A delegation from the World Bank, led by Task Team Leader, Hongyu Yang, has arrived in Western Province to assess the progress of the Zambia Education Enhancement Project (ZEEP) and the Zambia Early Education Learning (ZEEL) programme.

The team, accompanied by the Ministry of Education Director of Early Childhood Education, Charm Kalimbika, and officials from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, paid a courtesy call on Western Province Permanent Secretary, Simomo Akapelwa, to discuss the implementation of the projects.

The media reports that through ZEEP and ZEEL, the World Bank is funding the construction of 22 secondary schools and 34 Early Childhood Education (ECE) centers in Western Province, comprising 17 hubs and 17 satellite centers.

Mr Kalimbika indicated that the projects form part of a broader national effort to build 120 secondary schools and 440 ECE centers across Zambia.

He added that initiatives further aim to expand access to quality education and improve learning outcomes for children in the province.

The World Bank mission will provide an opportunity to evaluate the progress made so far and identify areas for further improvement.

Western Province Permanent Secretary, Simomo Akapelwa, has urged the Provincial Education Office to take interest in monitoring the projects doted around the province to appreciate the challenges faced.

He noted the importance of such infrastructure in the province, adding that the move is also in line with the government’s ideology in education sector.

Mr Akapelwa highlighted the need to also understand the geographical location of the province as it will help understand funding allocations of projects.

The Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD) has forecast isolated thunderstorms from 5^th to 9^th November 2025.

According to a statement issued by the ZMD in Lusaka today, the thunderstorms will be influenced by elevated temperatures being experienced across the country.

The thunderstorms will also be induced by a moist and unstable airflow from Congo, coupled with airflow from the southeast and localised convection.

“Moist and unstable airflow from Congo together with a combination of airflow from the southeast and localised convection due to elevated temperatures across much of Zambia, are expected to trigger isolated thunderstorms,” the statement read in part. 

The anticipated rains are expected to cover mainly the western half of the country and gradually extend eastward covering the rest of the country during the forecast period.

The statement indicated that the anticipated rains are expected to be heavier in Southern, Western, Northern, Copperbelt, Central and Luapula Provinces. 

“These rains are anticipated to be heavier especially in parts of Southern, Western, Northwestern, Copperbelt, Central and Luapula Provinces.”

As part of precaution measures, the department has warned members of the public to avoid sheltering under trees during thunderstorms to reduce the risk of lightning strikes, suspend water transport activities during stormy conditions to prevent accidents while farmers have been urged to protect their harvested crops so as to prevent damage from rain.

The Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) says government has done a tremendous job in ensuring that people with disabilities are catered for in accessing public infrastructure.

ZAPD Public Relations Officer, Rachael Chako, says the approval of the disability policy which ensures that persons with disabilities are involved in all developmental aspects is one of the achievements which government has recorded.

This ensures that people with disabilities access physical infrastructure, therefore promoting inclusion.

Ms Chako added that an ultimatum was given by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development to ensure that various organisations and institutions erect ramps as well as lifts to help people with disabilities to have access to them.

She said ZAPD has however observed that only a few institutions have so far adhered to the directive.

She said it is still a challenge for some institutions to implement the directive.

Ms Chako has further said irrespective of the extremely low adherence to the ultimatum, ZAPD is engaging different stakeholders to raise the welfare of the people with disabilities.

She said ZAPD is liaising with relevant authorities to speed up the process of implementing the ultimatum by approving all construction works that will be in line with the guidelines of the requirement.

Ms Chako has meanwhile appealed to the members of the public to adhere to the guidelines in the ultimatum to make both public and private infrastructure accessible to persons with disabilities as this will raise the aspect of inclusivity.

She reiterated that government needs to act swiftly by engaging all those not adhering to the guidance stipulated in the ultimatum as soon as possible.

In October 2024, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development released a newsletter discussing ongoing efforts to develop infrastructure, particularly using Public -Private Partnerships (PPP) to overcome financing gaps.

 The Vision Network Foundation in Luapula Province has called for the extension of the Presidential Petition hearing period from 14 to 21 days.

Vision Network Foundation Executive Director, Bishop Maxwell Luchile, observed that extending the hearing period would give both parties sufficient time to present their cases.

Speaking when he made submissions on behalf of his organization to the ongoing Technical Committee sitting in Luapula Province, Bishop Luchile proposed that the 21-day period should exclude weekends and public holidays.

He further recommended that the 21-day timeframe should also apply to all elective positions, including Members of Parliament and councillors.

Bishop Luchile also proposed that all election petition hearings be broadcast live to allow the general public to follow the proceedings.

On the matter of candidates who resign after filing their nominations, Bishop Luchile said elections should proceed unless the withdrawal is due to the death of a candidate.

He noted that no individual should be allowed to disrupt an election for personal gain.

“In the case of the death of a candidate, other candidates who had already filed their nominations should not be subjected to fresh nominations apart from the political party involved,” he stated.

The Bishop also suggested that Members of Parliament should be limited to serving two terms to allow others the opportunity to serve.

Meanwhile, the United Party for National Development (UPND) in Luapula Province has submitted that all elective positions, apart from that of the President, should be tied to political parties to eliminate the need for by-elections.

Luapula Province UPND Chairperson, Alfred Mwape, said by-elections are costly to the nation and should be avoided by allowing the political party that won the seat to nominate another candidate in the event of death.

Mr. Mwape further stated that by-elections have often been a source of political violence, hence the need to abolish them.

“On delimitation, we are of the view that it should proceed, especially for large constituencies in the country such as Bahati and Mansa,” he said.

The Technical Committee sittings in Luapula have today entered Day 3, with the exercise expected to conclude tomorrow.

Speaking during a familiarisation tour at Live Radio 97.3 FM in Lusaka, Mr Malido said the IBA’s new direction focuses on strengthening partnerships with broadcasters to address challenges in the sector.

“We are not just here to regulate. We want to enable you and to collaborate more, than being enforcers of laws,” he said.

Mr Malido commended Live Radio, also known as The Green Station, for its commitment to compliance and professionalism since receiving its first license in 2016.

And Live Radio Chief Executive Officer, Jamia Nkhoma, welcomed Mr Malido’s visit, describing it as an opportunity for broadcasters to share ideas and strengthen relations with the regulator.

As part of his familiarisation programme, Mr. Malido also visited Diamond Television.

The IBA Director General toured the station’s facilities and thanked the management and staff for their warm welcome, noting that such visits help the IBA better understand the daily operations and challenges faced by broadcasters.

He noted that IBA is working to strengthen internal systems and to improve efficiency and accountability, both to the public and the broadcasters.

He further noted that IBA is committed to supporting broadcasters in their growth and encouraging diversity in media content across the country.

ZICTA gives mobile operators 21 days to fix quality concerns

The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority has directed Infratel and IHS Towers to submit clear and practical measures within 21 days that will address the deterioration in network service quality which members of the public have complained about. ZICTA director general Collins Nswana said citizens have been subjected to unacceptable call drop rates, low signal reliability, unstable mobile internet and limited throughput at various usage periods. He said that Zambia’s people deserve consistent and dependable mobile connectivity because communication has become a central layer of daily economic and social participation.

Nswana said the reason this intervention is targeted at infrastructure providers is because this is the layer where the foundational signal environment originates. In Zambia the public experiences mobile service through operators such as MTN, Airtel and Zamtel, but these retail networks depend on the quality and resilience of towers, backhaul systems, power stability, fibre distribution, radio system calibration and equipment capacity owned or managed by Infratel and IHS. Nswana said that without structural engineering corrections at this backbone level, downstream operators will remain restricted in what they can deliver to their subscribers.

He said ZICTA is not asking for intentions or broad concepts but for a technical breakdown of measures that will restore voice stability, improve coverage, reduce call drop patterns, strengthen data consistency and provide more reliable connectivity for rural communities. He said the regulator expects engineering solutions that can be quantified, measured, timed and verified. Nswana said this directive is a compliance obligation and not a symbolic request.

He said Zambia’s development model has shifted to a digital dependent environment, therefore outages and inconsistent communications have direct economic effect. He stated that banking transactions, tax filing, agriculture advisory systems, irrigation equipment signalling, health access coordination, transport dispatch software, land registry interactions, voter registration database linkages, civil registration processes, corporate ICT platforms, education management systems and online payment rails all rely on stable digital communication layers. Nswana said that mobile quality is now directly linked to national performance indicators.

He said the regulator is aware that citizens no longer treat poor connectivity as a minor inconvenience but as a service failure that affects economic participation. Nswana said that user expectations are valid because consumers are paying for services that must meet quality requirements. He added that poor connectivity delays business decisions, slows information flow and affects productivity. Nswana said the regulator expects infrastructure operators to demonstrate clear evidence of real engineering work rather than high level presentations.

ZICTA has therefore demanded that each infrastructure provider demonstrate how they will close capacity gaps, remove known dead zones, stabilise rural corridor networks, strengthen base stations where signal performance is inconsistent, improve backhaul redundancy, update equipment that is producing unstable performance, and adopt operational upgrades that create measurable improvement. Nswana said this directive aligns with the need to ensure Zambia’s digital ecosystem remains functional, reliable and fit for development.

Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Elias Mubanga has urged business entities to work closely with the government to drive economic growth and development in the country.
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‎Speaking during the Invest Ndola business forum, Mr Mubanga said the government wants to promote economic growth and bring development to the people, hence the need for partnership with the private sector.
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‎He said the government has created an enabling environment for businesses to thrive through various sectors such as mining and agriculture.
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‎Mr Mubanga has called on investors to take advantage of the mining sectors, which have been revamped on the Copperbelt Province.
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‎He has called on the stakeholders to change their mindset and be innovative in the manufacturing sector.

He added that the government is willing to support business personnel who have innovative ideas but lack resources.
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‎He said the government has partnered with financial institutions to support businesses.
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‎Copperbelt Province Minister, Elisha Matambo said Ndola offers many avenues for potential investment, such as access to business entities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola and Tanzania.
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‎‎He  noted that  the  initiative of the Ndola and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry will help unlock Ndola’s full potential of repositioning the city as a dynamic centre for commerce, logistics, and sustainable industry.
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‎”This forum resonates with the President Hakainde Hichilema’s call to promote business growth and investment attraction that fosters a pro-business environment through streamlined regulations, investment initiatives, and robust support for SMEs and startups,” he said.
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‎The Provincial Minister said Ndola has seen the establishment of technical and vocational training  for youths in various skills, which has been crucial for building a skilled local workforce that can support industrial growth.
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‎Ambassador of DRC to Zambia,Didier Sebge Bapaga, has called for a deeper engagement between Zambia and DRC, mostly with Ndola and the  Province.
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‎He said the two countries will economically grow and extend their partnership through such forums.
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‎”I am happy  for the participation of over 20 Congolese companies in the forum, “he said
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‎Ambassador Bapaga added that  there is need to intensify trade and investment between provinces and foster strategic partnerships that can generate employment and create economic value for both.
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‎Ndola Chamber of Commerce and Industry Diana Kabaila commended government for developing the country in all sectors.
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‎Ms Kabaila said the government efforts stimulate growth and improve livelihoods through Job Creation.
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‎She has called on government through private public partnership to build more logistics and warehouse near airports and roads.
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‎She also called on government to establish Ndola economic reviving council, a collaborative platform that would bring together public and private sector partners to identify, package and implement key infrastructure projects within.