By BENEDICT TEMBO

First National Bank (FNB) Zambia has announced one-year partnerships with KUPES Young Women’s Network and Posterity Solutions aimed at accelerating youth mentorship and empowerment initiatives.

KUPES is a non-profit organisation founded in 2014 devoted to the development of young women and girls.
It’s mission is to empower young women by educating and equipping them with skills and opportunities that will enable them become leaders actively participating in the shaping of their world in reducing poverty, ending violence against women, catalysing communities, and pioneering social and economic development.

Posterity was founded in 2022 with the goal of seeing a population with shared values that are aimed at concerted efforts towards national development.

The organisation aims to create a legacy of effective leadership by training today’s leaders to mentor and inspire the next generation.
Posterity is a call to positively influence cultural change to a whole persons’ growth concept and using personal development approach as a vehicle, thereby investing in the next generation of Zambian leaders.

Speaking on the strategic partnerships, FNB Zambia Head – Strategic Marketing and Communications, Kasali Mwaba-Kaingu commended KUPES and Posterity for the shared commitment to create a better world by providing real help, aligned to the bank’s ethos of ‘How can we help you?’.

“At FNB, we see ourselves as part of the solution to the societal challenges youths face. This understanding is under-pinned on the basis that the majority of FNB Zambia employees are youths.
Therefore, we make deliberate efforts to support not only our employees, but the communities we operate in so that we can collectively provide tangible and sustainable solutions to empower the youth to positive contribute to the growth and wellbeing of our society,” Mrs. Kaingu said.
“This is the second year that we are partnering with KUPES to support the work they do in helping young women and girls to realize their potential, demonstrating the bank’s confidence in these activities.
This year, FNB is particularly excited to commence the partnership with Posterity Solutions under the Ascend Men’s Mentorship Program, where we will reach young boys across the country with a tailored mentorship program, carefully designed for boys. We are happy to take lead on this initiative by investing resources in meeting the growing need for boys in Zambia to get inspiration and guidance that will help them to shape a successful path. FNB is passionate about working with like-minded organizations focused on creating positive societal impact and the investment in the two organizations over the next one-year period will go a long way in offering the help needed in our communities”, she added.
KUPES Young Women’s Network Founder Norena Chiteba said, “We started the KUPES activities in February 2015 with a membership of nine girls and have since grown to a network of about 3,000 members. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of organizations like FNB Zambia who share our vision of meaningful impact to support young women. We are excited to continue the partnership with FNB so that we can elevate our activities to reach more girls across the country”.
Posterity Solutions Founder, Mina Tavaris Mukuma said “The Ascend Men’s Mentorship Programme has been carefully crafted to empower boys to take up leadership positions through mentorship from a network of men who will receive the requisite training. Our focus is to create a legacy of effective leadership by training today’s leaders to mentor and inspire the next generation. We would like to thank FNB for starting what will become a movement of men’s mentorship, something that other corporate organizations can emulate”.
FNB Zambia’s focus on real help has seen the bank embark on different community initiatives that include among others:

• Delivery of financial literacy education in partnership with Project Concern Zambia for women empowerment groups, and as part of Financial Literacy Week in the 23 locations where the Bank has branch presence.
• Donation of sewing machines and a peanut butter-making machine to the Mother of Millions Sandulula Women’s Empowerment program in Kitwe, that works with formerly incarcerated women.
• Donation of sanitary material to Chikankanta Secondary School in partnership with Awanachi Magazine as the Bank seeks to address period poverty that continues to impact access to education.
• Building and handover of a 1 x 2 classroom block equipped with desks and an ablution block to a community school in Luanshya with an aim to increase literacy levels.
FNB Zambia’s vision is to create a better world by offering real help in the communities that the Bank operates in. In April this year, FNB celebrated 14 years of operating in Zambia and the Bank continues to position itself as a helpful, innovative, digitally led financial and lifestyle services provider, adapting to the evolving needs of the diverse customers.
The bank is built on offering real and intuitive help and this is reflected in how the Bank continues to innovate and re-invent its products and services, as well as its societal impact.

By BENEDICT TEMBO

Emirates and Zambia Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly promote tourism and boost visitor arrivals to Zambia by leveraging Emirates’ extensive global network of 140 destinations.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Badr Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations for Africa, and Matongo Matamwandi, Chief Executive Officer, Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA).

Through this partnership, the two parties will explore opportunities to collaborate on key initiatives and undertake various activities to promote experiences in Zambia and increase the visibility of the destination within the Emirates network. Both parties will also consider various advertising and marketing campaigns to drive inbound visitors to Zambia.

Badr Abbas, SVP, Commercial Operations, Africa at Emirates, said: “We are pleased to work with Zambia Tourism and support their initiatives to advance the tourism economy. Zambia has been part of our destination network for more than ten years. We have been steadily building traffic into Zambia across the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, India, and China, and we look forward driving more travellers to Zambia. The MoU signed today will help us explore mutually beneficial initiatives that will boost the nation’s tourism and trade sectors and provide Emirates with an opportunity to serve market demand.”

Matongo Matamwandi, CEO Zambia Tourism Agency, said : “Zambia offers a rich tourism offering and wealth of opportunities to pursue outdoor activities, a rich and diverse cultural heritage, and unrivalled wildlife offerings in 20 National Parks and 36 Game Management Areas. The country has unique landmarks including the Victoria Falls in Livingstone, the World’s largest Bat migration in Kasanka National Park, Mwela Rocks in Kasama, the Thornicroft Giraffe in South Luangwa National Park and The Moto Moto Museum in Mbala. We are confident that the partnership with Emirates will give a boost to the tourism industry in Zambia and attract visitors from across the Emirates network showcasing the unique experiences that Zambia has to offer.”

Emirates launched operations to Zambia in 2012 and has grown the route over the years to offer a daily service with seven flights a week. The route is served by a Boeing 777-300ER offering eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class. The airline supports trade lanes through the export of Zambian commodities like dry and smoked seafood, precious stones and imports such as pharmaceuticals, mobile phones, auto spare parts, apparel, printed materials and drilling equipment in its belly-hold, enabling commerce and supporting the local economy.

The Minister of Finance and National Planning in Zambia, Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, has stated that the current challenge of high demand for grain and other agricultural products in the region presents an opportunity for economic growth in the country. The high demand for grain, particularly maize, has caused mealie meal prices to rise in Zambia, negatively impacting the people. To address this, Dr. Musokotwane has emphasized the need for Zambia to quickly produce larger agricultural surpluses that can be exported, thereby earning the country dollars and creating jobs.

Dr. Musokotwane noted that the existing small, medium, and commercial farmers will play a crucial role in the production of more food for export. However, he highlighted that the export market is significant, and additional skills and capital will be required to meet the demand. To unlock higher economic growth, the government is working on various initiatives, including farm block development in agriculture. This initiative aims to improve agricultural production in the country by introducing models that encourage large-scale and small-scale producers to work together to produce material for a processing factory.

Dr. Musokotwane acknowledged that while the growth of Zambia’s economy was driven by the ICT, transport, and education sectors in 2022, it was subdued in key sectors such as agriculture, mining, tourism, and manufacturing. To achieve higher economic growth, the government is finalizing the formulation of the Comprehensive Agriculture Transformation Programme (CATP) and developing the National Crop Diversification Strategy. These strategies will enhance production and productivity of a diverse range of agricultural commodities and products. The government also wants the mining sector to be one of the key drivers of growth to attain copper production of three million tons per year.

The government has heightened security against illegal exports and encouraged the local private sector to import mealie meal from surplus countries for sale at border areas in towns next to countries with a deficit of food availability. Nevertheless, Dr. Musokotwane has emphasized that the ultimate solution to food deficits in the region is to produce more food and export it to countries in need. The implementation plans for the farm blocks are nearly ready, and the money to establish them is available. Work will start within a few months, and the marketing of the farm blocks will begin soon.