Over 100 residents of Isoka District have been enrolled under the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) Skills Bursary Programme at Isoka Trades Training Institute.

Speaking in an interview with Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS), Isoka Trades Training Institute Principal, Cephas Kangwa, said the development is part of the government’s efforts to equip citizens with vocational skills for improved livelihoods.

Mr Kangwa added that more than 50 beneficiaries have already reported for the three-month training.

“We are offering training in general agriculture, electrical, mechanics, bricklaying, and design and tailoring,” Mr Kangwa said.

He further stated that the programme is open to everyone, including youths, women, and persons with disabilities.

Mr Kangwa explained that the bursary covers full tuition and is aimed at reducing unemployment by providing practical skills that can lead to self-employment and job creation.

Linda Sinkala, a lecturer at Isoka Trades, urged more women and persons with disabilities to take advantage of the bursary opportunity.

“Skills training is for everyone. We want to see more participation from women and those differently abled,” she said.

She noted the importance of inclusive education, stating that the institution is making efforts to accommodate diverse learners.

And a beneficiary, Grace Mulenga, said the bursary has allowed her to pursue tailoring and design despite her age.

“This chance has given me purpose. At 60 years old, I can now afford becoming a tailor,” she said.

Another trainee in bricklaying and plastering, Fred Sinkala, said he plans to use the skills to start a small business.

“These skills will help me build and earn,” he said, thanking the government through the TEVETA programme for granting him such an opportunity.

China’s booming exports have handed Beijing critical leverage as President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump lock into the fiercest trade confrontation in years, warns global financial advisory giant deVere Group.

China’s exports jumped 8.3% in September from a year earlier, smashing forecasts and outpacing August’s growth.

Imports climbed 7.4%, a signal that the country’s industrial engine remains formidable despite Washington’s efforts to apply pressure through tariffs and technology restrictions.

The surge lands as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hints that the current three-month pause on import duties could be extended — but only if China abandons its plan to impose strict new export controls on rare-earth elements.

These materials are indispensable for global manufacturing, from electric vehicles to advanced chips and weapons systems.

Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, says: “Scott Bessent is trying to use tariff relief as leverage, but Beijing’s export rebound means the pressure is flowing both ways.

“Xi Jinping now has proof that China’s trade engine is resilient and that his government can absorb external shocks while the US is still searching for negotiating traction.”

The standoff has escalated since Beijing announced sweeping export licences for rare-earth and magnet technologies, effectively tightening its grip over supply chains that the West cannot yet replace.

Washington’s reaction was immediate: threats of 100% tariffs, new curbs on Chinese software, and talk of allied coordination through the G7 to deter further Chinese restrictions.

“The trade war has evolved into a power contest over who controls the materials and technologies that drive the modern economy,” says Nigel Green.

“China’s message is that it can dictate the pace of global production. Washington’s message is that it’s willing to risk economic pain to prevent that dominance.

“Neither side looks ready to blink.”

Despite the stand-off, China’s export growth is being driven by markets far beyond the US. Shipments to the European Union, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America are all rising at double-digit rates, showing how effectively Beijing has diversified its trade routes.

Exports to the US, by contrast, continue to shrink sharply, down more than a quarter year on year, yet China’s overall export growth remains robust.

Nigel Green says: “Beijing’s ability to expand into new markets while withstanding US tariffs is one of the defining shifts of the decade.

“It shows how global manufacturing still relies on China’s capacity, logistics, and pricing power. Even in a period of confrontation, the rest of the world cannot easily step away.”

Markets are already feeling the tension. Currency volatility has increased, commodity prices have jumped, and equity investors are recalibrating exposure to sectors tied to global manufacturing.

“The next phase of this trade battle will shape monetary policy and investor sentiment worldwide,” says the deVere CEO.

“If tariffs rise and supply chains fracture, inflationary pressures could return just as central banks are preparing to loosen policy. The combination could create both disruption and opportunity across portfolios.”

He adds: “Periods of geopolitical stress often produce outsized gains for those positioned ahead of the cycle.

“Countries and companies able to fill the production gaps left by restricted trade will emerge as major winners.

“Investors who maintain diversified exposure across regions and asset classes will be best placed to benefit.”

For now, Beijing appears emboldened. The export data bolster its claim that China can weather any tariff escalation and sustain global demand. Washington, meanwhile, faces the dilemma of tightening further without triggering inflation or alienating allies who depend on Chinese supply chains.

Nigel Green concludes: “The numbers out of Beijing change the tone of the talks. China goes into the next round stronger, not weaker.

“The US may hold the world’s largest consumer market, but China is proving it still controls the world’s factory floor.”

Opinion piece by Dr Himanshu Pathak Director General, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

When crops fail, people move not by choice, but by necessity. As families are displaced by droughts and failed harvests, the pressures do not always stop at national boundaries. In short, hunger has become one of the most powerful forces shaping our century.

From the Sahel, the vast semi-arid belt stretching across Africa from Senegal to Sudan and the Horn of Africa to South Asia’s dry zones and Southeast Asia’s coastal farmlands, climate shocks are undermining food production and disrupting communities across the Global South. ​

In the Sahel, prolonged drought and poor harvests, among other factors, are driving migration north through Niger and Mali toward North Africa and, for some, across the Mediterranean.

Across South Asia, recurrent floods and heat stress have displaced millions in India and Bangladesh, while in Southeast Asia, rising seas are forcing coastal farmers and fishers inland.

These pressures are magnified by rapid population growth, especially in the Sahel, where the population is projected to more than double by 2050, placing immense strain on already limited arable land.

The same story is unfolding across the globe. In Central America’s drought-stricken Dry Corridor, years of crop failure are pushing families to leave their farms and migrate north in search of food and safety.

Safeguarding the right of people to remain where their families have lived for generations, now depends on enabling communities to produce more food from every hectare, even as conditions grow harsher.

History shows that when people cannot feed their families, societies fracture and conflicts occur. The world’s most strategic investment today is in the hands that grow our food and not in walls or weapons.

By investing in climate resilient crops such as the drought and heat tolerant varieties developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and expanding access to scientific innovation and improved seeds, we enable communities to withstand climate shocks, secure their livelihoods, and remain in their traditional lands instead of being forced to migrate by a crisis not of their making.

These positive impacts are already visible, but they must now be scaled up dramatically to match the magnitude of the challenge.

The World Bank estimates that up to 216 million people could be forced to migrate within their own countries by 2050 as climate impacts intensify most of them in Africa and South Asia.

Investing in resilient food systems in the Global South is one of the most effective and humane strategies for ensuring regional and ultimately global stability.

The UNDP estimates that every dollar invested in sustainable agriculture today saves seven to ten dollars in humanitarian aid and migration management later.

At ICRISAT we witness this every day. Across Africa and Asia, we work with governments and communities to turn drylands, some of the harshest farming environments on Earth, into zones of opportunity.

In India’s Bundelkhand region, stretching across southern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh our science-led watershed interventions have turned what were once parched and deserted wastelands into thriving, water-abundant croplands.

In Niger, climate-resilient seed systems are now transforming uncertainty into productivity. From drought-tolerant sorghum and pearl millet to digital tools that guide farmers on planting and water management, science is helping people stay and thrive where they are.

These few examples show that solutions exist. What is missing is scale and that requires more sustained investment.

Developed nations have both the capacity and the self-interest to act. Supporting food systems in the Global South should also be seen as insurance against instability.

FAO’s 2025 World Food Day theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future”, captures what this moment demands, a deeper investment in science that make a real difference, and genuine partnership.

Across the Global South, collaboration is already strengthening through the ICRISAT Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture as nations share knowledge, seeds, and strategies to build resilience together.

Yet the North, too, has a vital role to play in recognition that hunger and instability anywhere can threaten prosperity everywhere.

The future of food security, peace, and climate resilience must be built together.

As the climate crisis tightens its hold, the world must choose, act now to strengthen the foundations of food and farming, or face the growing cost of displacement and unrest.

This World Food Day let us remember that peace, like harvests, depends on what we sow today.