCIL OF ZAMBIA

PRESS Release (Wednesday 6th November, 2017)

RE: Clarification on 2017 Teacher Recruitment

The Teaching Council of Zambia is concerned with some comments being expressed by some stakeholders in society over the recent 2017 teacher recruitment. As the Teaching Council of Zambia we wish to clarify issues that have been topics of intense discussion in the media.

Firstly, the Teaching Council of Zambia must be separated from the teacher recruitment exercise as it is NOT an employer and therefore not mandated to recruit teachers.

This is a mandate of the Teaching Service Commission which is the employer of teachers in the Public sectors. To the contrary, the mandate of the Teaching Council of Zambia, as provided for by the Teaching Profession Act No. 5 of 2013, is to regulate the teachers, their practice and professional conduct from both the public and private sectors.

Furthermore, the mandate of the Teaching Council of Zambia is to provide for the accreditation of all colleges of education.

The Ministry of General Education issued an advertisement for teacher recruitment with one of the requirements being registration of applicants with the Teaching Council of Zambia pursuant to section 26 sub (1) (a) of the Teaching Profession Act No. 5 of 2013 which states that:

‘A person shall not, unless the person is _registered_ as a teacher and holds a practicing certificate under this Act’ – practice as, be employed as, offer teaching services as, or hold out to be, a teacher; further, section 10 (1) of the said Act indicates that: ‘A person shall apply to the Council for registration as a teacher in the prescribed manner and form upon payment of the prescribed fee’ in other words, the main role of the Teaching Council of Zambia is to foster professionalism in the Teaching Profession from ensuring that teachers have minimum entry qualifications to ensuring that the teacher’s professional ethics is in conformity with the code of conduct of the teaching profession.

This, therefore, means that, the Teaching Council of Zambia did NOT in any way charge applicants fees to enable them qualify for the teacher recruitment but the money applicants paid to the Teaching Council of Zambia was for purposes of teacher Registration.

It is a one off payment, suffice to mention that what follows is the payment of a practicing certificate pursuant to section 15 which equally states that “a teacher shall apply to the Council for a Practicing Certificate in the prescribed manner and form upon payment of the prescribed fees.” In Zambia, teacher registration is law.

Given the afore stated, there was no illegality what so ever to what happened before the teacher recruitment exercise in terms of payment of fees as this is provided for in the law. The practicing Certificate is renewable after three (3) years for any teacher. It must be emphasized that the teacher is a continuous process.

We wish to take this opportunity to update members of the public regarding the qualification verification for teacher registration.

In September this year, 498 applicants were found to have presented forged certificates to support their teacher registration application.

Since teacher registration is an on-going process, in October, the number of those with forged certificates shot up to 641. This was from the serving teachers from both public and private schools.

Within the same month of October, 2017 more applicants tendered their applications for teacher registration and by coincidence these were also applying for teacher recruitment as announced by the Ministry of General Education.

Interestingly, 102 applicants presented forged certificates from the verification exercise facilitated by the Examination Council of Zambia. At the moment, a total of 743 applicants have been found to have presented forged certificates which were either academic or professional qualifications.

In order to bring sanity in the Teaching Profession, the Teaching Council of Zambia will scrutinize all teacher registration applicants so that only rightly qualified people are employed.

It is in this regard that we wish to advise stakeholders, teachers and the general public to engage the Teaching Council of Zambia on any matter of interest to them. Its important to get the right picture and appreciate the rationale behind the establishment of the regulatory body for the teaching profession.

ISSUED BY: MS. NGOZA MALONGA
SPOKESPERSON- TCZ

APPROVED BY: DR. EBBY MUBANGA
REGISTRAR – TCZ

FRA pays a total of K 25.3 million to small scale farmers in Southern province

editor
-
0
FRA pays a total of K 25.3 million to small scale farmers in Southern province
Farmers rebagging their maize at Kamuswazi Satellite depot
FILE: Farmers rebagging their maize at Kamuswazi Satellite depot

The Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has so far paid out a total of K25,389,470 to small scale farmers who supplied white maize to the agency in Southern province.

In addition and a total of K62,610 to farmers who supplied soya beans to the agency in Southern Province Region ‘B’ comprising Monze, Pemba, Mazabuka, Namwala and Gwembe Districts.

The Agency has paid out K1,929,620 Million to farmers who supplied white maize in Gwembe, K7,624,830 in Mazabuka, K7,050,000 Million in Monze, K4,050,000 Million in Namwala, and K4,735,020 Million in Pemba Districts.

It has also paid out K1,820 to farmers who supplied the Agency with Soya beans in Gwembe District K21,190 in Mazabuka District, K5,000 in Monze, K5,900 in Namwala District, and K30,700 in Pemba District.

ZANIS reports FRA Region B marketing Manager Stephen Liato said in an interview that his Agency now has a balance of K20, 605,390 it owes farmers who supplied maize and K38,270 to farmers who supplied soya beans in the region.

Mr. Liato explained that the total crop value for maize supplied in the region was K45, 994,860 Million while total crop value for soya beans was at K100,880.

He said government was committed to ensure that through the FRA all the farmers who sold their maize and other crops to the agency were paid as soon as possible.

“ Government through FRA has this week paid out K25 K25,389,470 Million small scale farmers who supplied maize to the agency and has also paid out a total of K62,610 to farmers who supplied soya beans to the agency in Southern Province Region ‘B’ comprising Monze, Pemba, Mazabuka, Namwala and Gwembe Districts,” said Mr. Liato.

“ It has shown serious commitment to ensure that all farmers who sold their crops to the agency are paid as soon as possible to enable them prepare adequately for the 2017/2018 farming season and apart from these payments we expect more money any time so that all farmers can be cleared,” he added.

Mr. Liato called on small scale farmers in the five Districts not to despair but be patient as government was doing everything possible to ensure that they are paid in order for them to grow staple food for both household and national food security.

“FRA is nothing without farmers who toil to produce food for our national food security and the Agency is humble by the patience exercised by farmers to wait for their payments. One thing I can re-assure them is that government is deeply concerned about their plight and everything is being done to clear all outstanding balances owed to farmers across the country by the agency,” said Mr. Liato.

Government calls for calm among rioting CBU students

editor
-
5
Government calls for calm among rioting CBU students

Binwell Mpundu
Binwell Mpundu

KITWE District Commissioner Binwell Mpundu has appealed to the Copperbelt University Students to remain calm as government is working on modalities to address their delayed meal allowances.

ZANIS reports that Mr. Mpundu said during an interview at his office today that the tendency by students to take to the streets each time they have a grievance demoralises government’s effort of addressing their issues.

“I have been talking to the Permanent Secretary for Higher Education ( Mabvuto Sakala )and he has assured me that the issue of students’ meal allowances is being addressed as such there is no need for them to riot but that they should give us time”, Mr Mpundu said.

The Kitwe District Commissioner warned that government will not succumb to any pressure from students adding that it will come up with tough measures that may not be favourable to the students.

“ I urge CBU students to be patient on government . They should realise that government has other competing financial needing to be attended, “ he said.

Copperbelt University students have gone a riot over their delayed meal allowances.

The protects which begun last night have continued with one student having been arrested so far.

Meanwhile Lecturers at the Copperbelt University have also downed tools citing delayed salaries.

President Lungu’s Ineligibility Won’t Make HH Win 2021

editor
-
53
President Lungu’s Ineligibility Won’t Make HH Win 2021

Hakainde-Hichilema
Hakainde-Hichilema
Prince Ndoyi the MMD youth who has made it his business to remind the UPND of their chances of wining the 2021 election is at it again.

In the latest statement Ndoyi says the chances of UPND president Hakainde Hichilema remains the same even if incumbent President Edgar Lungu was eliminated from the race by virtue of his ineligibility because their candidate will be the same person who has lost five times.

Ndoyi wonders what will be different and make Zambians vote for a person who they have rejected five times even if the ruling party presented a new comer to compete with him in the next elections.

He noted that the insistence by the UPND regarding the eligibility or ineligibility of President Lungu might be misconstrued to present their president as being scared of being walloped by the same individual three times.

“Our view from the outset is that HH and his UPND must be made to understand that in the unfortunate circumstance that President Lungu is declared ineligible, UPND’s chances to win remain the same. This is because they have featured the same candidate five times and so there is nothing different they have to offer to the ordinary Zambian electorate.

“It is GBM’s duty as Vice President coupled with his experience politically to help the UPND leadership to understand that it is a political blunder for them to insist on President Lungu’s ineligibility. Because this has the potential to create a perception that they are afraid of his candidature. It is truly a mark of fear and desperation on their part, like President Lungu so rightly put it. Why the panic? Does it mean if Edgar Lungu won’t be eligible then HH and his UPND stand a chance to win? President Lungu’s eligibility certainly won’t make HH win,” he said.

He advised the UPND to take self introspection as the eligibility issue might also apply to their leader who has not gone to a convention to seek mandate from the membership.

“Why should the candidate who will be adopted by Patriotic Front worry HH and his UPND? What does that say about themselves?Are the UPND indirectly admitting that once beaten twice shy? Have they failed to win at elections, now they want to use the elimination method by making their opponents ineligible thereby gate crushing into State House.

“We would like to urge HH and his UPND to instead concentrate their energies on checking their own eligibility to stand within their party. Seeing that they have stood countless times without a convention within their party, and still intend to stand in 2021. This is far much equally a moral issue as it is a constitutional one. Maybe it’s time GBM was adopted as their candidate for a change,” he said.

He also said instead hoping for weaknesses and/or misfortunes from their opponents the UPND should develop a strategy of their own for 2021.

“The UPND must develop a political strategy for 2021 of their own, unlike waiting on the weaknesses and misfortunes in other political parties. It won’t help them if there will be any. With such it is suffice to say all guesses in the MMD/PF Alliance are eligible to win, even the perceived incorrect ones against HH and his UPND.

“As young democrats, surely there should be no sense of satisfaction in what is happening. In fact, they should take this moment to look at themselves in the mirror and ask: How much do their own party’s internal battles resemble the fight happening within the other parties? As Democrats we should be asking ourselves how tolerant we are of dissent within our own party and how much we are really willing to reach across the aisle,” he said.

African Parks to construct 10 chiefs houses in Western Province

editor
-
3
African Parks to construct 10 chiefs houses in Western Province

African Parks has embarked on a community project to construct 10 institutional houses for area Chiefs in Kalabo’s Liuwa National Park at a cost of K1.2 million.

Community Manager Walubita Sifuniso confirmed the development in an interview with ZANIS today saying three houses have since been completed and scheduled for handover.

Mr. Sifuniso said the project was a way of paying back to the community for their commitment to support wildlife conservation in the area adding that Chiefs are heralds of sustainable growth.

He disclosed that African Parks will endeavour to support traditional structures of the Barotse Royal Establishment through establishment of institutional houses in Liuwa where the Chiefs would be operating from.

He said his organization firmly appreciates traditional leadership and its spheres of responsibility in managing land tenure, local justice, conflict resolution and implementation of customary law hence the need for them to have permanent institutional houses.

Mr. Sifuniso noted that once constructed, the institutional houses would enable the traditional leaders to effectively engage into community mobilization and thereby contribute towards national development.

He observed that the Chiefs are advocates of wildlife conservation whose potential would fully be realized if provided with institutional houses which would multipurpose both as residential and official quarters.

African Parks is a non-profit conservation organization that took over Liuwa national park in 2003 to secure the area’s vast landscape, protect endangered species and restore wildlife in a bid to inculcate economic development, alleviate poverty and promote ecological sustainance among communities living there.

Civil servants benefiting from E- voucher cards warned

editor
-
9
Civil servants benefiting from E- voucher cards warned

Government has cautioned Public Service Workers against acquiring E-voucher Cards.

Milenge District Agricultural Coordinator Arnold Muimui revealed that some public service workers in district are appearing in the Milenge E-voucher data base the situation he said is unacceptable.

Mr. Muimui has since urged individuals that are appearing in the E-Voucher System not to pay the required K400 for them to access the farming inputs saying the program is for vulnerable small scale farmers who cannot afford to buy inputs.

ZANIS reports that District Agricultural Coordinator said this when gave an update on the Farmers Input Support Program during a meeting for the public service workers at Milenge District Council Hall yesterday.

Mr. Muimui says people should remember that the National Registration Card details in the e voucher system are the same as those at Payroll Management and Establishment Control (PMEC) hence those found wanting will have their salaries deducted.

AU Trade Commissioner says Africa is doing the right thing to create FTA

editor
-
2
AU Trade Commissioner says Africa is doing the right thing to create FTA

African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry Albert Muchanga
African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry Albert Muchanga

Africa is doing the right thing in creating the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) despite the current retreat from multilateralism, Albert Muchanga, the African Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Industry, said in Cairo today.

Delivering the keynote lecture at the second edition of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Trade and Development Seminar Series, Mr. Muchanga said that the physical deglobalization that was taking place in the world had created a need for strong regional economies.

He noted, for instance that although the World Trade Organisation was failing to come up with new multilateral trade agreements, more countries were still applying to join that world body and that no countries were clamouring to leave it.

Mr. Muchanga explained that the establishment the FCTA flowed from the vision of the African Union to achieve an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens representing a dynamic force in the international system.

With more than 1.2 billion people, including a growing middle class, over $3.4 trillion in aggregate GDP, and being one of the 10 largest economies in the world in aggregate GDP, the CFTA was a commercially viable undertaking and would be among the largest free trade areas in the world in terms of population, he stated.

In addition to generating strong gains on soft issues, the CFTA will bring about economic stability and growth in Africa and will address issues of trade policy, trade facilitation, productive capacity and trade information on the continent, he stated. It will also tackle the challenge of trade related infrastructure, trade finance and factor market integration, including free movement of people, free movement of capital and right of establishment.

Earlier, in a welcome address, Dr. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, said that the timely conclusion of negotiations for the CFTA had confirmed the commitment of African leaders to pursuing regional integration.

President Oramah noted that with the CFTA coming on stream in a period when multilateralism and plurilateralism were under attack in many important regions of the world, questions had been raised about its future under such an environment.

“While the speed with which the CFTA has been concluded appears to indicate Africa’s preference for unity, we have to be mindful that the attainment of the ultimate goal of the CFTA of strengthening Africa’s role in global trade may be more difficult to achieve under the wave of isolationism sweeping across other markets,” he warned.

The Seminar was followed by a dinner hosted by Afreximbank in honour of Mohamed Edrees, Egypt’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for African Affairs, who has been posted to New York as Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

The Afreximbank Trade and Development Seminar Series was introduced in 2016 to promote excellence in African trade and development and to provide a platform to articulate African trade and development finance issues, while enhancing the role of the Bank as a global player in development economics, trade and development finance.

The seminar series also provides an opportunity for global leaders in the business and development community, experts, diplomats, leading policy makers and representatives from the academic community to share perspectives on African trade and economic development issues.

Guests at the Seminar included ambassadors and other senior members of the diplomatic corps in Egypt, high ranking Egyptian public officials, private sector representatives, heads of multilateral institutions and international organisations based in Egypt, and members of the media

DEC arrests 5 small scale farmers for unlawful cultivation of cannabis

editor
-
5
DEC arrests 5 small scale farmers for unlawful cultivation of cannabis

The Drug Enforcement Commission in Southern Province has arrested five (5) small scale farmers of Matako Chiefdom in Mulobezi District for unlawful cultivation of cannabis plants weighing over six (6) tonnes, contrary to the laws of Zambia.

The five arrested are Sibanda Ntunta, 29, of Kamwatamwata Village for cultivation of cannabis plants weighing 3.9 tonnes, Kapupa Eric, 37, also of Kamwatamwata Village for cultivation of cannabis plants weighing 600 Kilograms.Others include Madao Janita, a female of unknown age in Kazuzi Village for cultivation of cannabis plants weighing 600 kilograms and Kapupa Limbama, 41, also of Kazuzi Village, for cultivation of 495 kilograms of cannabis plants.

Also arrested is Kapeto Ostern, 36, a small scale farmer of Sibanze Village for cultivation of cannabis plants weighing 790 kilograms.

The suspects are expected to appear in court today.

Meanwhile, the Commission through the Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit (AMLIU) in Lusaka has arrested an export controller of a named transport company for money laundering and being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime, contrary to the laws of Zambia.

Particulars of the offences are that on dates unknown but between 1st February, 2014 and 30th April, 2015, whilst acting together with other persons unknown, Chomba Mwansa, 30, an export controller of Chazanga Township in Lusaka District did deposit cash into a known bank account amounting to K 1, 133, 400.00, monies suspected to be proceeds of crime. The suspect did further launder the funds by remitting a total of K 480, 372.03 by way of swift transfer to various overseas companies and acquired seven (7) motor vehicles as well as properties amounting to K 459, 420.
The suspect has been released on Police bond and is expected to appear in court soon.

1...2,2852,2862,287...5,648Page 2,286 of 5,648

Company

Trending

Categories

© Lusaka Times