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Electoral Commission of Zambia Chairperson Justice Essau Chulu has revealed that the final 2016 voters register has a total of 6, 698, 372 voters.
Justice Chulu also disclosed that Lusaka is leading with 1,119,319 million voters followed by the Copperbelt with 1,034,548 million voters.
Muchinga Province has the least number of voters with only 349,231.
Justice Chulu disclosed the final figures during a stakeholders meeting organised by the ECZ at Mulungushi International Conference Centre.
He said there are more female voters than male voters on the 2016 voters registers with 3,372,935 being female while 3,325,437 are male voters.
Justice Chulu also told the stakeholders that the register will be certified on Sunday, 31 July 2016 and the delivery of the printed copies will take place on August 3rd 2016.
He said each presidential candidate will be given a copy of the certified register on August 4th 2016.
Justice Chulu also revealed that the exercise of the ballot papers that arrived from Dubai yesterday is underway at ECZ’s Silverest warehouse in Chongwe and the exercise will end on August 5th 2016.
A 24 year old University of Zambia student of Development studies and Demography emerged winner in the highly contested Presenter search for DStv’s Zambezi Magic Zed Top 10 musical show.
Benas Banda of Lusaka was announced winner at a fun filled Zambezi Magic 1st anniversary party held at the Web Lounge in Lusaka on Wednesday,27th July ,2016. The event was predominantly attended by stars from local productions currently airing on DStv channel 160, radio and TV personalities, the media and some government officials.
The visibly surprised and happy Benas, acknowledged the stiff competition from the other four finalists after been asked how he felt been crowned winner by Head of Zambezi Magic Addiel Dzinoreva.
Other contenders included music promoter and radio presenter from Ndola Ezra ‘Blackson’ Mwansa, Fashionista, Mass Communication Student and University of Zambia radio presenter Taonga Kaonga, charity worker Petronella Chanda of Luanshya and Radio Phoenix Breakfast Show host Chanda Kangwa popularly known as DJ Roxy.
Benas Banda won himself a whopping $5000 and a contract with Zambezi Magic as presenter of the ZED Top 10 Musical Show on the Dstv platform. The show has been running without a presenter since inception last year in August.
Benas’ new journey as TV host kicks off when the new season of the ZED Top starts next month.
Speaking during the presentation of the $5000 cheque to the winner, Head of Zambezi Magic Channel Addiel Dzinoreva congratulated all the finalists for their input and saluted them for their passion and dedication during the process of the search for the presenter, which started last year in December.
He further urged the local arts industry to come up with more exciting and creative content and take advantage of the platform been offered by the channel.
And speaking at the same function, National Arts Council of Zambia Chairperson, Mulenga Kapwepwe who was also guest of honour applauded Multchoice‘s contribution to the development of arts in the country through the DStv platform and urged all Zambians to support Zambezi Magic.
Prior to the official announcement of the Zed Top 10 presenter , the audience was treated to amazing performances by some of Zambia’s top artists Macky 2, Roberto, Drimz, Jay Rox , General Ozzy and Gospel musicians ‘ Church’ collaborating with Abel Chungu Musuka, as well as DJ Psycho Tash of Lusaka’s Rock FM.
Zed Top 10 is a Zambian Music videos countdown show, which showcases the best of local talent voted by viewers and airs every Friday at 22:00Hours CAT on DStv Channel 160.
Zambezi Magic is available in six southern African countries on Compact, Compact plus and premium bouquets.
Zambia have been disqualified from the 2016 COSAFA Under-17 Championships in Mauritius for fielding two over-age players.
Below is the official statement from COSAFA confirming Zambia’s disqualification from the Under-17 Championship in Mauritius.
Zambia have been disqualified from the 2016 COSAFA Under-17 Championships being staged in Mauritius having been found to have fielded two over-age players for the tournament.
Consequently Malawi finish top of Group B and East African guest nation Kenya claim the runners-up spot.
Friday’s semi-final line-up therefore sees South Africa take on Kenya and Malawi play Namibia for a place in Sunday’s final.
Zambia’s disqualification follows fresh Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests carried out on forward Nicholas Mulilo and Benjamin Phiri in Mauritius, which found the players were over the age of 17 and therefore according to Clause 10.5 (I) of the tournament regulations are not eligible to compete in the competition.
Zambia had willingly submitted both players for re-testing in Mauritius after complaints from two countries.
The pair had been tested, along with the rest of the squad, in Zambia prior to their arrival at the tournament, as is mandatory for all players competing at the CAF Under-17 Qualifiers and U17 Youth Championships Final Tournament, but information sourced later from Confederation of African Football (CAF) indicated that these tests were incorrectly done.
The re-tests carried out in Mauritius revealed the players were not eligible to compete.
Director of Mines Mr Mooya Lumamba speaks -at -ZIMEC in Lusaka on 23 June. Picture By Hope Mkunte-
Being one of the world’s leading copper exporters comes with its own problems and one of them, for Zambia, is the huge task of monitoring its mineral production so as to ensure maximum revenues from the mines.
The European Union, which aims to strengthen economic governance in Zambia, allocated €4.7 million to implement the MineralProduction Monitoring Support Project (MPMSP) to help Zambia improve governance of its mining sector.
The project of 3 years’ duration, from 2015 to 2018, is being carried out by a consortium led by Adam Smith International (ASI) and including Ecorys (UK), the Revenue Development Foundation and PMTC (Zambia) Ltd. Zambian and international experts working within the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development (MMMD) under ASI management and MMMD guidance.
The objective of the MPMSP is to ‘strengthen the ability of the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development (‘MMMD’) to fulfill its mandate as mining authority to monitor effectively mining activities and mineral production in Zambia, and to share this information with other relevant government agencies to increase domestic revenue mobilisation.’
The project is in line with what President Lungu said is Government’s commitment to engaging the private sector in identifying solutions that will help the country offset some of the problems affecting the mining sector.
“While Government cannot control the external shocks such as falling commodity prices that have impacted negatively on the country whose economy is copper-export led, continued collaboration amid economic turbulences will help minimise the effects of the shocks,” said
President Lungu.
One of the milestones of the Mineral Production MonitoringSupport Project was the launch of the online export permit module at the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development (MMMD), which went live on 1st June, 2016.
The Ministry is now processing and issuing all mineral export permits via a digital interface. This administrative system was developed by project consortium partner the Revenue Development Foundation.
Moving away from a paper-based system has increased efficiency and strengthened accountability in the issuing of Mineral Export Rights, as well as the recording of related payments thus significantly improving the audit trail.
June also saw the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development participating in the Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference (ZIMEC 2016) in Lusaka. The Ministry proudly displayed some of the new gemmology equipment purchased by the European Union as part of the Mineral ProductionMonitoring Support Project’s work on capacity building.
Director of Mines Mr Mooya Lumamba, speaking at ZIMEC, said the project will enable his ministry to better monitor mineral production and to share information with relevant Government agencies such as Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) for purposes of collecting royalties and taxes.
“With a stronger monitoring system, Zambia will be able to realise revenue taxes in a proper and coordinated system and without declaring false production records by mining houses,” he said.
“Inevitably, the first sources of data on mining activities and mineral production are the mines themselves. However, currently the country’s authorities rely entirely on mineral production data and other related information provided by the private mining industry,”
said Mr Lumamba.
He said given the fact that Government authorities and private companies do not necessarily share the same agenda, this data and information may or may not be entirely sufficient and accurate, hence launching of the MPMSP.
Mr Lumamaba said the EU-funded project is concentrating on building capacity within the Ministry to re-establish physical presence on the ground to improve monitoring and inspection programmes in the mines throughout the mining cycle (exploration-mining-processing-export).
Mr Lumamba said the next element in the sequence is about effective data-management and data-sharing.
This includes management of data provided from the mining companies, and its verification through an MMMD monitoring system. It also includes information gathered from other sources as well as supporting effective inter-agency data and information-sharing arrangements and structures.
He said Zambia has made considerable progress in terms of transparency of the mining sector and benefit-streams from mineral exploitation.
The country has also joined the worldwide initiative EITI (Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative).
Precious stones on displace at the Mines and Mineral Development stand at ZIMEC in Lusaka on 23 June 2 Picture By Hope MkunteSenior Gemmologist Michelle Naambo talks to Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma at the Mines and Minerals Development stand at ZIMEC in Lusaka on 23 June. Picture By Hope MkunteVisitors at the Mines and Minerals Development stand at ZIMEC in Lusaka on 23 June 2016. Picture By Hope MkunteMining Engineer Alexander Nyirenda talks to visitors at ZIMEC in Lusaka on 23 June. Picture By Hope MkunteStenographer Ms. Jean Mwenfa Simukonda gives out an export permit using the digital interfaceThis is a gem computer gauge, one of the many pieces of brand new laboratory equipment at Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development (MMMD) to help with production monitoring of minerals.Picture By Hope Mkunte
Mukuka is a Zambian singer/ song writer based in Hamilton ,New Zealand . She has been working on a project with producer Nate since 2014. Her debut single “Shout it out loud” was the start of her on-going music journey . We caught up with her for an interview.
KAPA187: Tell us about yourself.
MUKUKA: My name is Mukuka Musowa, although I currently live in New Zealand I was born in Luanshya. At the age of 9 my family moved to New Zealand. I am a 22-year-old Media Arts student at Waikato Institute ofTechnology in Hamilton, New Zealand. Apart from my music I enjoy reading, writing, painting and doing anything that gives me a chance to be creative.
KAPA187: What was your inspiration to get into music?
MUKUKA: When I was younger I remember wanting to learn how to play the piano, that is what inspired me to get into music, later on I discovered my love and fascination for writing lyrics, and that is where my journey began.
KAPA187: How would you describe your style of music, and which artists are you inspired by?
MUKUKA: I would describe my music style as Electro pop/ Afro pop. One artist who has inspired me and the reason I got the confidence to start writing my own music is Nigerian Singer/Songwriter Asa. I discovered Asa during high school, I thought she was the coolest African singer on the planet. Not only did she have natural hair like me! She could also sing and write about problems and situations she was facing, I thought that was so empowering. Her sound was also very different to other African female song writers. One of my favorite lyrics by Asa are in Dreamer Girl, she says “Have you ever heard of a dreamer girl, living in a world so far away. You might think that she’ll be a bit naïve, when she says that someday she’ll be your queen.” This resonated with me a lot as I was that dreamer girl, I am that dreamer girl.
KAPA187: Tell us about your latest single “Just Fine”. What is the concept of the song?
MUKUKA: We have all had something bad or difficult happen to us at some point in our lives, ‘Just Fine’ is about looking at those difficult situations and saying to yourself “I know this is really hard, but I will be fine”. The concept of Just Fine was based on the idea of leaving home (Zambia) and coming to New Zealand, how challenging the journey was for me, how hard it was to adapt to a new culture and leaving friends and family behind.
KAPA187: “Just Fine” is the third song you have released. The other two being “leave me alone” and “Shout it out loud”. The latter is my favorite of the trio. What is the song about?
MUKUKA: I am happy you like “Shout It Out Loud”! The song is about being set free; whether its being set free from a place, person or thing.
KAPA187: The 3 songs are part of a project you are working on. Could you elaborate more on the project?
MUKUKA: Since 2014 I have been working on an EP with DJ/Producer Nate.
KAPA187: The song “Just fine “was written for and will be featured on a New Zealand Television Show called “BOTH WORLDS”. What is that TV show about and tell us what your contribution will be?
MUKUKA: “Both worlds” is about a group of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds who are tackling their fears, their pasts and their future. Each episode includes young first, second, third or fourth generation New Zealanders as they turn a camera on themselves to share their life changing journeys. Throughout the episode I look to the Zambian community here in New Zealand in helping and teaching me how I can keep my Zambian heritage alive, because as I grow up I realize just how important it is to know where you come from.
KAPA187: How would you describe the music industry in New Zealand in comparison to the Zambia?
MUKUKA: I don’t know much about the Zambian music industry; it is something I would like to learn more about. The music world here in New Zealand is very small and it all comes down to who you know. I am fortunate enough to be around really talented tutors, peers and mentors who have always encouraged me to keep my journey going.
KAPA187: Is there any Zambian artist you would like to collaborate with in the future?
MUKUKA: Yes!! Macky 2
KAPA187: Apart from music what else are you involved in?
MUKUKA: I am a full time music student so at this point in my life is music.
KAPA187: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
MUKUKA: Although it is impossible to see what will happen in the next five years, I plan on working on and releasing my first album, finishing my music degree and of course preforming in Zambian is also on the list!
KAPA187: Any last words.
MUKUKA: Thank you for listening to my music, below are links where you can find more of my music.
A combined team of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), Game Rangers International (IFAW) and the International Fund for Animal welfare (IFAW) have successfully captured the elephant which has been seen roaming around Nega Nega area and translocated to Kafue National Park (KNP).
Government says it is concerned with the decline of wildlife populations in Southern Africa.
Ministry of Tourism and Arts Permanent Secretary Stephen Mwansa attributed the decline of wildlife populations in Southern Africa to wildlife crime.
Speaking when he officially opened the Southern Africa Regional Judicial & Prosecutorial Workshop in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mwansa pointed at poaching, illegal wildlife trade and trafficking, as a major cause of the waning of wildlife populations.
Mr Mwansa noted that illegal trade and trafficking in wildlife products such as game meat, skins, ivory, rhino’s horns and live animals have increased at alarming levels.
The permanent secretary further urged Zambians to ensure that they protect the country’s wildlife as it is a non-renewable resource.
Mr Mwansa noted that the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Zambia dedicates a lot of attention into law enforcement and field operations.
He said that the value of wildlife cannot be over stated and therefore there is need to attach economic value to wildlife and consider wildlife crime as economic warfare and sabotage.
“We need to put our heads together in fighting wildlife crime in the region said Mr Mwansa.
This is according to a statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today by Ministry of Tourism and Arts Public Relations Officer Sakabilo Kalembwe
Labour Minister Fackson Shamenda (l) joins the Mbwanjikane Cultural Group in dancing during the 51st Independence Anniversary celebrations at Mongu Sports Stadium
Labour and Social Security Minister Fackson Shamenda says government is determined to take development to all areas of the country.
Mr Shamenda said government is on track in finishing all the development programmes started by late President Michael Sata when the Patriotic Front (PF) administration took office in 2011.
The Minister stated that President Edgar Lungu should be praised for continuing with all the projects which were left behind by the late Head of State.
Mr Shamenda was speaking after touring Mumbwa District hospital where construction of a Mothers shelter is underway.
Mr Shamenda commended the contractor for the good workmanship exhibited in the construction works.
The Minister also hailed the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) for partnering with government in spearheading development in Mumbwa district and the rest of the country.
And Mumbwa Acting Medical Officer in Charge Dr Muye reka Nyirenda praised government and NAPSA for the vital infrastructure going on at the district’s only hospital.
Dr Nyirenda said the Mothers shelter has been the cry of the people of Mumbwa and the surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, Mumbwa district Commissioner Filex Ndopu said the massive developmental projects in the district have elated traditional leaders and the local people in the district.
Mr Ndopu said government is not only constructing mothers’ shelter at the hospital but also constructing clinics in selected parts of the district to bring health care services closer to the people.
The District Commissioner said government is also building schools and upgrading roads to bituminous standards.
Mr Shamenda , who is in the company of NAPSA officials is in Mumbwa district inspecting government developmental programmes.
The Minister and NAPSA officials also paid a courtesy call to the wife of late Chief Mumba of the Kaonde speaking people where NAPSA donated a gen-set worth thousands of Kwacha.
Government says the National Anti-Corruption Policy (NACP) continues to be part of the efforts that the state has put in place to effectively deal with corruption in the country.
Secretary to Cabinet Roland Msiska said the policy which is reinforced by the Revised Anti-Corruption Act No. 3 of 2012, provides for a cross sectional approach to the Anti-corruption crusade.
Dr. Msiska said this in Lusaka today in a speech read for him by his Deputy Peter Kasanda, during the launch of the National Anti-Corruption Policy (NACP) and integrity Committee (IC) Programme Evaluation reports.
Dr. Msiska said implementation of the NACP has been going on since 2010 even though the implementation period was adjusted to run from 2011 to 2015.
He further said the Implementation Plan (IP) for the operationalisation of the Policy was developed in 2010 and revised in 2012.
Dr. Msiska pointed out that IP provides for activities to be implemented by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with the aim of minimising levels of corruption particularly at points of service delivery.
He said through the NACP, it was envisaged that the harmonised and coordinated actions against corruption championed through the policy would reduce poverty, improve citizens access to public services and respect for human rights, among others.
Dr. Msiska said mainstreaming of ICs in some public and private institutions, establishment of Code of Ethics and Service Charters and engagement of traditional leaders are some of the successes of the implementation of the NACP which would eventually lead to the achievement of the desired results.
Speaking earlier Anti-Corruption Commission Chairperson Justice Timothy Kabalata said the vision has helped not only in building a culture of integrity but also in stressing the need to reject and resist corruption in all spheres of governance.
Mr. Kabalata said the development of the National Anti- Corruption Policy and the subsequent establishment of the integrity committee programme is a demonstrable commitment by government to achieve good governance through preventing and fighting corruption in a much more coordinated and inclusive manner.
Zambia International Investment Forum 2016 Launch: Zambian Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mhango Mwanakatwe delivering her speech
Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe says she is impressed with increased numbers of companies exhibiting at the 2016 90th Agriculture and Commercial Show.
Touring some stands at the Show, Ms. Mwanakatwe noted that the commitment by participants shows hope for increased exhibitor participation despite most companies operating under economic pressure.
Among the stands Mrs Mwanakatwe toured are the Zambia Revenue Authority and Patents and Companies registration Agency.
And Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Society of Zambia President Ben Shoko expressed confidence that the show will be a success.
Mr. Shoko who accompanied Mrs Mwanakatwe on the tour of stands said both local and international companies will exhibit at the Show bringing the number of companies expected to participate to more than one thousand.
It was a mistake for Hakainde Hichilema to make Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM)-an insulting and violent person with a propensity to battering anyone who does not agree with him, including his wife, says Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Council (NGOCC) Chairperson Sarah Longwe-his running mate.
Ms Longwe said GBM’s personal character was a danger which the country could not risk taking.
Speaking in an interview Ms Longwe said Mr. Mwamba should never be allowed to take up any leadership position in Zambia.
She said Mr. Mwamba was one person who would never change from his violent behaviour.
“We have said it over and over again that GBM is a batterer who can’t lead the country because he’s a threat to women, and anyone who crosses his path.”
“He has apologised several times but even the apology is questionable, because how many times has he apologised to his wife after he’s beaten her? He does it over and over again,” she said.
And Ms Longwe has reiterated the need to support women vying for various positions in next month’s general elections.
Ms. Longwe said that the women’s movement had initiated various campaigns strategies for all female candidates in the elections.
She observed that women were good leaders and would contribute massively to the development of the country if given a chance.
“We are supporting women who are participating in the elections at all levels. So far, we have issued posters and stickers which we are giving to various people. We also go in communities to encourage people to vote and support women,” Ms. Longwe said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Longwe has expressed sadness on the low number of women participating in this year’s general elections.
She said despite efforts to increase the number of women participation in elections, the number had remained marginally low.
“We are very unhappy that there are very few women participating in this year’s general elections. The percentages are alarming and this is before the election.
“So far the female Members of Parliament that have been nominated are 106, out of 661 which is 6 percent, for the ward councillors its only 415 which is 9 percent out of 4566 and for mayors its only 11 percent, only 40 women have been nominated out of 331. We are very disappointed,” she said.
Raphael Nakacinda
The MMD has challenged the media to start going a step further when reporting on issues that have documents such as Court cases as opposed to resorting to reporting on hear-say propagated by individuals.
Speaking at a media briefing MMD National Secretary Rapheal Nakacinda said former Party President Nevers Mumba is using the media to spine lies about the Court rulings of which the media has fallen for because they have become lazy and an easy target for advancing his falsehoods.
Mr Nakacinda said Dr Mumba will use anything at his disposal to advance his interest and that the media has become an easy target because of reporting what they are told without checking for facts even when the facts are in their face.
Dr Mumba on Thursday claimed to be the rightful leader of the former ruling party and called on the current Party President who was elected at a party convention Felix Mutati to “respect the law”.
But Mr Nakacinda who was elected as the National Secretary described Dr Mumba’s attempt to confuse members of the public and those from the party as contemptuous as the former pastor has deliberately chosen to misinterpret the ruling to suit his personal interest.
Mr Nakacinda said the ruling which was given verbally by the Supreme Court and will be ready on 3rd August did not in anyway reinstate Dr Mumba and his cronies as party officials but just sent it back to the High Court hence Dr Mumba should be arrested for putting words in the judge’s mouth.
Mr Nakacinda said the legal position after Supreme Court ruling has not varied with that of the High Court and that members of the party should remain calm.
“The Supreme Court yesterday, after our lawyers indicated that they would not object to Dr. Nevers Mumba presenting his case again to the High Court for reconsideration, to allow him to exhaust his right to be heard. The issue of the injunction he had earlier on sought was not part of the Ruling and therefore the attempt to stop President Felix Mutati was not even entertained.
“The challenge on the registration of President Felix Mutati as President and Me who by the way was duly elected at a national convention as National Secretary respectively of the MMD was not interfered with by the Supreme Court and therefore the Ruling by Mrs. Justice Nicola Sharpe-Phiri which dismissed Dr. Mumba’s challenge is still the law.
“In short nothing has changed and President Felix Mutati and his team are still firmly in charge of the MMD. The full written Ruling of the Supreme Court will be available on Wednesday 3rd August 2016,”. Nakacinda said.
Appearing on radio Phoenix Thursday morning in what has become his usual style Dr Mumba announced that the courts have reinstated him as party President and that Mr Mutati’s action was treasonable.
He also called Dr Mumba to stop using innocent women like Winnie Zalomis to advance his personal interest
Former Zambia Under-23 and Power Dynamos midfielder Norman Munthali is dead.
Munthali, 33, died on Thursday morning at Kitwe Central Hospital after an illness.
He is Nkana defender Christopher Munthali’s elder brother and has left behind a wife and two children.
Munthali was playing for FAZ Division One Zone Two side Indeni.
“We have lost a pillar, he was inspirational to young players,” Indeni secretary Steven Sinyinza said.
“We are going to honour him by winning promotion to the Super League ” he said.
Munthali joined Indeni from National Assemby in 2014.
The midfielder made his name at Power Dynamos following his move from the defunct Coca Cola FC in 2001 after making an initial impact with the Zambia Under-20 team.
Munthali made the number 6 position his own at Arthur Davies where he earned his ‘Viera’ nickname but sadly was restricted to just a couple of senior caps despite his talent.
He was part of the Peter Kaumba coached Under-23 Team that played in the Beijing 2008 Olympics qualifiers.
Munthali’s peers includes Simon Bwalya, Francis Kasonde,Chabusha Malumani, Kalililo Kakonje, Bronson Chama, Clive Sichondwe and Eugene Shamakamba.
Public Relations Manager of Electoral commission of Zambia Crispin Akufuna (r) with Media Consultant for United Nation Program Silvia Namuju (L) during a press briefing at Electoral commission of Zambia(ECZ) offices
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has announced that the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) have signed an agreement after a National Conflict Management Committee meeting held on July 28.
In a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today by ECZ Public Relations Manager Crispin Akufuna, said the meeting was convened following a complaint by the UPND over the use of Zambia Air Force resources by the PF for partisan purposes.
Mr. Akufuna explained that in the agreement the two parties agreed that political parties should not use state resources to campaign for the benefit of any political party candidate.
He said the two parties further agreed that there should be no abuse of state resources and that all players in the electoral process should work within the law.
Mr. Akufuna however noted that the Republican President and the Vice President are allowed by law to use state resources in accordance with the law.
He said the UPND Secretary General Stephen Katuka and PF Secretary General Davies Chama signed the agreement on behalf of their respective political parties.
Mr. Akufuna said the agreement was also signed by Legal Counsel Martha Mushipe from UPND and Pezo Ngombo for the PF as witnesses, while Reverend Mwape Chilekwa and Lucie Kasanga signed as mediators.
Lusaka City Council Head Office
The Lusaka City Council (LCC) and Edgy Nicollo M2TD Consortium of South Africa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a pilot project to provide free wi-fi services in Lusaka.
During the signing ceremony held in Lusaka recently, Ministry of Local Government and Housing Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga said the Government is happy that the project is finally taking shape.
Stakeholders in the project include, Edgy Nicollo M2TD Consortium, Zambian High Commission in South Africa and Lusaka City Council/Government of the Republic of Zambia.
Others are the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), a
body responsible for regulating the ICT sector in Zambia, the Zambia Telecommunications Company (ZAMTEL) and the e-Goverance office.
Mr Malupenga was particularly elated that the project was expected to create an estimated 1, 500 jobs for the youths in Lusaka.
Mr Malupenga said initiatives such as the one being entered into with Nicollo Group will help in creating an enabling environment for councils to effectively and efficiently provide services to the local people, more so that it will create employment for the youths in Lusaka.
“These are the kinds of projects that we as Government always encourage councils to undertake because public-private partnerships (PPPs) help to keep councils in direct contact with the people in the communities,” Mr Malupenga.
And Lusaka Town Clerk, Alex Mwansa said he was impressed with signing of the MoU with Edgy Nicollo M2TD Consortium because of the wonderful benefits the project would bring.
Mr Mwansa said once the technical team commences with the layout of the infrastructure, the centre will start the recruitment and training of digital ambassadors who will be tasked with the responsibility of teaching locals on how to use free wifi.
“I am glad that the project is finally becoming a reality. The project will help alleviate the problem of unemployment in Lusaka in that an estimated 1, 500 jobs are expected to be created.
Upon completion of the project, cooperatives will be established and formalised among the trained candidates and later the cooperatives will be tasked with the responsibility of maintenance of the project,” Mr Mwansa said.
The Town Clerk said the Council will identify hotspot zones within Lusaka for wifi services to make it easy for members of the public to pay for the various services that the local authority provides.
Mr Mwansa said the free wifi service will also help Lusaka residents to electronically pay for various services provided by the local authority such as rates, ground rent, business, fire, marriage certificates, building plans, firearms, bill boards, liquor and public health services eg restaurant operating licences; among others.
The free wifi project was initiated by Zambian High Commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba and in April this year when he led a delegation of eight members from Edgy Nicollo Group for talks with officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing and the Lusaka City Council.
Wifi is a term for certain types of wireless local area networks (WLAN) and is widely used in businesses, agencies, schools, and homes as an alternative to a wired LAN.
