Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) Executive Director Pamela Kabaso says debt accumulation has grown at a fast rate from under 20 percent in 2010 to the current 47 percent which is worrisome.

Speaking at the ZIPAR Debt Management Conference themed “Zambia’s Public Debt; The Elephant in the room”, Dr. Kabaso said various stakeholders have expressed concern that the increased borrowing rate is making Zambia head towards debt distress.

Dr. Kabaso states that the conference will provided a platform that will bring to the fore needed solutions to the economic debt the country has accumulated.

Dr. Kabaso said that debt management must be prioritized to protect the country’s economy from a surge in borrowing costs through policy reformation and refinement.

“This debt accumulation has grown at a fast rate from under 20 percent in 2010 to the current 47 percent and this is worrisome” Dr. Kabaso said

And International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative Alfredo Baldini said the pace Zambia is taking in repaying its external debts is quiet low and puts authority in pressure for the need to more borrowing in order to pay off other debts which may eventually lead to more incurred debts.

Baldini said if the country continues to borrow funds, foreign investors will be hesitant to operate in the country as the effects of high debts will result in higher tax tariffs that may cause a decline in the number of people investing in Zambia

Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) Senior Research Officer Caesar Cheelo has urged government to improve budget credibility and other financial aspects to enhance Zambia’s financial sector.

“The pace Zambia is taking in repaying its external debts is quiet low and puts authority in pressure for the need to more borrowing in order to pay off other debts which may eventually lead to more incurred debts” Baldini said

Justina Mutale has been named in the 2018 Powerlist of the top 100 Most Influential Black People in the UK. The Powerlist recognises and celebrates 100 of Britain’s most influential people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage. Nominees are rated on their ability to change lives and alter events. Influential personalities previously listed on the Powerlist include Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland; former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos; and world-renowned Philanthropist, Mo Ibrahim.

“It is a great honour and privilege to be featured among some of the most outstanding personalities of Black origin. I am humbled by this awesome recognition”, says Justina Mutale

A Global Official of Dignity and Doctor of Humane Letters, Justina Mutale was in 2014 and 2015 honoured as one of the greatest humanitarians of the world at a ceremony held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Ms Mutale has also been honoured for her outstanding and phenomenal leadership qualities as a Stateswoman; Global Leader; and Iconic Woman Leader of the Decade. A Distinguished Member of the Royal Biographical Institute and a Fellow of the Global Institute of Human Excellence, Ms Mutale has been globally acclaimed as one of the most influential and inspirational women of African origin. In 2012, she was awarded the prestigious title of “African Woman of the Year” sharing a platform with various African Presidents and Heads of State. She is the Founder and President of the Justina Mutale Foundation, which incorporates the Justina Mutale Scholarship for underprivileged young women and girls from Africa. She is also Founder of POSITIVE RUNWAY: The Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread (of HIV/AIDS).

“Justina Mutale is a towering icon of exceptional repose, a woman of inestimable value, a caring and influential heroine, one that exemplifies high standards, ethics, care and unalloyed support for women and values” – Rex Idaminabo, African ViewPoint Journal

Ms Mutale has been recognised among the 21st Century new leaders and influencers of our time, who are challenging what we have known for ages, challenging the stereotypes, challenging the norms and creating their own reality, which resonates with the needs of people around them by maximising resources around them to create powerful ripple effects that are changing lives, using the power of their gifting, vision and creativity. She has been featured as a Hero in the Capital Finance International Journal, which brings coverage and analysis of the drivers behind change, by combining the views of leading multilateral and national organizations with thought leadership from some of the world’s top minds.

A recipient of numerous international awards, honours and accolades, Ms Mutale is named on various WHO’s WHO Lists; Influential Lists; and Power Lists across the globe, including the Women of the Decade Power List; the Black Women in Europe Power List; Top 100 Most Influential Women in Emerging Economies; 100 Most Influential Creatives; 100 African Women of Power; and 100 Africans Making a Difference. Furthermore, Ms Mutale has been inducted to the Global Women Leaders Hall of Fame based in the USA, as well as the Black 100+ Hall of Fame, an Exhibition and Legacy of the top 100 Black Achievers in modern Britain. She has also been nominated to the Capital Awards Hall of Fame at the Georgia State Capital in the USA, and the 2017 UN-World Habitat Humanitarian Awards held in Abuja, Nigeria.

Ms Mutale serves as President, Patron, Ambassador, Advisor, Board Member, Consultant and Mentor to various commercial, humanitarian, charitable and community organisations in the UK and across the globe. She sits on the Advisory Board of the World Leaders Forum and is Global Envoy and Spokesperson of the International Women’s Think Tank. She is also a civil society delegate and Speaker at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women; and the African Union High-Level Panel on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment held in the wings of the African Union Heads of State Summit. A much sought after international Keynote Speaker, Ms Mutale has had the rare privilege of addressing the United States National Congress of Black Women, America’s most influential women’s group, which has also been addressed by both the 44^th President of the US, President, Barack Obama and the former First lady, Michelle Obama.

The UK Powerlist of Most Influential Black People in the UK is referred to by a number of reputable companies and organisations when they are looking to appoint board members, award honours, public speakers and discover people in senior positions. The list is also sent out to schools, colleges and universities, reflecting those listed as great role models to young people across the UK. The 2018 Powerlist includes Gina Miller, Business Owner and Political Activist; Ric Lewis, Chief Executive and Chairman of Tristan Capital Partners; Ismail Ahmed, Founder of World Remit; Sharon White, Chief of OFCOM; Dr Nira Chamberlain, Professional Mathematician; and Edward Enninful, Editor-in- Chief-of-British Vogue.

The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) says it is deeply concerned with the continued rivalry between Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili and Kabushi Member of Parliament Bowman Lusambo.

FODEP Executive Director Chimfwembe Mweenge states that the current happenings between Mr. Kambwili and Mr. Lusambo who is also Copperbelt Minister has become a concern as the two have taken things personal and the situation is likely to disturb the development of the areas the duo represent.

FODEP Executive Director Chimfwembe Mweembe noted that there is no law that restricts a Member of Parliament from visiting a constituency that is not his and it is not right for Lusambo to state that Kabushi constituency is a no-go area

“We would therefore, like to urge the two leaders to consider making amends and forging ahead in the interest of the nation and the people who elected them,” Mr Mweenge said.

Mr. Mweenge further appealed to youths not to allow themselves to be used to champion the feud between the two members of parliament but instead occupy themselves withmore productive ventures to better their livelihood.

On Tuesday 24th October 2017, Mr. Lusambo chased Kambwili from Kabushi constituency when the latter attempted to tour the gutted Kapalala Market.

And Yesterday Lusambo published the statement below

HON. KAMBWILI SHOULD FIRST CLEAN UP ROAN BEFORE LOITERING IN KABUSHI

I recently travelled to Luanshya in the company of His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the great leader of this great nation to Roan Constituency to check on developmental projects in that area.

It was disappointing to see the level of under development in the constituency where Hon. Kambwili has represented the people as Member of Parliament for several years.

I observed that some of the most neglected people in Roan Constituency happen to be Marketeers trading at Roan and Mpatamatu Markets.

These people are in desperate need of capital to improve their business and there is also an urgent need to improve their trading areas.

It is therefore interesting that today Hon. Kambwili found it convenient to invade my Constituency Kabushi on a desperate mission to lie to the people who were affected by the recent Kapalala Market fire that he has a solution to their predicament.

What was however even more interesting is that the people elected to ignore Hon. Kambwili while a few of those that choose to listen to him ended up booing him after realizing that he was just issuing empty and ignorant statements.

I wish to warn Hon. Kambwili that he will do well to first clean up the mess he has created in Roan than wasting his time coming to Kabushi.

As he found out today, Kabushi is very intact politically and no amount of political buffoonery from buffoons like him would change that .

Kabushi will remain a no-go area for foolish politicians like Hon. Kambwili because we are busy working to improve the lives of our people in the area.

The Marketeers at Kapalala ignored Hon. Kambwili because they are aware that very soon, a modern state of the art Market will be constructed and all the victims of the fire will be given financial assistance in line with the assurance from President Lungu.

For the information of Hon. Kambwili, works to improve the water and sanitation situation in Kabushi will soon be completed while road works have also progressed.
The people of Kabushi know that come 2021, Kabushi Constituency will never be the same again.

From the evidence of his afternoon’s shenanigans, Hon. Kambwili should now be fully aware that he is a political lightweight who cannot compete with him.

His supposed political weight can only be felt in his own house among his own children. If he cares to know, I will be available to offer him some extra lessons in political strategy and relevance-at no fee.

Zone Fam member, Yung Verbal, released his latest single “Guitara” that features South African artist “Stige Lebaka”.

Download the song HERE

BY KAPA187

The Zambian government is failing to protect the rights of rural residents displaced by large commercial farms in Serenje district, Human Rights Watch said in a report released yesterday.

Some commercial farmers have acquired thousands of hectares of land while ignoring legal provisions meant to protect the environment and ensure local communities are compensated if their land is taken.

Some commercial farms have forcibly evicted residents whose families have farmed the land for generations.

The 101-page report, “Forced to Leave: Commercial Farming and Displacement in Zambia,” examines the impact of commercial farms on residents’ rights to health, housing, livelihood, food and water security, and education.

It examines how women have been disproportionately affected and often excluded from negotiations with commercial farmers.

Based on more than 130 interviews with rural residents affected by commercial farming, the report examines the human rights record of six commercial farms that exemplify much larger failures of rights protection and governance. It also draws on interviews with government officials, commercial farmers, advocates, and lawyers.

“Families that have lived and farmed for generations on land now allocated to commercial farms are being displaced without due process or compensation,” said Juliana Nnoko-Mwewanu researcher on women and land at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. “Families have been left hungry and homeless.”

The Zambian government is promoting large-scale agricultural investments to diversify the economy and reduce rural poverty.

But Human Rights Watch says the government has been so negligent in enforcing laws on land acquisition and regulating these ventures that some rural communities have suffered severe harm.

Many commercial farms operate on “farm blocks,” large swaths of land where the government has promised to build roads, irrigation, and other infrastructure to serve multiple farms. Laws and policies regulate how land can be converted from “customary” to “state” status, or otherwise acquired for farm blocks or other economic development projects.
Customary lands are administered by traditional leaders and state lands are under government authority.

Government officials say all farm block land in Serenje district was long ago converted from customary to state control.

Some advocates and traditional authorities say the processes were so faulty that the conversions should be considered void.

Commercial farms investing in Serenje district range in size from 150 hectares to more than 5,000 hectares of land.

These ventures are headed up by a broad spectrum of investors, from corporations to family-run farms whose owners live on and work the land directly.

Zambian law gives government officials and investors specific responsibilities over these investments.

Commercial farms need to consult affected communities, provide appropriate compensation, adhere to resettlement standards, assess environmental impacts, and comply with relevant laws.

Traditional leaders must also consult affected communities before agreeing to land transfers.

Government officials should ensure that investment projects comply with the law. But rural residents in Serenje district told Human Rights Watch that the reality was nothing like that. Many said no one informed them about the new commercial farms nor made any effort to protect their rights. Some said farmers arriving to survey and measure the land was the first notification they had about commercial farms coming to their communities. Others had earlier warnings and, in some cases, a degree of consultation and compensation.

Residents displaced by commercial farms said they lost access to food, water, shelter, and schools. Many families had to move to areas with poor quality soil and could no longer grow sufficient food.

They were pushed further away from water sources, burdening women and girls in particular with spending far more time gathering water from distant streams. Many children had to drop out of school because their new homes were too far away and the new area did not have a school.

Human Rights Watch says the government of Zambia has exercised exceedingly poor oversight and enforcement of legal requirements over commercial farms.

It says government has failed to enforce laws and regulations that require farms to assess and mitigate the social and environmental impacts of their operations, and is not monitoring whether commercial farming ventures are complying with the law.

Dozens of residents forcibly evicted by one commercial farmer in 2013 have spent four years in tents or shoddy housing in a forest area where they have little access to water, and say they have been told not to cultivate crops.

Government officials provided the tents and paltry food assistance in the first year, but have largely ignored this community since then. The residents said they are stuck in limbo, with fading hopes that the government will resettle them onto new land.

“Rural residents in Serenje were blindsided by commercial agriculture,” said Patrick Musole, programmes manager at the Zambia Land Alliance, a group of organizations working for fair land policies and laws that take into account the interests of the poor.

“Government officials and many commercial farmers charged ahead with large-scale farms on occupied rural lands, with zero respect for residents’ human rights.”
Women in the displaced communities have suffered distinctive and disproportionate harmful impacts due to their social roles and status, and had the least opportunity to negotiate and assert their rights.

Women described enormous struggles to sustain their families after losing safe water for drinking and household use, access to fertile land for cultivating food crops, and hunting or foraging grounds.

Some complained about a lack of nutritious meals because they could no longer grow sufficient food.

International standards establish that business enterprises, including commercial farms, have a responsibility to identify, prevent, mitigate, and remedy human rights abuses linked to their operations.

The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights protects the right to a healthy environment. International and regional human rights law also prohibits forced evictions, and recognizes the rights to food, water, education, and health.

Zambia has ratified human rights treaties and adopted laws and policies that ought to protect rural residents and guide the process of resettlement and compensation.
But commercial farmers in Serenje district told Human Rights Watch that they receive conflicting information from government authorities on their legal obligations toward residents, and government officials admitted that the situation in Serenje has been poorly handled.

One commercial farm examined by Human Rights Watch took a different approach, relocating one family and deciding to implement a “livelihood improvement plan” for dozens of other families remaining on the land but impacted by the farm’s operations.

It had a better record of consultations and efforts to remedy problems for residents. But even that farm would benefit from greater government oversight.
Human Rights Watch called on the Zambian government to safeguard the rights of rural residents in commercial farming areas and rigorously enforce all relevant laws and policies, including on resettlement and compensation. It also called for government agencies to have adequate staffing, resources, and training to enforce laws and monitor the activities of commercial farms, and improve transparency.

Human Rights Watch recommended that the government adopt a long-awaited customary land administration bill and update its national land policy.
“The government needs to take dramatic and rapid action to ramp up enforcement of its own laws and regulations,” said Nnoko-Mewanu. “They need to stop forced evictions, and ensure that displaced families are able to secure a remedy for human rights abuses.”

Selected testimony from the report:

“Where will we go? This is where I was born, my parents were born here and died here. Where can we go? I have 10 children and my sister has 6, where do I take them if they remove me from this farm?” – Melanie M. (pseudonym), Chishitu section, Serenje district, September 2016

“I was pregnant when we were told to leave. The white man [commercial farmer] couldn’t care about our physical condition.” – Steph M. (pseudonym), 25, Kalengo section, Serenje district, September 2016

“I kept going to school [Ntenge Primary school] even after we were told to leave. But my friends stopped coming. I know five of them who stopped coming to school, so I used to go alone.” – Victoria M. (pseudonym), a 16-year-old student facing displacement, Ntenge section, Serenje district, September 2016

“There are lots of promises by the government. They used to tell us, ‘These people [farmers] are coming. It will be great for you.’ But the farms are white elephants.… People are not happy about how things have gone on. They feel they have been cheated…. The rich are getting more land. The poor get nothing.” – Allan C. (pseudonym), a school official in Serenje district, September 2016

“Even with strong guidelines, investors take shortcuts. They talk with the president and ministers. The intentions behind guidelines are good, but implementation is a problem. Most investors know the guidelines, but when in Africa they buy their way.” – Former official with the Zambia Development Agency, Serenje district, June 2016.