President Hakainde Hichilema’s upcoming participation in the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha, Qatar has been hailed as a significant opportunity to attract investment and support for Zambia’s economy. In a statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Stanley K. Kakubo, said that the President’s attendance at the conference is critical for Zambia to benefit from existing global partnerships and international support.

“The President’s participation in the LDC5 Conference is critical because it will enable the country to benefit from the existing global partnerships, international support, and available financial and investment opportunities to help turn around the country’s economy,” said Hon. Kakubo. “This will be through opportunities the President creates for collaboration and partnership for meaningful economic ventures for the benefit of the people of Zambia.”

President Hichilema is expected to meet with the Amir of Qatar and key investment players to attract investment in Zambia’s key economic sectors, such as agriculture, energy, transport, infrastructure, and industry. The President will also be a key panelist at the Inaugural Earthna Summit, where he will make a case for Zambia on agriculture and food security to attract investment in the sector and secure export markets for Zambia’s agriculture produce into Qatar and the wider Middle East.

“The President’s unrelenting efforts to attract investments in Zambia’s key economic sectors are paying off, and we have seen renewed interest from other countries in sectors such as trade, investment, tourism, and agriculture,” said Hon. Kakubo. “The President remains firmly focused on unlocking opportunities and creating an enabling environment for increased investment in the country’s economic sector aimed at improving livelihoods of the Zambian people.”

The LDC5 Conference is an important meeting that brings together LDC Heads of State and Government to discuss and agree on measures to support LDCs, overcome structural challenges, eradicate poverty, achieve internationally agreed development goals, and enable graduation from the LDC category. The conference will have side forums for the private sector, civil society, Parliamentarians, and the youth, aimed at raising new pledges of support, advancing new ideas, and spurring delivery on agreed commitments, including the announcement of specific initiatives aimed at addressing challenges affecting the LDCs.

President Hichilema’s participation in the conference has been lauded by various stakeholders, including the private sector. Mr. Emmanuel Mutati, President of the Zambia Association of Manufacturers, said that the President’s efforts to attract investment and support for Zambia’s economy are commendable.

“We welcome the President’s participation in the LDC5 Conference, and we believe that his efforts to attract investment and support for Zambia’s economy will have a positive impact on the manufacturing sector,” said Mr. Mutati. “We look forward to working with the government to create an enabling environment for increased investment in the country’s economic sector.”

President Hichilema’s participation in the LDC5 Conference is seen as a significant step towards unlocking opportunities and creating an enabling environment for increased investment in Zambia’s economic sectors, aimed at improving the livelihoods of the Zambian people.

The four children from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who are alleged to be potential victims of child trafficking are in the custody of the Ndola District Child Protection unit (CPU).

CPU Committee Charles Mwambo has told ZANIS in Ndola in a phone interview that the children are being kept at undisclosed location for safety until the case is disposed of by the court.

Pastor Mwambo disclosed that the children aged between 6 months and 3 years were retrieved by the committee in December last year when the suspects in the case were arrested.

He said the committee has since secured school places for the three older children within the locality they are being kept and they have since adapted to the environment.

“We are managing to take care of the children and resources have since been mobilized thanks to the government.

The only challenge has been the language barrier as they only speak French and lingala but with lessons they are attending they are speaking few English words,” he said.

And Pastor Mwambo said no family has come through to claim the children as it is believed that they were drawn from an orphanage.

He disclosed that it was only last week that officials from DRC visited to check on the children and did ask for permission to have them retrieved and taken back to their country of origin.

He said the officials were advised to wait until the court heard the case and hear its determination.

“Our Fear is that the children may be re – trafficked and it is just impossible to release them when the case is active in court.

We have since restricted access to the children to both government officials and media,”he said.

Last year in December officers from the Immigration Department did apprehend eight Croatian nationals at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Airport in Ndola on suspicion of child trafficking and document forgery.

This is because the validity of the documents on the adoption of minor children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was questionable.

The suspects have since been formally arrested and charged with offence of child trafficking and have been appearing in court.

The accused are Gloria Sakulenga, 36,a senior immigration officer jointltly charged with Croatians Damir Magdic, 44, an electrical technician, Nadica Magdic, 45, a technician, Zoran Subosic, 52, a musician, Azra Imamovic Subosic, 41, an administrator, Ladislav Perisic, 42, a medical doctor, Aleksandra Persic, 43, a hair salon attendant, Noah Kraljevic, 40, a program director and Ivona Kraljevic, 36, a dog handler.

The United Party for National Development (UPND) has expressed concern about the high levels of misinformation surrounding the recently signed concession agreement for the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway between the Government of the Republic of Zambia and Macro Ocean Investment Limited. The opposition party has accused the government of allowing the contractor to collect all the revenue realized from the toll-gates for 22 years, a claim that has been refuted by the New Dawn Administration.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, a political consultant in the office of the Secretary General, Mark Simuuwe, advised the opposition and its surrogates to avoid pushing a wrong narrative as it has the potential to harm the economy. He explained that the revenue realized from the toll fees shall be shared between the government and the engaged contractor during the 22-year concession period. He added that the government had no capacity to do a road of such magnitude amid a serious debt which the previous government struggled to negotiate.

Mr. Simuuwe further intimated that the Patriotic Front (PF) intended to borrow US$2 billion to work on the same road but changed their mind after being criticized that the money was too much and later renegotiated downwards to US$1.250 billion. He said the New Dawn Administration believed in prudence in its fiscal management, hence renegotiating the contract sum further down to US$577 million in line with its campaign promises, given the country’s debt position and economic fragility.

The Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway serves as the main link between the main Copper producing regions of the Copperbelt and North Western provinces and the sea. Mr. Simuuwe said it would be folly for the UPND and its government to allow a contractor to get all the revenue realized from the toll fees for 22 years at the expense of national development, assuring citizens to retain faith in the government as it works at stabilizing the economy.

The New Dawn Administration has promised to avail the country with details on how proceeds from the toll fees will be shared once the 36-month project is completed with anticipated increased traffic flow and reduced road fatalities.

Police in Mpulungu District have impounded eight trucks of maize that are allegedly suspected to have been planned for smuggling into neighboring countries.

Northern Province Permanent Secretary Bernard Mpundu disclosed that the maize which was bought from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) in Kasama and destined to Nakonde district was intercepted in Mpulungu district.

He says everyone is highly suspicious of how the maize bought by a milling plant in Nakonde could find itself in Mpulungu without proper documentation.

He explained that the government decided to offload the maize to milling companies in the country to help reduce mealie meal prices on the market.

“The bigger question that begs answers is why the maize that was destined to Nakonde could find its way to Mpulungu, a harbor town that connects countries. So it is highly suspected by all of us that it may have been meant for smuggling” he said.

He disclosed that police have since launched investigations into the matter to determine the correct picture.

The PS said this in an interview with journalists shortly after discovering the incident.

He has since warned people with plans to smuggle maize from the province to stay away as security wings are on high alert to quash such plans.

“I would love to warn people who plan to smuggle to stay away as our security personnel in the province are on high alert” he said.

And Food Reserve Agency (FRA) Provincial Marketing Coordinator Timothy Chanda says about 4200 by 50 kg bags of maize equivalent to 200 metric tons are involved.

He said the Agency has also launched an investigation into the issue to determine the truth.

Mr Chanda said FRA expects all millers who apply to access maize from them to comply with the applicable laws.

“We expect all the millers to abide by the modalities of the sales agreement that they sign with the agency” he said.

He has however warned millers who are abrogating the conditions of the sales agreement that they risk having their contracts terminated.

But Terry Milling, the company at the centre of the controversy, disclosed that his company borrowed the maize from a milling company in Nakonde to process into a mealie meal.

Terry Milling Company Manager Hodes Sikazwe said his firm had no stocks and had to borrow the maize from their business partner.

He stated that one truck of maize containing about 500 by 50 kg bags had already been offloaded.

“We had customers who were waiting for the mealie meal so that is how we borrowed the maize from our friends in Nakonde milling so that we could process it into a mealie meal” he said.

Lusaka City Council through its department of fire brigades working with the Zambia Airforce and Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit has started the process of identifying places that are highly affected with floods for possible relocation of residents.

LCC Public Relations officer Mastone Moonze said the operation is a response to President Hakainde Hichilema’s call for the local authority to work with other government departments in relocating the affected house holds.

Mr. Moonze said the exercise that will take a period of seven days shall include capturing of aerial pictures and videos to be used in planning of the relocation will be conducted.

He observed that the flash floods in Lusaka has seen a number of houses in Kamwala South, Kamulanga, Kanyama,Mass media and Arcades shopping areas submerged in water.

Meanwhile,the local authority through the Engineering Department has also beefed up the human resource to help the Zambia National Service excavate drainages in Kanyama township and improve an Earth drain from Chawama to Makeni into the Chilongolo stream.

He said citizens leaving in areas without proper drainage should take advantage of the 2023 allocation of Constituency Development Fund and apply for the construction of drainages by the local authority.

“The Lusaka City Council Department of fire brigades working with the Zambia Airforce and Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit has started the process of identifying places that are highly affected with floods for possible relocation of residents.The operation is a response to President Hakainde Hichilema’s call for the local authority to work with other government departments in relocating the affected house holds.The exercise that will take a period of seven days shall include capturing of aerial pictures and videos to be used in planning of the relocation will be conducted.Lusaka district is one of the affected places to flash floods that has seen a number of houses in Kamwala South,Kamulanga,Kanyama,Mass media and Arcades shopping areas submerged in water,” Mr. Monze said.

“The local authority through the Engineering Department has also beefed up the human resource to help the Zambia National Service excavate drainages in Kanyama township and improve an Earth drain from Chawama to Makeni into the Chilongolo stream.We also wish to advise members of the community living in townships that have no drainage systems to take advantage of the 2023 allocation of Constituency Development Fund and apply for the construction of drainages by the local authority.Our Engineers have always been on the ground working with our performance contractors in unlocking clogged drainages in the central business District and other townships.As a long term measure , we are also designing our drainage system using the Master plan of 2018 in order to completely resolve the issue of the central business district getting flooded during rain season.LCC continue to call on citizens to engage the Planning department every time they plan to buy plots and build houses,as this will lessen the challenges of people illegally constructing houses in water logged areas,” he stated.

Meanwhile, DMMU working together with the Zambia National Service (ZNS), the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) , the Lusaka City Council (LCC), the Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company (LWSC) and the Fire Brigade have intensified intervention efforts in flood affected areas. As part of the scaling-up of interventions, DMMU has deployed high-volume pumps to increase de-flooding operation capacities.

DMMU through the ZAF, LWSC and ZNS are providing safe and clean water to affected residents of Kamwala South, Chawama and Kanyama. Due to the magnitude of flood waters in these areas, ZNS has continued to create drainages in order to deflood affected households.

To this end, additional earthmoving equipment has been deployed in a bid to intensify the drainage works.

Recently, President Hakainde Hichilema directed the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) to coordinate the relocation of flood victims of Lusaka’s Kamwala South whose houses have completely been submerged.

Speaking after he toured Lusaka flood areas, President Hichilema said there is need for a quick assessment of the areas to identify affected residents in those areas so that they could be relocated to a safe area.

President Hichilema has tasked DMMU to work with the Zambia Airforce to conduct an aerial assessment of the affected areas in Kamwala in order to pick the exact number of people residing in the affected areas who require relocation.

The head of state called for the whole government approach in the relocation of the flood victims where all relevant government ministries and departments are involved.

He said government will not condone people to settle in such areas once the victims have been moved to safer areas.

And DMMU National Coordinator Dr. Gabriel Pollen had pledged to implement the Presidential directives without delay.

Dr. Pollen said DMMU will coordinate the relocation exercise as well as continue to open up water drains in collaboration with other relevant government sectors.

By Benedict Tembo

Zambia’s successful submission and approval of two multi-million dollar climate programmes have so far been ranked number one in accessing part of the US$350 million funds under the programme. This was revealed in Libreville, Gabon at the One Forest Summit. Minister of Green Economy and Environment Collins Nzovu MP has traveled to Libreville, for the Summit.
The two-day summit was announced at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, by French President Emmanuel Macron and President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, the Summit is being held as an opportunity to make progress and renew the global collective ambition regarding the preservation and sustainable management of forests, which are critical to tackling global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

The promotion of a North-South Solidarity, central to protecting these vital reserves, will also be a key element at the Summit.
Building on the experience of previous One Planet Summits, this year’s event has gathered Heads of States and Governments, leaders of international organisations, financial institutions, private sector, international Non Governmental Organisations, think tanks and research centers, indigenous people’s organisations and civil society.

Mr Nzovu, who is representing President Hakainde Hichilema, is also holding bilateral meetings with critical stakeholders on the sidelines of the event.

Mr Nzovu has so far held a meeting with Mafalda Duarte, the Chief Executive Officer of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), which has over US$11 billion and is one of the world’s largest multilateral funds for climate action in developing countries.

During the meeting, Ms. Duarte congratulated the minister for Zambia’s successful submission and approval of two multi-million dollar Expression of Interest for funding under the Nature, People and Climate Programme.

She informed the Minister that the two applications have so far been ranked number one in accessing part of the US$350 million funds under the program.

Ms. Duarte disclosed the two programmes as the Zambezi River Basin wide programme with four other countries (to be led by Zambia) and the National Nature programme.

The CIF Council will be meeting in June 2023 to decide on the actual funding amounts for the two programs.
Meanwhile, Mr Nzovu informed Ms Duarte that work on preparations for the Investment Programmes for the two Expressions of Interest had reached an advanced stage.

He said Zambia has expansive experience in leading regional programmes as such the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment is ready to lead the Regional Zambezi River Basin Nature. The Minister also met Frans Timmermans, the Vice-President of Cabinet of Executive of the European Green Deal and Commission for Climate Action Policy of the European Union.

The two leaders discussed the need to accelerate the implementation of the Zambia – European Union Forest Agreement which the two Parties signed during COP – 27 to which the Vice-President directed his delegation to immediately initiate works on bilateral projects with Zambia.

On the sidelines of COP-27, President Hichilema signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the EU aimed at partnering in the sustainable management of the forestry sector.
During the Libreville’s One Forest Summit, the European Union European Green Deal, Vice-President reaffirmed their continued support to Zambia for climate change and sustainable management of forests.