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FILE: President Lungu Meeting Luapula Chiefs at Statehouse
Luapula Provincial Council of Chiefs has refuted media reports that they advised President Lungu to drop his Secretary General of the Party because he lost his election in Chipili and he is not a man of the people.
Speaking on behalf of the Provincial Council in Mansa, Chief Chisunka said the meeting with the President when he came for a three days working visit to the Province was based on developmental programmes for the province and the welfare of Chiefs.
He said there was nothing political in the meeting with the Head of State except to thank the President for appointing seven members of Parliament from Luapula and one nominated as Ministers in his administration including Davies Mwila as Secretary General of the Party.
Chief Chisunka implored the Media to be ethical in doing their work and stop dragging traditional leaders into political arguments.
The Chief observed that such reports could only brood enmity between the traditional leaders and the politicians which is not in the interest of nation building.
Luapula Province Permanent Secretary Dr.Buleti Nsemukila said he was equally surprised with the media report.
Those whom President Lungu has appointed in his Cabinet from Luapula are Community Development and Social welfare Minister Emerine Kabanshi from Luapula Constituency in Lunga District, Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya from Mansa Central Constituency and Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba from Bahati Constituency.
Others are General Education Minister Dr. Dennis Wanchinga from Mambilima Constituency, Energy Minister David Mabumba from Mwense Central Constituency and Infrastructure Development and Housing Minister Ronald Chitotela from Pambashe Constituency.
The President included Luapula Province Minister Nixon Chilangwa from Kawambwa Central Constituency and nominated Davies Chama as Defence Minister from Kawambwa.
President Lungu in the Party appointed Davies Mwila of Chipili District as Secretary General of the Party which is a third position in the Party hierarchy.
These are the appointments which have made the traditional leaders in Luapula Province grateful to President Lungu because it is a rare opportunity to have such a number from one province in the Cabinet and Party structure which should put up a united front for the development of Luapula as currently it is the poorest Province in Zambia and its poverty stands at 82 per cent.
Zambia’ s tourism industry has continued to attract worldwide brand hotels as French well-known Accor Hotels expresses interest in getting their brand into the country.
AccorHotels Senior Vice President and Head of Development for Africa and the Indian Ocean Mr. Philippe Baretaud paid a courtesy call on Zambia’s Ambassador to France Ambassador Humphrey Chibanda on Friday.
In the coming month AccorHotels will be undertaking a special visit to Zambia to meet with government officials and other strategic partners to forge the way forward.
Some of the investment projects of interest include the Hostels Board lodges and development of a five and three star hotels at Mulungushi International Conference Center.
AccorHotels Senior Vice Chief executive and Head of Development for Africa and the Indian Ocean Philippe Baretaud with Zambia’ s Ambassador to France Humphrey Chibanda in Paris on Friday.
In their bilateral meeting with the Zambian envoy, Mr. Baretaud said Zambia has come up as one of the strategic destination to expand the AccorHotels brand.
He said the decision by management to consider Zambia has been based on the fact that Zambia is one of the most politically stable country in Africa with positive economic prospects that the country continues to show.
He said Zambia has been on the company’s strategic expansion watch list for a while now and the time has come to bring the AccorHotels brand into the country for mutual benefit.
Mr. Baretaud said since setting up base in South Africa in 2016 the company has adopted a deliberate strategic plan to spread the Accor branded hotels across Africa and Zambia is one of the countries on top of the list.
In response, Ambassador Chibanda thanked Mr. Baretaud for taking the time to come and meet with him.
He said this indeed shows the commitment and passion the company has to bring the AccorHotels brand to Zambia.
Ambassador Chibanda briefed Mr. Baretaud that the government has adopted and started implementing policies aimed at diversifying the Zambian economy which for a long time has relied on mining.
He highlighted that government is now looking at other economic sectors such as Agriculture tourism and manufacturing.
The Ambassador said the decision by Accor Hotels to come to Zambia would not have come at a better time than now when the country has prioritized the tourism sector and looking at ensuring that the industry remains competitive.
He said one way of making the tourism industry competitive is by attracting internationally recognized brands such as Accor Hotels.
AccorHotels, formerly known as Accor S.A., is a French multinational hotel group, part of the CAC 40 index, operating in 95 countries around the globe.
Headquartered in Paris, France, the group owns, operates and franchises 4,100 hotels spanning in all continents of the world representing several brands, from budget and economy lodgings to five-star hotels.
The group started its operations in 1967, when the first Novotel hotel was opened in Lille Lesquin with some of its hotel brands such as Hotel F1, Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, Adagio, Mei Jue, Pullman, MGallery, Swissôtel, Sofitel.
In Africa, the group operates 111 hotels making up 19,675 rooms in 21 countries.
The group has more than 240,000 employees in Accor Hotels’ brand worldwide.
Hon. Felix Mutati with CDC chief executive officer Diana Noble after having a successful meeting.
Zambia’s Finance Minister Honourable Felix Mutati has said the long-term answer to development of Africa in general and Zambia in particular is enhanced domestic resource mobilisation.
He said this during a meeting with the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), the UK’s development finance arm that has expressed interest to invest in the Kalungwishi Hydro generation project. The project investment cost is estimated at US$690 million with an installed capacity of 247 MW.
In an exclusive interview after a meeting with CDC in London on Wednesday, Hon. Mutati said that aid dependence was not sustainable for Zambia and Africa in general. He stressed the significance of the complimentary role that investment plays in sustainable development.
“The key issue about the economic recovery in Zambia is that unless you get quality investments that contribute to the treasury through taxes, it is difficult to boost domestic revenues. We can get money from our cooperating partners such as DFID who are helping us with education, health and public finance, but the dependence on such support is necessary but not sustainable. You need to depend on yourself, and the future of Zambia and Africa in general is domestic resource mobilisation, which is going to be the long-term answer to development. For me it is the long term answer to recovery of the Zambian economy going forward, which will create jobs, create wealth and much more importantly, inclusive growth,” he said.
The Minister said that the answer to inclusive growth is investment such as that made by CDC in the agriculture sector, through Zambeef supporting out growers. He said that such investments could transform the economy and create inclusive growth.
“We are focusing on two sectors of Energy and Agriculture in line with the Seventh National Development. Last year, we suffered a 50 percent power deficit, which negatively impacted not only agriculture but also other major sectors such as industry and mining. Power is central to economic development and having answered to power then you have to answer to areas where you can generate and bring hope to the people, and agriculture becomes your number one choice because of the number of people that depend the sector,” he said.
And the Minister said that CDC investment in Zambia has created jobs and contributed to economic development in the country. He noted that CDC has been present in Zambia for over 50 years in Zambia through its investment in Chilanga Cement made in 1949 and remained involved in Chilanga Cement for a number of years and led the company to be the first business to be listed on the Lusaka Stock Exchange in 1995.
He said that apart from Chilanga Cement, CDC also invested in the Kariba Dam and last year invested $65 million in Zambeef. The investment will enable Zambeef to grow the business, in particular its cold chain food processing businesses as well as expanding its distribution and retailing platform within Zambia and adjoining markets. This will widen Zambian consumers’ access to Zambeef’s range of products.
“Recently CDC invested $65 million and what that has done is that it has provided the diversity in Zambeef, going into hatchery, therefore creating an opportunity of increasing the space for tax revenue collection. For me I see this as a cure for dealing with the disease called fiscal deficit, and is a key component for the recovery programme,” he said.
Mr. Mutati also said that CDC is considering investing in hydro generation and that the Group will reach out to its partners for possible co-financing some of the projects.
“On the Government side, we shall ensure that we facilitate by eliminating obstacles to the realization of the investment and will implement policies that support such investments,” he said.
He also said that CDC had agreed to come and hold an investment forum in Zambia in April, 2017 that will look at how it could make funds available, through the Commercial Banks, to support long term lending to SMEs and Medium sized companies and how it can support anchor investors such as Zambeef to expand their operations including out growers and how CDC can structure venture capital, to handle new investment ventures.
And CDC Chief Executive Officer Diana Noble said CDC was happy to work with Zambia and will continue partnering with the country because it was committed to economic development.
Earlier Hon. Mutati had a meeting with Hon. James Wharton, Minister of state for DFID, during which he said that DFID was a significant partner to Zambia which had supported the country in areas such as public finance management reforms, water and sanitation, health and social protection.
“We had a program with DFID which came to an end in December, so the purpose of the meeting was to agree the next round of discussions with DFID on another program. For us the programme should reflect the priorities in the recovery programme for Zambia mainly focusing on energy and agriculture as key pillars to turn the economy around” Mutati said. He also confirmed that the DFID Minister has agreed to meet in Lusaka in four weeks’ time at which the two countries will start discussions on construction of a new strategy for support that DFID will provide to Zambia.
The Minister was accompanied to DFID and CDC by: Mr. Mukuli Chikuba, Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary (Economic Management and Finance), Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Mr. Muyeba Chikonde, officials from the Ministry of Finance and Zambia High Commission in London.
FINANCE MINISTER FELIX MUTATI has said the consultative process for an IMF supported program will soon be completed and presented to Cabinet in readiness for a team from the fund (IMF) which will be coming to Zambia next month.
The Minister was speaking to investors and British government officials at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, in London today.
“We are consulting various stakeholders in readiness for consideration by cabinet before IMF comes next month for program talks,” Mr. Mutatiq told a packed audience at Chatham House.
Meanwhile, seminar Chairman Chris Van Nierkek said, “Zambia is moving in the right direction.”
“”Commitment to your economic recovery and stabilisation program is a key step in preparing for your engagement with IMF,” said Mr. Van Niekert.
During the seminar, Mr. Mutati shared information on the available investment prospects and on the engagements which the government has been having with various cooperating partners in Zambia and abroad.
“This year, we are confident that cooperating partners will disburse budget support in excess of USD 400 million,” said Mr. Mutati, adding that, “we also need private sector investment in order to accerelate job-creation and ?ive direction and hope for a better Zambia for our people.
Among the participants the seminar on Zambia’s Financial Stability and Prospects for Growth were Bank of America, British Foreign Office, Commonwealth Office, Lonhro, Rothschild, Rio Tinto, Tullow Oil, Anglo American Corporation, Eaton Vance and Hogan Lovells.
Others were Actis, Aberdeen Asset Management, Emile Woolf, Standard Bank, Soros Economic Development Fund, Standard Chartered Bank and First Quantum Minerals (FQM).
The rest were Jeffries Group, Farallan Capital, Eurasia Natural Resources Corporation, Mitsui and Company Europe, among many others too numerous to mention.
Mr. Mutati has also said international interest in Zambia’s CURRENT (USD 750 Million, USD 1 Billion and USD 1.25 Billion) sovereign bonds is rising due to positive sentiments on the economic recovery program.
“As at today, our CURRENT sovereign bonds have been oversubscribed due to growing investor confidence,” said the Minister.
Meanwhile, FQM Director of Government Relations John Gladston attested during the seminar that the policies which the Zambian government is implementing through the economic recovery program have had a huge positive impact across the spectrum of the private sector community in Zambia.
FQM is among the largest contributors to Zambia’s tax revenues.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Kampamba Mulenga
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Kampamba Mulenga has said that the Zambian Government was not was involved in the alleged Zambia- Malawi maize gate scandal.
In a statement released to the media, Ms Mulenga, who is also the Government Chief Spokesperson, said that the Zambian Government was not directly, or indirectly linked to the transaction.
adding that the Government only played a facilitatory role through the Ministry of Agriculture by waiving the maize export ban.
Below is the full statement
MAIZEGATE SCANDAL BETWEEN ZAMBIAN AND MALAWIAN GOVERNMENTS
Government wishes to dispel allegations being peddled by some people in some sections of the media that Government was involved in the alleged Zambia- Malawi maize gate scandal.
To the contrary, the Zambian Government was not directly, or indirectly linked to the transaction.
In the spirit of good neighbourliness, President Lungu and his Malawian counterpart went into an agreement to facilitate the Zambian grain dealers that had sufficient maize stocks to trade with their Malawian counterparts.
The Government only played a facilitatory role through the Ministry of Agriculture by waiving the maize export ban.
Therefore, Government finds the persistent attacks from opposition UPP President Dr. Saviour Chishimba totally baseless, misplaced and lacking credibility.
At the height of the shortage of maize in Malawi and the region due to the severe drought that visited the entire Southern African region, only Zambia and Tanzania were food secure in terms of cereal sufficiency.
As a matter of fact, Zambia has continued to receive requests from neighbouring countries to waive the maize export ban ,the latest being the Democratic Republic of Congo which sent a delegation a week ago to confer with the Zambian Government.
The Zambian Government has since allowed the Congo DR Government to buy 25,000 metric tonnes from grain dealers in the country.
Zambians may wish to note that arising from the imminent threat of hunger that faced the nation, one of the stop gap measures Government employed was to slap a ban on the exportation of Maize until further notice.
To this end, Zambia National Service officers and other law enforcement wings were deployed to man the borders through which maize and mealie-meal were being smuggled to the neighbouring countries.
It is important for people aspiring to the highest office in the land to be factual when discussing issues of national interest.
Government will not be swayed from helping its neighbours by persistent attacks from one- man party leaders like Dr. Chishimba.
Hon Kampamba Mulenga, MP
MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES & CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu, speaking when he conferred Chipata Municipal Council with a City Status on Friday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANIS
President Lungu has said that Chipata meets all these requisites required to assumes the city status. In a speech during the the proclamation ceremony of the city of Chipata, the president said that Chipata has, among other requirements, a population of Chipata was 500,000 which is way above the 200 000 required for a city status.
The President further said Chitata has a well-defined central business district with modern amenities and facilities including shopping malls, financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies and pension funds.
Below is the full Speech
I am delighted to officiate at this very important ceremony at which the municipality of Chipata is to be proclaimed the City of Chipata.
I should hasten to say that achieving such a status is no mean achievement. I am sure there are many at this august gathering who are aware of the history of Chipata.
Chipata was established as an outpost for the british empire way back in the late 19th century after the conquest of the ngoni by the british around 1895. Surrounded by the hills, they made it a fortress and named it Fort Jameson in honour of Leander Starr Jameson, a 19th-century politician and adventurer.
In about 1906, Chipata golf course was developed, becoming the fourth golf course to be established in africa.
Following the establishment of colonial rule in Northern Rhodesia, Chipata was made the capital of North-Eastern Rhodesia until the unification of the two rhodesias. It is important to note that this was at the time when Kalomo, in Southern Province, was the capital of Northern-Western Rhodesia.
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
From these humble beginnings, Chipata occupied an important position in the growth of this country. It positioned itself as a major trading center to provide supplies to the rural population in the whole of eastern province. It is a link to Malawi. For those seeking leisure, it is an entry point to the south Luangwa national one of Zambia’s tourist destinations.
Chipata is today a multi-cultural metropolis with a population comprising people from different backgrounds including all tribes in Zambia, zambians of asian origin and those who have made Chipata their home.
Chipata provides the shortest route, (800 km) to the indian ocean deep port of Nacala in Mozambique. It is, therefore, an important nexus for our country’s socio-economic development.
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The economy of Chipata is largely dependent on trading, agriculture and tourism. Therefore, there is great potential for agro-based manufacturing industries for commodities such as groundnuts, cotton, tobacco and vegetable oil processing to mention but a few.
In this regard, I call upon investors to seize these investment opportunities to invest more crops that are produced here. To the local authorities, I urge you to make land available for investors who will be willing to establish manufacturing industries here.
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
For a town to graduate from a municipality to a city, it must fulfill the following:
It must have a population of not less than 200,000. The 2010 census of population and housing shows that the population of Chipata was 500,000 thereby passing the threshold;
It must have a well-defined central business district with modern amenities and facilities including shopping malls, financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies and pension funds. Currently, Chipata has over 11 banks with all the major banks represented in town;
It must have improved road infrastructure where safety for the travelling public is guaranteed. With the modern road network which has provided for the commuters and cyclists safety, Chipata qualifies to attain a higher status;
The level of other key services such as hotels, lodges, restaurants, and conference facilities, must meet some international standards, Chipata now has the three star protea hotel;
It must have well-developed public services. Chipata currently has seven public secondary schools, a general hospital, a district hospital and other key institutions.
With all these requisites met, it is only proper that Chipata assumes the city status.
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The implications of attaining the city status are far reaching. For the new and latest city in the republic of Zambia, Chipata, it means that:
The profile of the municipality of Chipata has been raised to a standard where Chipata should be able to attract investment in areas where the district has comparative advantage. Therefore, its status as a nucleus for growth has been greatly enhanced;
There will be improved public service delivery, both municipal as well as other public services to the residents of Chipata and the province as a whole; and
Chipata can take advantage of its locality in relation to malawi to ensure that there is close and enhanced cross-border trade, through the Chipata mchinji railway.
Distinguished invited guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
What we are witnessing today is a response to the numerous appeals presented to me since two years ago from the people of Chipata demanding city status. Therefore, I implore all of you to play your part in ensuring that Chipata succeeds as a city.
Chipata is among the provincial capitals that are proactively striving to improve their local economies.
That is why a number of organisations, including other councils, have undertaken study tours to Chipata to learn innovations and strategies that the authorities here are using in their daily operations and service delivery to the people.
I, therefore, wish to encourage both the provincial administration and Chipata city council to carry on with this momentum.
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is now my singular honour and privilege to exercise my powers contained under section three and four of the local government act, cap 281 of the laws of Zambia, to proclaim that the status of a city, is hereby, conferred on the municipality of Chipata: the municipality shall henceforth be known as the City of Chipata.
This proclamation shall come into effect tomorrow, 25th February, 2017 in accordance with Statutory Instrument no. 13 of 2017, the city of Chipata proclamation, 2017 issued under my hand.
Congratulations to the people of Chipata and to all partners who have helped transform this vision into reality.
May the almighty god bless the city of Chipata and its people,
May god bless our country, Zambia,
I thank you and God bless us all.
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu, being welcomed by Councilors at Chipata Civic Centre where he went to confer the district with a City Status on Friday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANISPRESIDENT Edgar Lungu, being welcomed by Councilors at Chipata Civic Centre where he went to confer the district with a City Status on Friday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANISPRESIDENT Edgar Lungu, Chipata City Council Mayor, Sinoya Mwale and Eastern Povince Minister, Makebi Zulu at at the Council before it was conferred with a City Status on Friday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANISPRESIDENT Edgar Lungu inspects a guard of honour mounted by the fourth battalion of the Zambia Army where he went to confer Chipata Municipal Council with a City Status on Friday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANISMAYOR of Chipata City Council, Sinoya Mwale, delivers his speech during the conferring of the District to a City Status by President Edgar Lungu on Friday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANISPRESIDENT Edgar Lungu releases balloons in the air after conferring Chipata Municipal Council with a City Status on Friday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANIS
A THIRTY-FOUR -year-old Missionary Bible Teacher has been convicted by the Chipata Magistrate Court with one count of providing air services without air service contrary to section 28(1)(a) (b)(2) of the Civil Aviation Act number 5 of 2016.
This is in a matter in which Damon Marc Matarchiera was on January 9th 2017 at Chipata in the Chipata District of Eastern Province did operate a thanton DJ Brand remote controlled aircraft without a pilot’s license.
Particulars before Chipata Magistrate Moses Phiri was that on the date in question, the officer in charge of civil aviation department in Chipata was at his office at around 17:00 hours when he received a phone call from Chipata Central Police Station requesting him to go to the police and upon arrival at the police, he was informed that there was a person who was operating an aircraft at hills view area. The Court heard that officers requested the officer in-charge Civil Aviation to go and have a look at the aircraft as he was an expert.
The officers went to hills view area to a house where the aircraft landed and upon introducing themselves to the owner, they requested him to bring the aircraft he was operating the previous day of which he brought it.
When the officer from civil aviation looked at it, he said it was a drone, a remedy piloted aircraft where the flying pilot was not on board.
It was at this time that the accused was asked if he had a permit or licence to operate the Drone in which he did not have.
The court heard that, the accused was asked if the Drone was registered of which he said it was not.
He was later taken to Chipata Central Police Station where he was interviewed in respect of the allegations and arrested for the offence he was convicted for.
When the case came up on Wednesday, Magistrate Phiri convicted Matarchiera who readily pleaded guilty to one count of Unlicensed Pilot.
Maamba collieries thermal power plant engineers captured busy working in the 300 mega watts power plant.
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The 300 megawatts Maamba Collieries limited thermal power plant which was recently commissioned by President Edgar Lungu is operating well as in the picture abov
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Workers at Maamba Collieries Thermal plant Limited captured working in the plant. The plant currently supplies 150 megawatts out of the 300 megawatts it generates to ZESCO company limited
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An aerial view picture of the cooling towers at the fully operational Maamba thermal plant in Sinazongwe district in Southern province.
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The front part of Maamba collieries thermal power plant , the plant is operating at full capacity in generating power.
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Maamba coal open pit mine provides coal for the thermal plant operations and sells surplus to cement manufacturing companies. Above is the aerial view picture of the mine.
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Batoka gorge hydro – electricity power station is scheduled to be constructed on this proposed site as can be seen in the picture above. The proposed site is situated in the Zambezi river 26 kilometres from Livingstone town. The project will be financed by both the Zambian Government and Zimbabwe.
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Livingstone Intercity Terminus bus station is completed and only awaiting commissioning any time soon.
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One of the finished township roads in Livingstone .
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Lubuto Liberian Manger Given Besa Explains to Gender and Child Development human Resources Director Sandra Njovu during the Launch of dreams grant at Ngwerere Lubuto Library in Garden township.
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Lubuto Liberian Manger Given Besa Explains to Gender and Child Development human Resources Director Sandra Njovu during the Launch of dreams grant at Ngwerere Lubuto Library in Garden township.
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Lubuto Liberian Manger Given Besa Explains to Gender and Child Development human Resources Director Sandra Njovu during the Launch of dreams grant at Ngwerere Lubuto Library in Garden township.
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Works at the US$7 Million Shopping mall in Kabwe progressing well.Pictures By Kelvin Tembo-ZANIS
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Workers tiling the floors at the US$ 7 Million Shopping Mall in Kabwe.Pictures By Kelvin Tembo-ZANIS.?
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Works at the US$7 Million Shopping mall in Kabwe progressing well.Pictures By Kelvin Tembo-ZANIS
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Workers tiling the floors at the US$ 7 Million Shopping Mall in Kabwe.Pictures By Kelvin Tembo-ZANIS.?
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MEI MEI- Owners of Dolla Hill Mall on the Ndola-Kitwe Dual Carriage way have defied government’s directive to stop the construction of a structure which is on the bufferzone of the Dual Carriage way. Here workers doing final touches to the strucure whose construction was stopped when it was at foundation level
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MEI MEI- Owners of Dolla Hill Mall on the Ndola-Kitwe Dual Carriage way have defied government’s directive to stop the construction of a structure which is on the bufferzone of the Dual Carriage way. Here workers doing final touches to the strucure whose construction was stopped when it was at foundation level
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Government has released undisclosed amount of money towards the completion of the K1.9m first ever modern bus terminus in Kasama. Once complete the bus facility is expected to boost trade and other economic activities in the area.
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Government has released undisclosed amount of money towards the completion of the K1.9m first ever modern bus terminus in Kasama. Once complete the bus facility is expected to boost trade and other economic activities in the area.
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National House of Prayer Advisory Board Chairperson Bishop Joshua Banda speaking during press briefing whilst His Vice Chairperson Rev: Pukuta Mwanza (r) and Board Member David Nama (l) listens
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A new toll plaza being constructed in Chisamba.
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PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni in a grand finale when he shifted his base from Ephendukeni to Laweni in readiness for Ncwala ceremony
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PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni in a grand finale when he shifted his base from Ephendukeni to Laweni in readiness for Ncwala ceremony
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PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni in a grand finale when he shifted his base from Ephendukeni to Laweni in readiness for Ncwala ceremony
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PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni in a grand finale when he shifted his base from Ephendukeni to Laweni in readiness for Ncwala ceremony
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PARAMOUNT Chief Mpezeni in a grand finale when he shifted his base from Ephendukeni to Laweni in readiness for Ncwala ceremony
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Some Bembas doing cousinship when Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people moved from his Ephendukeni palace to Laweni in readiness for Nc’wala ceremony
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Some Bembas doing cousinship when Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people moved from his Ephendukeni palace to Laweni in readiness for Nc’wala ceremony
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Senegal under 20 football team arrived in the country ahead of the Total Under-20 AFCON tournament to commence on February 26, 2016. The team’s arrival was mesmerised by local traditional dances. PICTURE BY DANNY MOWA/ZANIS
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Senegal under 20 football team arrived in the country ahead of the Total Under-20 AFCON tournament to commence on February 26, 2016. The team’s arrival was mesmerised by local traditional dances. PICTURE BY DANNY MOWA/ZANIS
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Senegal under 20 football team arrived in the country ahead of the Total Under-20 AFCON tournament to commence on February 26, 2016. The team’s arrival was mesmerised by local traditional dances. PICTURE BY DANNY MOWA/ZANIS
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Senegal under 20 football team arrived in the country ahead of the Total Under-20 AFCON tournament to commence on February 26, 2016. The team’s arrival was mesmerised by local traditional dances. PICTURE BY DANNY MOWA/ZANIS
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Senegal under 20 football team arrived in the country ahead of the Total Under-20 AFCON tournament to commence on February 26, 2016. The team’s arrival was mesmerised by local traditional dances. PICTURE BY DANNY MOWA/ZANIS
CAF Under 202017 Africa Cup winning coach Hugo Broos is in Zambia with the Cameroon Under-20 team.
Broos, guided the Indomitable Lions to victory in the 2017 Africa Cup in Gabon,is with the team as advisor and to monitor prospects for his senior team.
“I will continue to try new players, ” Broos said.
Meanwhile, Cameroon drew 1-1 with FAZ Super Division club Red Arrows on Thursday at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
The 1995 champions are now headed to Ndola where they will be based to play their Group B matches against South Africa, Sudan and Senegal.
Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Chairperson for Elections, Gabriel NamulambeThe assault case involving former Mpongwe lawmaker Gabriel Namulambe and a local businessman Maison Regan Njobvu this morning failed to take off.
This comes after the former Mpongwe Member of Parliament produced a letter before the court from st Theresa mission hospital in Mpongwe which recommended him to obtain a 7 day bed rest due to high hypertension levels.
Magistrate Lesa has since stated that the case will resume after 1 week in order to allow the accused to get enough bed rest as per hospital requirement.
Namulambe, 49 of Mpongwe on January 8, this year is alleged to have assaulted Reagan Maison Njobvu 44 of Shaka Investment Farms in Mpongwe thereby causing him bodily harm following a dispute.
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu, dresses Chipata City Council Mayor, Sinoya Mwale, with a chain that Mayors of City Councils wear. This was after the Prsident conferred the then Chipata Municipal Council with a City Status on Friday. PICTURE BY STEPHEN MUKOBEKO/ZANIS
Republican President Edgar Lungu has conferred Chipata district with the Status of a City effective tomorrow Saturday 25th FEBRUARY 2017.
Speaking at a colourful ceremony held at the new Civic Centre in Chipata on Friday, the President stated that the district of Chipata had met all the requirements of a City such as having a population of more than 200,000 revealing that Chipata had a population of 500 000 as at last population census.
Chipata also met the requirement of a well defined central business district, an improved road infrastructure such as a good road network, facilities such as banks and insurance houses, schools , hospitals and shopping malls.
He also stated that Chipata had facilities such as hotels and lodges that met international standard such as the 3* protea hotels.
President Lungu stated that With the power vested in him under section 3 and 4 of the local government act cap 281 of the laws of Zambia, he therefore CONFERED Chipata district to a City from Saturday the 25th of February 2017.
Meanwhile, President Edgar Lungu has left for Chipata, Eastern province on a two day working visit.
And President Lungu has challenged economists to interpret the policy monitoring rate released by the Bank of Zambia. President Lungu said it is up to the economists to translate the statistics released by the Central bank so that ordinary Zambians can understand what is happening in the economy.
The Bank of Zambia on Wednesday set at 14 percent the Monetary Policy rate which ‘moral sway’ on commercial lending rates.
However, commercial banks are lending at rates as high as 44 percent. The head of state was seen off at City Airport by cabinet ministers and senior members of the ruling Patriotic Front.
Meanwhile Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo has told ZNBC News that the President will be in Chipata where he is expected to declare Chipata a City.
There after the President will travel to Mutenguleni to pay a courtesy on Paramount Chief Mpezeni. On Saturday the President will officiate at the Ncwala Ceremony in Chipata’s Mutenguleni area.
CAF Under 20CAF president Issa Hayatou is backing Zambia to stage a successful 2027 Under-20 AFCON.
Hayatou arrived in Zambia on Thursday ahead of Sundays kickoff of the tournament the country will host from February 26 to March 12.
“CAF knows the continent of Africa very well that is why they gave the organization the right to host the Africa Cup because we are convinced that Zambia can host a successful tournament,” Hayatou said.
Hayatou arrives for the tournament opening ceremony as storms gather over his re-election with Anmed of madagascar mounting a strong challenge to his 30-year reign.
“We gave the tournament to Zambia four years ago so there is no relationship between the organization of this tournament and elections,” Hayatou said.
“Besides the president of the Zambian FA (Andrew Kamanga) is a friend from a long time we know each other from a long time.”
This is the first time Zambia is staging a CAF tournament since its failure to host the 1988 Africa Cup.
Minister of Transport and Communication, Brian Mushimba and Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming, Huawei Technologies Zambia Managing Director Spawn Fan and other dignitaries after touring the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA)’s state-of-the-art data centre.
Minister of Transport and Communication, Brian Mushimba and Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming toured the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA)’s state-of-the-art data centre this week to learn how the facility will modernise the country’s electronic systems and bring development across the country.
The national data centre was built by Huawei Technologies as part of the National ICT Development Project – Smart Zambia Phase 1 project, the signing of the loan agreement for which was witnessed by President Edger Lungu and Chinese President Xi Jinping during President Lungu’s state visit to China in March 2015. The project is being funded through a concessional loan from the Chinese government through the Export-Import Bank of China, which has brought about the establishment of three National Data Centres and ICT Talent Development.
Minister of Transport and Communication, Brian Mushimba and Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Yang Youming touring the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA)’s state-of-the-art data centre, with Huawei Technologies Zambia Managing Director Spawn Fan, with data centre General Manager Garry Mukalabai.
“This is part of the infrastructure that you require before you can start building on it and start seeing the full benefits of the smarting of Zambia that we have been talking about. So, in those fronts I am happy that Huawei and the Chinese government as partner to this government to make sure that we are delivering on the promise and the vision of the President of Zambia to start making Zambia more efficient and more productive by adopting more technology in what we do every day,” said Mr Mushimba.
He was speaking during the tour the data centre at the ZICTA head office in the company of Chinese Ambassador Mr Yang Youming, Huawei Technologies Zambia Managing Director Spawn Fan, ZICTA Director General Margaret Mudenda, Ministry of Transport and Communication officials, along with Chinese Embassy and Huawei Zambia officials.
“The Smart Zambia Phase 1 is a very key project to start talking about Smart Zambia Phase 2, because you need to do the basics first. And the basics we are talking about now is the training institution. We have one of the best training institutions in the region, the ICT Centre of Excellence in Ndola. And the training programmes that are going to be offered there, will accelerate the understanding and uptake of the ICT, and the internet that we are going to build the e-governance and e-services upon,” said Mr Mushimba.
And Ambassador Yang Youming, who played a key role in securing the project, expressed happiness at the high-quality works carried out by Huawei.
“I’m happy that in less than two years, this project is completed and I ready to provide services. I’m very happy with the quality of this project, and I think that Huawei has provided the latest technology to the country, compared with other countries. You will not lose any age in terms of technologies,” said Mr Yang Youming.
“It will serve as a power-house for the development of telecommunication industry in this country, because nowadays, the telecommunication industry is so important to every country in terms of providing services to the development in all areas, in all sectors,” he added.
The Ambassador further said that the Chinese government will work together with the Zambian government in driving the development of the country’s telecommunications sector. “We will continue to provide our assistance and lend whatever in order to push forward the cooperation in this sector.”
The national data centre facility will be used by the government to provide hosting services to the Zambian government and private institutions, and is expected to help reduce ICT expenditure in the country where internet access is limited among the population due to high prices. The centre has the capacity to store 3 pegabytes of data, equivalent to 3 million high-definition movies
File:Rolling black outs of up to 8hrs in duration continue to plague Zambian
Zambia has had some problems with the electricity supply recently. Why?
Hydropower is a natural source of energy, clean and dependable, and very suited and able to provide continuous supply 24 hours a day provided that there is sufficient water available. For professionals in the industry, this is known as “base load”. Alternative energy sources such as solar and wind have an inherent problem which is inconsistent supply, often failing when it is most required such as at night when the Sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing.
The other options, such as coal and gas are environmental polluters of note, and with global warming, are becoming a serious threat to our future, they deserve to be examined with great scrutiny to ensure the costs of the environmental damage they cause is realistically assessed. Zambia is blessed with rich natural resources, of which massive amounts of water is a major one. How can we effectively harness these advantages?
Most of our power comes from hydroelectric generating facilities, which were built before Independence or in the years immediately after. Has anyone given serious thought to how the rising demand for power in Zambia will be met by future generations? Or will our children be doing their homework by candle light?
Zambian electricity supply is heavily dependent on hydro, and this is because it is such an abundant and versatile source. But to ensure it will be used most effectively in the future, we need to critically examine how we are using it now, and what we can do to maximize its positive aspects in the future.
Kariba is a good starting point.
For more than fifty years, these installations have served Zambians well. So much so, that we have become complacent and over reliant on these facilities to the extent we have taken them for granted – until load shedding arrived!…. Now, with a situation that is a serious impediment to our economic development, loss of revenue to the main power provider, and a huge extra cost to businesses that have to purchase and run expensive generators, people have suddenly woken up to the fact that economic progress is intrinsically linked to power supplies.
What can be done?
Currently those responsible are regurgitating old solutions that were proposed over forty years ago. Kafue Gorge Lower was even commissioned in 2011 and then cancelled. Batoka Gorge has been the focus of numerous investigations since 1972, and now suddenly become urgent. The current deficit of electricity has been blamed on climate conditions, specifically the droughts of dry years. Rather than being a problem caused by Nature, this looks more like a problem caused by those responsible taking their eye off the ball!
Practical solutions
As we have taken Kariba as an example, let us look at other possibilities in more detail that may have some merit. The water that drives the turbines at Kariba comes to that point as a result of rainfall. Where does that rain actually fall? Below is a map of the catchment area that supplies Kariba with its water.
The area outlined in green are the parts of Zambia and Angola that contribute to the total water flow received and used to generate power. Note that the central part of Zambia is the Kafue river catchment area, and does not flow into Lake Kariba! The Kafue River does join up with the Zambezi River, but that junction is much further downstream past Chirundu and so contributes no water to Kariba.
So, if the limiting factor to the amount of electricity it is possible to generate at Kariba is the amount of water received by rainfall in the catchment area, is it possible to increase this amount by our intervention? Obviously, it will have to come from some other catchment area. This is not as unrealistic as it seems at first glance. In the US about 90% of the water used in California comes from water diverted from other catchment areas! Water diversion is a very common way of taking water from where it is in surplus to areas where it is in deficit.
So where to look for more water?
Here is a huge catchment area that contributes no water to the Kariba dam. Can it be utilized? This is the catchment of the Kafue River. It is used to generate power at the Kafue Gorge hydropower facility, but is it using it all? Is it using it efficiently? When there is too much, what happens to the excess amount? Can the surplus be used in a cost effective way somewhere else?
Let us look at this more closely. What will determine if this is possible? Firstly, water does not run uphill! To be possible, Kariba must be much lower than the Kafue River. Is it?
The level of Lake Kariba at full supply is about 1700 feet above mean sea level. The level of the Kafue River at the point where it is possible to divert it is 3000 feet above mean sea level – more than enough to ensure a good flow of water!
Secondly, is the geography suitable for the construction of a canal to divert the water? How much will it cost to construct? A cursory glance at the topography of the area shows it is eminently possible and very feasible.
So what advantages will such a scheme bring?
As the infrastructure to generate hydropower is already constructed and installed at Kariba, it will be able to use this capacity without installing additional generating capacity. This includes the “peaking turbines” that have recently been commissioned.
It would also create the capacity to use the diversion canal for irrigation purposes
What about Kafue Lower Gorge?
Obviously, this would divert water from the generating capacity of this power station. Does this affect it? An unanswered question!
Can the experts please advise us on the practicalities of this alternative? By Adrian Piers
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck the southern area of Lake Tanganyika early today, the US Geological Survey said.
The epicenter of the quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.1, was in a national park area in northern Zambia close to Lake Tanganyika.
The quake, which struck at 02:32 am, could be felt across the lake in Tanzania and to the north in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, the USGS said.
It was very shallow, at a depth of only 10km, which would have magnified its effect, but a magnitude 5.7 quake is considered moderate.
