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The Planned Parenthood Association has called for the scaling up political will in reducing teenage pregnancies in the country.
PPAZ Executive Director Edford Mutuma said reducing teenage pregnancies should be a national agenda.
An average of 17,600 young girls drop out of school per year in Zambia, a country with a fertility rate as high as 6.2 and maternal mortality still at 591 per 100,000 live births.
Mr Mutuma said young girls should be valued as a virtue and government should take the lead to ensure that our young girls complete their education and are inspired to be economically empowered.
The PPAZ Executive Director noted that as long as women are still dropping out of school and dying, it will be very difficult for Zambia to inspire to realise Vision 2030.
He said teenage pregnancy is a menace to our society adding that ending it is a struggle that needs to receive as much attention and focus as the struggle against HIV.
Mr Mutuma said politicians should use their strategic advantage to take up this issue seriously.
He said this in a statement ahead of this year’s International Women’s Day which falls on Saturday, August 08 2014 under the theme ‘Inspiring Change’.
“As we celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, women in Zambia need to be inspired to be equal partners in the overall national development which also includes reducing the number of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth and also due to unsafe abortions,” Mr Mutuma said.
He said the key factors that need to be considered in this inspiration are the promotion of gender equality, investment in sexual and reproductive health and rights, increase political will, ensure adequate financing and encourage men involvement in women inspiring change.
“Gender equality and investing in sexual and reproductive health and rights are essential for growth and poverty reduction as they are key to reaching our National Development Goals including the MDGs, however, gender inequalities are still entrenched in many of our Zambian cultural, social and political systems,” he said.
He added, “We need to see more investment in family planning and reproductive health for our women especially those in hard to reach areas. This will significantly save lives and create hope for our women.”
“In this regard, the government has put in strong mechanism that ensures the access to services for our rural community however; this should be matched with investing in human resources, improving health infrastructure and demand creation for health services.”
Mr Mutuma said Zambian men should take up the challenge to support women adding that this is the only way the country is going to have meaningful improvement in the promotion of gender equality.
“We want men as Agents of Change, men as promoters of gender equality and supporters of women’s health. We need men who will break the silence and the social norms to improve conditions for women.
Who are the women behind the maternal mortality statistics? They’re our mothers, wives, sisters, daughters and friends. Men have to completely change their attitude to improve the women status in Zambia,” he added.
The Government of the United States has said that is disappointed by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Zambia to appeal the case of Paul Kasonkomona for allegedly “soliciting for immoral purpose.”
In a statement released to the media today, the US Government urged the Government to drop its appeal case as the Zambian constitution guaranteed the freedom of expression.
Last month Magistrate Lameck Ng’ambi acquitted a human rights activist on charges of promoting homosexuality. Paul Kasonkomona was charged with “soliciting for immoral purposes” after arguing for gay rights on a MUVI TV in April 2013.
Magistrate Lameck found that the state had failed to prove its case.
Mr Kasonkomona told AFP his acquittal was a “landmark judgement” and vowed to keep to speak out “for the rights of all Zambians”.
Below is the full statement
EMBASSY OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA
NR/1016/03/06/14
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Janet Deutsch
March 6, 2014 Public Affairs Officer
Phone: 357000
United States Urges Dropping of Appeal Against Paul Kasonkomona
Lusaka – The Government of the United States is disappointed by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Zambia to appeal the case of Paul Kasonkomona for allegedly “soliciting for immoral purpose.” When acquitting Mr. Kasonkomona, Magistrate Lameck Ng’ambi issued an eloquent statement about the importance of free speech in a democracy. The Zambian constitution also guarantees this fundamental right.
We urge the Zambian Government to drop its appeal in this case. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right to be respected and embraced.
The U.S. Department of State on February 27, 2014 released the 2013 Human Rights Report on Zambia and other countries around the world. This report details further restrictions on the freedom of speech and other human rights concerns. The report can be found online at: www.HumanRights.gov.
Patrice Beaumelle has praised two-goal hero Evans Kangwa and midfielder Rainford Kalaba’s performances against Uganda in Wednesday’s friendly at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
Nkana striker Kangwa and TP Mazembe midfielder Kalaba made a glowing return to action for Zambia after an eight and seven month’s absence from the fold respectively.
“You know we call Rainfoird Kalaba ‘The Master’. He can make the difference and he made some very good moves and was one of the players in the match that made the difference,” Beaumelle said.
“The team worked well together and when we were down he was one of the boys that made the difference, who pushed and created chances.”
Meanwhile, Beaumelle saluted Kangwa after coming on in the 28th minute for the injured Rodgers Kola to score a second half brace that handed Zambia the win.
“Everybody is bringing something to the team like some with experience and others without experience,” Beaumelle said.
“Like Evans Kangwa he can in and scored two lovely goals and I am happy for our local players and I want to congratulate him.”
It was the second successive time that Kangwa had scored a brace for Zambia since August last year in a 2-0 win over Botswana in a 2014 CHAN qualifier also at Levy Stadium.
Chipolopolo keeper Kennedy Mweene will be out of action for more than a week after suffering a concussion in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Uganda in a friendly in Ndola.
Mweene was hit in the face by Uganda’s Emmanuel Okwi at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium before being replaced by Joshua Titima.
Zambia team doctor Joseph Kabuongo said:”Kennedy suffered a trauma to the head during the first half and was rushed to the hospital where he was observed for almost three hours.”
Dr. Kabungo said he has talked to Mweene’s coach at Mamelodi Sundowns Pitso Mosimane over the keeper’s condition.
“I recommended to Pitso immediately after the match that Kennedy takes a rest for the next seven to ten days before he is allowed to take part in competitive matches,” he said.
Mweene was expected to fly back to South Africa on Thursday.
He will miss Sundowns’ league match against AmaZulu set for Sunday.
President Michael Sata with diplomatics accredited to Zambia after a closed door meeting at State House
President Sata today held a closed-door meeting with members of the Diplomatic Corps and International Organisations accredited to Zambia.Concerning the Constitution President Sata said his government has to factor the logistical and financial repercussions in order not to derail other pressing developmental projects.
With regard to the numerous by-elections President Sata said although, the Patriotic Front won the elections,they felt that had it not been for the malpractices, the PF would have secured more seats and won the presidential election by a wider margin.He assured the diplomats that the PF Government is very committed to elections that are free of violence and free of electoral corruption.
Below is the Full Press Statement
LUSAKA, Thursday, March 6, 2014 – His Excellency Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata, President of the Republic of Zambia, has reaffirmed Government’s commitment to the process of Constitution review.
During a closed-door meeting with members of the Diplomatic Corps and International Organisations accredited to Zambia, President Sata assured the nation and various stakeholders including diplomats that Government is still committed to the process of Constitution review.
“In this regard, after the receipt of the report from the Technical Committee, Government will consider the recommendations, because we have to factor the logistical and financial repercussions in order not to derail other pressing developmental projects,” he said.
On the issue of parliamentary by-elections, President Sata said Government acknowledges that democracy, good governance and the rule of law, as well as an enabling environment were essential for national development.
“It cannot be disputed that there was massive distribution of inducements and other malpractices during the 2011 elections. Although, the Patriotic Front [PF] won the elections, we felt that had it not been for the malpractices, the PF would have secured more seats and won the presidential election by a wider margin,” the President said.
“Individual losing parliamentary candidates have decided to exercise their Constitutional right and the courts have made their independent decisions to nullify some elections and consequently by-elections have to be held. This is what the laws of the land prescribe and as a responsible Government we have to follow the law.
“Be assured that Government is very committed to elections that are free of violence and free of electoral corruption. Allowing corruption in elections has the potential of robbing Zambians of their right to freely choose their candidates. Corruption, if not checked can also open the gate to organised crime in elections.”
President Sata said Government has focused on the four key sectors of education, health, agriculture and local government and housing, as evidenced by increased funding allocations in the 2014 budget to these sectors.
The Head of State reaffirmed his Government’s commitment to working with the international community and further strengthen the already existing good ties for the mutual benefit of both countries.
“I would like to appreciate the participation of all our cooperating partners in our infrastructure development agenda,” he said.
And Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and High Commissioner of the Republic of Botswana, Her Excellency, Tuelonyana Oliphant said the increasing number of diplomatic representation in Zambia is an indication of the respect, which the international community has for the values and principles, which are the cornerstone of the country’s social, cultural and economic transformation.
She said Zambia continues to be an influential and respected player both on regional and international affairs.
On national development, High Commissioner Oliphant said the Diplomatic Corps have followed with great interest the Government’s development agenda especially efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investment [FDI] for the purpose of economic development, job creation and reduction of urban- rural inequalities.
“We have also followed the revised 6th National Development Plan 2011- 2016 and its emphasis on people centred development. We appreciate the Government’s focus on human resource development, improvement of health services and provision of piped water and good sanitation facilities, as essential factors for economic growth and poverty reduction,” she said.
She further said Government’s impressive record in improving the lives of Zambians through communication and transport links such as the Link Zambia 800 project and Lusaka Ring Road project is commendable.
“The on-going infrastructure development projects to link Zambia with its neighbours and the booming construction industry such as the upcoming international airport, residential and office buildings, shopping malls, internet connectivity and provision of other social services are some of the indicators of a growing economy,” High Commissioner Oliphant said.
The meeting was attended by Vice-President Dr Guy Scott, PF Secretary General and Minister of Justice Hon. Wynter Kabimba and several Cabinet ministers.
Issued by:
GEORGE CHELLAH
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Tourism and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo arrives at the Supreme Court buildings in Lusaka yesterday to attend sittings of a tribunal that has been appointed to investigate her
Tourism Minister Sylvia Masebo this morning testified before the Roydah Kaoma tribunal that she was directed by President Micheal Sata to dismiss senior Zambia Wildlife Authority Management and dissolve the ZAWA board.
Ms. Masebo told the tribunal that government deemed it fit to dissolve the ZAWA board as it would undermine her authority as Minister.
And Ms. Masebo told the tribunal that ZAWA owed a staggering K2.4 billion to various institutions when she took over as Tourism Minister in 2012.
Ms. Masebo said she discovered when she was appointed Tourism Minister that Zambians of foreign origin had more influence on the operations of ZAWA because senior management was allegedly corrupt.
She said donors had no kind words for ZAWA due to the gross financial mismanagement that was being perpetrated by top management.
Ms. Masebo alleged that there were rampant thefts in ZAWA but it was difficult to detect because there was a syndicate at the institution as most employees are related.
Ms. Masebo told the tribunal that she unearthed a scam upon her appointment to export over two hundred sable animals to South Africa.
She further revealed that she had difficulties in accessing information from ZAWA because management had been deliberately concealing information.
And Ms. Masebo told the tribunal that it was inevitable to cancel the tender for the 19 hunting blocks because the mafias running Zambia’s wildlife sector were externalizing 97% of the proceeds abroad.
She lamented before the tribunal that most of the safari operators were not registered companies and were not paying any tax to government.
The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has observed that the extent of protests by opposition Members of Parliament over the new constitution should compel President Michael Sata to listen to the pleas of the Zambian people.
FODEP Executive Director Macdonald Chipenzi said demands for a new constitution by opposition MPs right inside Parliament is a protest of frustration by the people’s representatives.
Mr. Chipenzi said it will not help the Executive to keep quiet or ignore such demonstrations.He told Qfm News in an interview that the appeal of his organization for the government to respond to the concerns that are being raised on the constitution.
Mr Chipenzi said it will be naive for Cabinet to overlook its responsibility to be held accountable by the legislature on the issue of coming with a new constitution.
[pullquote]
When you have people asking for something and you keep quiet or ignore them, then you are forcing them to behave in a certain manner
[/pullquote]
Meanwhile the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council has backed the actions of opposition Members of Parliament in Parliament in pressing for the release of the draft constitution.
NGOCC Board Chairperson Beatrice Grillo observed that the actions of the opposition MPs are as a result of government being quiet on the issue hence their actions are justified.
She said her organisation will use every legal means possible to ensure that the constitution is released.
Mrs Grillo said lack of dialogue on such a serious national issue will always force people to act and behave in a certain manner as can be seen from the actions of the opposition MPs who have continued to disrupt parliamentary proceedings in parliament.
“As NGOCC we do not condone unruly behavior in any form but I think we need to look at why people are behaving like that, its because there is no process for dialogue. When you have people asking for something and you keep quiet or ignore them, then you are forcing them to behave in a certain manner,” said Mrs Grillo.
Meanwhile, Mrs Grillo has advised the government to stop blaming others on the constitution making process saying pointing fingers will not help anyone.
She called on government to embrass dialogue as the issue of the constitution making process is a delicate national issue which needs to be handled with care, tolerance and respect and does not require for anyone to start passing blame from one place to another.
“This is a national issue and passing blame from one place to another will not help, all the government needs to do is to announce the day they are going to give the President and all of us the final draft constitution so that we look at it and agree on the way forward”. She said”.
Ms Grillo added that there is nothing that will stop the public from demanding for constitution as they feel strongly about it and that the only way forward is to dialogue without pointing fingers at anyone.
The NGOCC Board Chairperson further reiterated her organisation’s resolve to push for the release of the constitution using every possible legal means.
“For us as NGOCC we want to reiterate that we will use every possible means to demand and ensure that we get the constitution” She said.
Mrs Grillo’s remarks follows Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba’s latest comments were he has blamed Opposition MPs for the delay in the release of the draft constitution.
The MMD considers the constitution making process as a sacred exercise which should result in giving Zambians a constitution which works for them and is a product of their collective wisdom as a people.
The MMD in government initiated the process of constitution making by creating a legal framework that birthed the National Constitutional Conference. The MMD completed the process and took the bill to parliament, only to be thrown out by the then opposition led by the Patriotic Front.
Prior to the 2011 election, the PF promised Zambians to deliver the constitution within 90 days of forming government. It is now more than 800 days later and the constitution is more illusive now than it was in 2011.
In view of the recent statements coming from the President and the Minister of Justice, it is now clear to all Zambians that the constitution will not be given to Zambians without a fight. The president has stated recently that there will be no referendum and a new constitution is not necessary since we already have a constitution which is not animal driven. This is an insult to those Zambians who voted for the PF on the promise of constitutional delivery.
The minister of Justice has continued to mock Zambians by saying that Zambians don’t care about the constitution but all they need are roads and clinics.
In view of the above, the MMD wishes to congratulate the galant efforts of the combined opposition in the house to demand for the constitution. We support all efforts by our MPs to force the PF to Honour their promise.
This is not a partisan matter and must be approached as a national emergency by all Zambians. No political party should attempt to make political mileage out of this serious development. We all must work together with Political parties, Civil Society, NGOs , the Church and Students.
MMD has adopted “SUSTAINED RESISTANCE TO GOVERNMENT’S POSITION ON THE CONSTITUTION”
We shall fight government in the house and outside the house in a sustainable manner until the constitution is delivered. We wish to advise all Zambians to brace themselves for a long and protracted fight for the constitution. The good news is that, We shall overcome.
THE Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has tightened the monetary policy and increased the statutory reserves as well as policy rate in an effort to support the Kwacha which is currently under pressure.
The Kwacha was yesterday trading at K6.0300./6.0400 at most bureaux de change.
BoZ financial markets assistant director Isaac Muhanga said measures have been taken by the central bank to support the local currency which had been depreciating for a long time.
Addressing journalist in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Muhanga said the policy interventions taken by the central bank would help support the Kwacha as effects arising from the measures would begin to be felt by next week.
Mr Muhanga said growth could only flourish where inflation was tamed and that their mandate was to contain inflation.
And Bank of Zambia director-economics Peter Banda said a number of factors had contributed to the depreciation of the Kwacha, mainly as a result of the strengthening of the United States dollar.
“The USA dollar has strengthened and the reason is that the USA Federal Reserve Bank has decided to reduce the amount of liquidity that it has been injecting through its monetary stimulus programme and we have seen a lot of currencies in emerging economies depreciate against the dollar.
“When you look at the price of copper, at close of 2012, it was hovering around US$8,000 per tonne but in recent time, we are talking about the price being at US$7,100 per tonne so clearly copper being our main export you would expect that supply of dollars would be relatively lower compared to over a year ago,” he said.
He said Zambia had been recording significant growth and imports had also been growing, thereby, a demand of foreign currency and putting pressure on the exchange rate.
Mr Banda said the economy had been growing and that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate over the past years has been nothing less than seven per cent but that with the economy growing, it is expected to spur a significant increase in imports.
“Our fuel import bill has been growing, if you look at the mines, they have been using significant amount of fuels and the economy in general has been using significant amount of fuel; given that scenario our imports have tended to have grown faster than the growth in exports,” Mr Banda said.
The world over, central banks perform three main functions. First, they formulate and conduct monetary policy with the objective of keeping monetary expansion and inflation under control, and guiding bank credit to productive activities so as to aid economic growth. Second, they are responsible for regulating commercial banks and non-banks financial institutions. Thirdly they are supposed to manage the exchange rate so as to ensure relative stability as well as maintain domestic level price stability.
Zambia’s central bank, the Bank of Zambia (BOZ) has a mission statement that reads:
*”The mission of the Bank of Zambia is to achieve and maintain price and financial systems stability for balanced macroeconomic development”.*
Clearly this fits well in performing the main functions of prudential and effective central banking. Those three functions feed into the crucial roles in the financial and economic management of the country. As monetary and exchange rate policies play an important role in macroeconomic management of the country, and a well-functioning banking system is almost a prerequisite for smooth economic development, the future of the economy is vitally linked with the effectiveness and efficiency of the Bank of Zambia. Over the years, in recognition of its importance, the BOZ had been strengthened through professional appointments of its governors and boards of directors and from its internal restructuring which saw an increase in the number of highly trained employees in most, if not all divisions and departments.
However, since September 2011, we have seen some regressive legislative measures and decisions taken on considerations of expediency, and, at times, lack of sound leadership. These have inhibited the BOZ from playing its role effectively. Firstly, we saw the retirement of Dr. Caleb Fundanga (PhD-Economics, Konstanz University, Germany), who, with his combination of Dr. Denny Kalyalya (PhD-Economics, University of Massachusetts, USA) as Deputy Governor for Operations and Dr. Tukiya Kankasa Mabula (PhD-Law, University of London, England), showed us how effective Central Banking should be conducted, and indeed, prizes came Zambia’s way for prudential monetary policy conduct and outstanding central banking.
For six months after the firing of Dr. Fundanga after September 2011, the BOZ had no Governor. A caretaker governor, Dr. Bwalya Ngandu (PhD. Psychology, University of Birmingham, England) was appointed. We voiced concerns not against Dr. Ngandu-he is a fine academic, rare Rhodes Scholar– but against his suitability for the role. We argued that though educated well, his education was not in line with the requirements of central banking and as such, he was the wrong candidate for the Governor role nor even deputy governor in charge of operations.
However, all went on as usual, and then came the appointment and subsequent ratification by Parliament of Dr. Michael Gondwe, he too, a fine academic with a PhD in Law and experience in regional lending. With that, the entire trio in charge of monetary policy formulation, implementation and general economic welfare was composed of people that did not have any training in what they were charged with doing. It was here that the comedy in central banking begun.
If the recent continued depreciation of the kwacha and depletion of reserves, inconsistencies in statutory instruments is anything to go by as an evaluation of the performance of BOZ since 2011 then we can safely say that BOZ under PF has been inefficient, and therefore reflects inefficiencies on those charged with economic governance of our country. We feel that, with all due respect, unfortunately, at this critical moment, the incumbent Governor does not possess the necessary qualities to lead BOZ in the right direction. Coupled with the current Minister of Finance, we feel the economic team in the PF is unable to grasp the long-run implications of the current economic situation and the inadequacies of its ad hoc policy patchwork.
But then, to add insult to economic governance injury, we hear the PF government has appointed an ill qualified individual to take on the role of Deputy Governor-Operations after sending Dr. Ngandu to mainstream government as permanent secretary. Again, let us ask ourselves, can we effectively run economic governance institutions like a cheap labour factory where anyone can do anything the boss says? What happened to professionalism at BOZ in just a few years of the PF? While we may have had concerns over the appointment of Dr. Bwalya Ngandu, his experience with the Development Bank of Zambia where he served as Director was a good source of comfort.
But if it is true that on Monday 10th March 2014, a new deputy governor who just completed an online masters degree (details to be confirmed) and was until his appointment a Centre Manager in one of the small branches of the Zambia National Commercial Bank/Rabo Bank along Cairo Road in Lusaka’s Northend, then it is a shame to the appointing authority, who, as stipulated in the BOZ act is the president. However, in all this, where are the presidential advisors? Where is the Minister of Finance to advise? Who is even proposing these names for the president? Has the country suddenly run short of well qualified economists to run the central bank? Was the PF government not prepared with good enough a team for such important roles before its assertion to power? Hasn’t the government, over the last three years noted many well trained and experienced economists that can function well at the central bank? Is there more to this appointment than meets the eye?
I think Zimbabwe next door is a clear example to learn from when ill qualified people are appointed to central banking just because they may have some political connections with the ruling elite. With an already poorly performing kwacha, I am wondering what the value addition will be in bring a former branch manager to run the core business of central banking. I liken this to elevating, without experience and qualifications, a mere magistrate to deputy chief justice before one can even qualify to be an advocate of the high court of Zambia. The recent development has clearly created hindrances in career development of the professional staff already at BOZ.
We have no problems with appointments at all. What is important is that they are not illogically appointed. There must be value addition to the functions of the BOZ from such appointments. In such tough times when our economy is on the blink of failure, with the kwacha soon to hit the historic $1=K6, surely such comedy appointments could be reserved for later when we need a good laugh.
We had hoped, and propose that while the governor has to be ratified by parliament, in the case of deputy governors, their appointment should be taken away from the president and handed over to the board of directors of the BOZ to minimise the interference of the president’s office in the effective functioning of the BOZ. Furthermore, deputy governors should be appointed from within the career stream of the BOZ.
This will both strengthen the input of institutional memory in high level decisions and to assure a career prospect to the professional BOZ staff. In fact, that was the practice prior to September 2011for a long time in the BOZ that has lately been ignored leading to demoralisation of the career staff and undermining experience gained in central banking.
The mid-level professional staff is the backbone of any effective organisation. For this reason, the BOZ also needs to pay more attention to the professional staff from within and avoid the practice of large scale outside entry at senior levels. With a pool of well qualified and dedicated economists at BOZ, outside sourcing of skills which are already in-house demoralises the career staff and reduces the promise of career progression and skill development in the long run.
Given the need for better understanding of the audacity of BOZ tasks, every governor should feel the need for a strong team of economists under the leadership of a qualified and experienced deputy governor in charge of operations to develop policy conclusions based on solid economic analysis and research. The new appointee lacks such skills, and should not have been even thought of as a candidate in the light of this, never!
That said, world over, historically, economic weakening has occurred due to systematic economic mismanagement by opportunistic and insincere leaderships that indulged in widespread insincerity which thrives in weak institutions and thus breed corruption.
The weakening of institutions such as BOZ should not be entertained, we will all pay the price of mismanagement, whether PF or not. If the new appointment it aimed at serving the interests of Zambians let us note that a mere change of faces will not change the situation. There has to be a drastic change in the purpose of, and approach to, governance.
If the PF government begins to look for quick fixes and wastes time on easy solutions it will run out of time.
*There are no easy solutions, no quick fixes and no magic wands. Those who think in those terms are living in a fool’s paradise. The PF government should learn from history and not repeat it. Slogans should be replaced by deep thinking and mere politicking by statesmanship. This is an opportunity to regain the confidence of the people: save us from you!*
In the matter of the exchange rate, the BOZ has been reacting to the developments in the market rather than controlling them. The president went further to say:
Demand and Supply is Working! That the market is at play.
Our government has surrendered its responsibilities of economic governance to some deity called ‘Free-market’ who doesn’t even exist! There has been no attempt to integrate the exchange rate policy with the fiscal and monetary policies. That our foreign exchange reserves have rapidly been depleted, we are yet to see the trick to restore economic order.
Perhaps in conclusion, a warning is in order here. There are some ever-present opportunistic and self-serving economists who would claim that they know better than most others and pronounce that those who are giving warning signals about the economy such as we are doing are wrong. These have been seen in the corridors of power before and represent a group that is always hungry for appearance on television and in newspaper columns and to attract the attention of those in power, thereby offering themselves to “serve” the country.
Some may be in government already. The PF should be cautious of such. There is no magic wand to save the economy from the looming crisis, and only a determined government that undertakes structural economic reforms will bring some hope of economic recovery, and there is an opportunity for the PF to do this and more.
It is also the responsibility of the aspiring political leadership to make the ordinary people aware of the deep-rooted economic problems and their difficult solutions and not to take them for a ride with false promises as before. We are all affected
ZESCO managing director Cyprian Chitundu (second from right), Energy Deputy Minister Charles Zulu (third from right), Swedish Embassy first secretary Lars Karlsson, Nordea Bank vice president and senior relationship manager Christina Rydegran, Nordea Bank export and project finance director Marie Vetland and Standard Bank of South Africa head of Export Credit Agency and cross-border finance Greg Fyfe. This was during the signing of US $163 million loan agreement between ZESCO and the two banks in Lusaka
ZESCO has signed a US$163 million loan agreement with Nordea Bank AB of Sweden and Standard Bank of South Africa.
The loan agreement will result in the connection of the entire North-Western Province and some parts of Western Province to the national electricity grid.
The project involves the construction of an extensive 132KV sub-transmission lines totalling 840kilometres as well as establishing 132/33/11KV bulk supply sub-stations to facilitate electrification of public facilities, schools, rural health centres, Government institutions and chiefs’ palaces.
The aforementioned transmission lines will link Mwinilunga, Kabompo, Mufumbwe, Mumbejhi, Chavuma, Zambezi and Lukulu District in Western Province.
ZESCO signed an Engineering and Procurement Contract with Eletel Networks TE AB of Sweden to execute the project in 24 months and the contractor is expected to be on site by the end of this month.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, ZESCO managing director Cyprian Chitundu said reliability and quality of power supply in North-Western Province had been very poor as the rest of the province was currently supplied using isolated diesel generator sets, except Solwezi and Kasempa.
“These generator sets are not only expensive to run but also very unreliable. ZESCO currently spends in excess of $6 million annually in procuring diesel fuel, not to mention other operation and maintenance related costs which also amount to millions of Kwacha,” he said.
Mr Chitundu said besides guaranteeing a good quality electricity supply in the beneficiary areas, the project would also stimulate economic growth and development thereby improving the lives of the people.
The extensive 132KV sub-transmission grid, Mr Chitundu said, would provide points for future interconnection with the Angolan grid which could lead to improved regional electricity trade opportunities for telecommunications business using optic fibre.
Nordea Bank export and project finance director Marie Vetland said her bank was one of the highly reputable financial institutions in Europe and was pleased to partner with ZESCO and looked forward to long lasting cooperation with the power utility company.
Ms Vetland was also optimistic that the project would greatly improve the livelihoods of the people in the beneficiary areas through increased economic activities, among others.
Standard Bank South Africa head of Export Credit Agency and cross-border finance Greg Fyfe assured that funds would be available shortly after certain conditions were met and wished the contractor success as it embarked on an ambitious project.
Mines, Energy and Water Development Deputy Minister Charles Zulu said Government was excited that the project was finally coming to fruition and was hopeful that it would put to rest concerns being raised by his fellow law-makers in Parliament.
Mr Zulu observed that there could be no meaningful development without electricity as industries or factories could not be established and thus deterring investment, no job-creation and revenue collection.
THE highest level of Governments must be strongly committed to pursuing anti-bribery and anti-corruption strategies and initiatives vigorously and persistently if countries are going to get anywhere in the fight against corruption, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mutembo Nchito has said.
Mr Nchito said political will was a critical starting point for sustainable and effective anti corruption strategies and programmes.
He said without political commitment, Government statements to reform civil service as well as strengthen transparency and accountability would be mere rhetoric and fruitless.
Mr Nchito said this in Livingstone yesterday in his paper presented to delegates at the just ended 3rd International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) Conference for the Africa-India Ocean Region at Zambezi Sun Hotel.
The conference, which attracted scores of delegates from 21 countries in Africa, was being held under the theme “Getting a fair bargain for Africa and the Developing World: The role of the Prosecutor in combating Corporate Finance Crime including Tax Evasion and Environmental Degradation in the extractive and other significant industries”.
He said corruption was a virus that was capable of crippling Governments and discrediting public as well as private corporations.
Mr Nchito said corruption was a huge problem as it was an abuse of entrusted power for private gain.
“We are all deeply concerned about the spread of corruption which is a virus capable of crippling Governments as well as discrediting public institutions and private corporations.
“Corruption has a devastating impact on human rights while it undermines societies and its development thereby affecting the poor people,” Mr Nchito said.
He said corruption was hurting everyone who depended on the integrity of the people in authority.
“I am sure most of us have heard that corruption is a tax on the poor. To try and tap the subject matter for today, I have a case study which I was involved intimately and we can draw lessons from it.
In 2000, we had an interesting situation in our country where then President Frederick Chiluba (late) was accused of orchestrating attempts to stay in power beyond his stated two year term in office,” he said.
Mr Nchito recalled that there were campaigns for and against third term for President Chiluba but civil society made efforts to stop the campaign as it was an assault on rule of law and constitution.
“The civil society, which I was part then, followed up the matter and one political player accused the President Chiluba of being a thief and the case went to court,” Mr Nchito said.
He said case went on in 2001 after President Chiluba left office and President Levy Mwanawasa took over as new Republican President.
“As we followed up the case, we came across an account in United Kingdom which was being used to siphon Government money and it was getting a million United States of American dollars every month from 1994 to 2001 when Mr Chiluba left office.
That money was being used to pay all sorts of people. When we applied to court to have that account released to us, we were shocked with what discovered, some people who were receiving money was then were the Chief Justice and Auditor General among others,” he said.
Mr Nchito said the account showed how the whole Government machinery was being controlled by bribes being paid to public officials including Ministry of Finance officials.
Evans Kangwa came off the bench to score a brace and hand Patrice Beaumelle his first home win.
The match was marred by two Zambian casualties in the opening 30 minutes of the match with the major highlight being Kennedy Mweene who was knocked out cold in the 13th minute and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Mweene was replaced by Joshua Titima.
Striker Rodger Kola too fell victim of Uganda’s excessive physical force and limped off in the 29th minute.
Meanwhile, Zambia rallied from 1-0 down after Uganda had taken a 54th minute lead through Hamiz Kiiza who back-heeled the ball past Joshua Titima.
Kangwa found the target in the 64th and 76th minute to hand Zambia a hard fought for win over Uganda who never gave them any respect.
Finance Minister Alexander ChikwandaFinance Minister Alexander Chikwanda
The Zambian Government has signed a US$41 million concessional loan from China for the construction of a 120 kilometre transmission line between Kariba North Bank and Kafue West to boost power output.
According to the agreement, the concessional loan would be provided to the Ministry of Finance through the Export and Import Bank of China.
Chinese Ambassador to Zambia Zhou Yuxiao and Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda signed the Framework Agreement on March 4, 2014.
In a statement released in Lusaka today, terms of the loan shall be 20 years with a grace period of seven years and the interest rate shall be two per cent.
Mr Zhou said at the signing ceremony that the power expansion project at the Kariba North Bank, which has been under construction by Sinohydro, is almost complete by now.
Two turbines with 180 megawatts each, have been added to the existing power station.
The first one was completed and handed over to the Zambian Government in December last year, while the second one to start trial-operations, will be delivered anytime.
“The transmission line, which is about 90 per cent complete, is meant to transmit the additional electricity at the Kariba North Bank to the Lusaka power grid. People in Lusaka and beyond can expect much less power cuts in the very near future,” the statement said.
Mr Chikwanda expressed gratitude to the Chinese government’s support and help towards Zambia’s endeavour to develop its hydro-power industry which in turn, can power all other industries and bring better life both for city and rural population.
