Government has registered a micro finance institution which will be charged with the responsibility of disbursing affordable credit to public service workers at a lending rate not exceeding 5 percent.

Finance minister Alexander Chikwanda disclosed this when he officially opened the National Servings and Credit Bank Chavuma Branch in Chavuma today.

Mr. Chikwanda explained that the public service micro finance institution which will be operational soon is meant to trigger a downward movement in interest rates.

He said the innovation is in response to some private micros finance institutions that have formed curtails to manipulate the cost of banking services and credits thereby making abnormal profits.

Mr. Chikwanda explained that access to financial services is a major driver to the economic development for any district.

He said the opening of Natsave Bank is a major development to Chavuma as it is the first banking service since the establishment of the district in 1997.

Mr. Chikwanda also revealed that government through the ministry of finance has released KR 150 million for various developmental projects in North-Western Province.

He named some of the projects to be undertaken as the completion of the Solwezi general hospital, upgrading of roads in Mwinilunga and Solwezi, construction of office blocks in Ikelenge and Chavuma among others.

And Bank of Zambia (BOZ) Governor Michael Gondwe stated that it was unfortunate that micro finance institutions have for a long period of time concentrated only along the line of rail.

Dr. Gondwe said the trend has disadvantaged many people living in rural areas as it is hard for them to access financial services.

He urged micro finance institutions to open more branches in rural districts if financial inclusion is to be achieved

Meanwhile, NATSAVE Board chairperson Chiselembwe Ngandwe said the bank will remain a significant development catalyst in the district.

Mr. Ngandwe also disclosed that plans are underway to open more branches in rural districts countrywide in order to ensure that its mandate of taking developmental to rural areas is achieved.

ZANIS

Proflight Zambia has unveiled an unprecedented reduction on its flight fares in a move designed to provide more affordable air travel ahead of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly (UNWTO).

The UNWTO will be co-hosted by Zambia and Zimbabwe in August this year.

Proflight Director of Government and Industry Affairs Captain Philip Lemba said the new package of fares is also aimed at encouraging passengers to plan ahead and book their flights earlier.

Capt. Lemba stated in a statement made available to ZANIS that the development has been made possible by Proflight’s impending move to introduce a 108-seater Boeing 737 aircraft that he said will reduce the airline’s operating costs on its trunk routes to Ndola and Livingstone.

He said passengers who book more than 14 days in advance can now fly from Lusaka to Ndola or Livingstone for just KR250, with similar savings across the board on Proflight’s other routes that include Chipata, Mansa, Kasama, Lower Zambezi and Solwezi.

He further stated that one-way fares from Lusaka to Chipata will be KR700, to Kasama KR1, 025, while Lusaka to Mansa has being pegged at KR855 to.

Fares from Kasama to Ndola will be KR650, KR555 from Ndola to Mansa, KR1, 025 from Ndola to Kasama via Lusaka, KR855 from Mansa to Ndola via Lusaka, KR630 from Ndola to Livingstone via Lusaka, KR670 from Ndola to Lower Zambezi via Lusaka, and KR720 from Solwezi to Livingstone via Lusaka.

He stated that fares include all charges except for the National Airport Corporation Limited (NACL) taxes which range from between K58 and K65 per flight.

Capt. Lemba said that with the reduced fares, Proflight can now offer travelers a journey that competes favourably with road travel on both time and price with flight times of close to an hour on most routes.

“We have listened to the concerns of passengers and regulators about the cost of airfares, and now, thanks to the introduction of the 737 aircraft, we are able to respond to those concerns and reduce costs,” explained Capt. Lemba.

Capt. Lemba has since urged people to support their local airline and ensure the carrier becomes a standard-bearer that the nation can be proud of.

Proflight Zambia’s decision to reduce fares comes in the wake of its plan to introduce a 108-seat Boeing 737 to its fleet, dramatically reducing the per-seat operating costs of its flights.

Capt. Lemba believes that with the airlines new aircraft it will be able to comfortably service the demands of the UNWTO event without the need for the country to bring in additional oversees carriers.

He cautioned that the Zambian domestic market is still very small, at around 110,000 passengers per year, compared with other countries such as Kenyan which has a domestic market of around 3 million passengers.

Capt. Lemba stated that Proflight’s current fleet of 29-seat and 18-seat turbo prop aircraft will still need to service most destinations adding that fares on these flights will not be reduced.

ZANIS

Transport and Communication Deputy Minister Panji Kaunda has reiterated Government’s commitment to beefing up staff levels at Road Transport Safety Agency (RTSA) to bring sanity on the road.

Coonel Kaunda stated that road safety had been a challenge in the provinces due to poor staffing levels.

He said this when he paid a courtesy call on Eastern Province Minister Malozo Sichone at his office in Chipata today.

Mr Kaunda said that government would also compel all drivers to go for training at driving schools so that only qualified drivers could be allowed to drive on the road.

He stated that there was need for Passenger Service Vehicles (PSV) drivers to train for three months before they get licenses adding that all the provinces would have a training ground to test drivers.

Meanwhile, Mr Sichone expressed happiness with the measures taken by the Ministry of Transport and Communication aimed at bringing sanity on the roads.

Mr Sichone stated that there was need to seriously monitor the drivers especially PSV holders to go for proper training.

He stated that Chipata being a border town had put up measures to control the purchase of fuel from the local filling stations to avert unnecessary fuel shortages.

Meanwhile, Mr Sichone has appealed to the ministry of Transport and Communication to send a qualified Controller of government transport.

In response, Col Kaunda advised the Minister to request for qualified staff from the Ministry of Transport.

Lands and natural resources Minister Wylbur Simuusa has lifted the ban that was imposed on the 500 unit Kabitaka housing project in Solwezi.

The ban affected all construction activities at the site.

Mr Simuusa said yesterday that First Quantum Minerals Limited can go ahead with the construction of 500 housing units at Kabitaka central while the procedure of land acquisition is being formalised with relevant authorities.

Last month on February 14, Mr Simuusa directed that all construction activities at Kabitaka housing project must be discontinued because of illegalities that emerged concerning the manner in which FQML acquired land for the multi-million project.

Suspending the project, the minister cited dispute over boundary of the land under acquisition as well as misunderstanding on the resettlement and compensation of the local communities as part of the reasons for his action.

However, Mr Simuusa lifted the ban on the project during a meeting convened to resolve the impasse on Kabitaka saying the move is in the interest of the PF government to deliver development to the people.

But he said no development activities must be commenced on South and North Kabitaka until measures are put in place to protect the forest reserves and ensure boundaries of the land are properly demarcated.

The minister’s decision followed a submission to the meeting by First Quantum Mineral country general manager Kingsley Chinkuli that the mining firm would suffer various litigations from the companies they have sub contracted to undertake the development of Kabitaka.

And Mr Chinkuli later told ZANIS in an interview that the company was happy with the decision made during the meeting.

Earlier chief Kapijimpanga royal establishment representative Mwepu Wamfumu and sub chief Mbonge complained over First Quantum Minerals abrogating its promises on compensation and jobs for local people.

ZANIS

Former Communication and Transport Minister Geoffrey Lungwangwa has advised the Patriotic Front government to seriously come up with clear roadmap on the establishment of a national airline.

Communication, transport, works and supply minister Christopher Yaluma has assured the nation that the country will this year have a national airline.

Professor Lungwangwa says the PF government should realize that having a national airline is not just about declaration.

Speaking to QFM news, Professor Lungwangwa wondered how practical it will be for the country to have a national airline this year when there is no allocation in this year’s national budget.

He states that there are a number of issues that the country first needs to address in its aviation industry such as the country’s blacklisting from the EU.

The former communication and transport minister says it also has to be clearly explained whether the planned airline will be predominantly government or will be a joint partnership with private operators.

The government of India has offered the Zambian government to help revamp the southern African country’s railway sector to re-position it to contribute to the economic development of the country.

India’s Minister of Railways Pawan Kumar Bansal following an appeal for assistance by Transport, Works, and Supply & Communication Minister Christopher Yaluma who paid a courtesy call on him in New Delhi today.

This is contained in a statement issued to the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today by Acting Zambia’s Deputy High Commissioner to India Bwalya Nondo.

India‘s aid to rehabilitate Zambia’s railway system will include capacity-building in technical skills, supply of rolling stocks and signaling facilities among other things.

The two Ministers have agreed to have the Board of the Zambia Railways undertake a study tour of India’s railway system soon, to workout formalities of accessing technical aid from India.

Mr. Yaluma told Mr. Bansal that a fully-fledged, reliable and expanded railway system was needed in Zambia.

“ The railway will enable Zambia increase copper exports and transportation of other goods and ease the pressure exerted on the country’s road network which is succumbed to frequently damage, “ he said.

Mr. Yaluma added that Government would also embark on an ambitious exercise to open up water canals and ensure they are maintained in order to promote maximum use of water vessels as a means of transport and facilitate informal trade.

The Minister noted that Government was also paying serious attention to road network expansion and rehabilitation across the country as part of the strategy to give impetus to Zambia’s economic revolution.

Mr. Yaluma was in India as part of Vice President Guy Scott’s delegation who attended the just ended 9th Confederation of India Industries (CII) Exim-Bank Conclave: India-Africa Project Partnership.

ZANIS