KING Mswati of Swaziland has urged Zambians to continue supporting President Banda because he has a heart for the people.

He was addressing some Mfuwe residents who went to bid farewell to him at Mfuwe International Airport yesterday.[quote]

King Mswati said President Banda has a heart for Zambians because he always talks about the desire to improve their living standards.

“President Banda is committed to all of you. All he talks about is you, the people of Zambia. Continue supporting him because he can only achieve his desires to better your lives with your support,” he said.

King Mswati said he was happy with his visit to Zambia and enjoyed game viewing with members of his family and the Zambian first family.

He said he is happy with the developments he has seen in the National park because caution has been taken to ensure that the natural heritage is preserved.

“Nature is a gift from God and so even the young people must grow up preserving it, especially that people come from afar to come and see the wonderful wildlife that you have in this country,” he said.

On the piece of land he was given by the chiefs in North Western Province, King Mswati said he will be sending a delegation from Swaziland to come and see what sort of development can be put up.

He said the delegation will also look at economic activities the two countries can embark on.

The King thanked President Banda and the people of Zambia for the hospitality that he received during his stay in the country.

He said he looks forward to reciprocating the gesture when President Banda visits that country.

Meanwhile , President Banda has thanked the people of Eastern Province for the good reception that he and King Mswati received.

He also thanked the MMD in the province for its continued support to his leadership.

Mr Banda said the MMD is a strong party as it can be found in all corners of the country.

He said MMD must show that it is a strong party and that it is an organisation for all Zambians regardless of origin.

“I also want to thank all the chiefs that came over to Chichele to meet us, and we all enjoyed watching the dancers both from here and Swaziland,” Mr Banda said.

He assured the people that their farming inputs will be distributed in good time so that they can grow enough food to feed the country , as well as for export to neighbouring countries.

Earlier, Eastern Province Minister Isaac Banda assured the President of continued support to his leadership by the people of the province.

He said the province is honoured to have received King Mswati as their guest.

King Mswati’s plane took off at 12:00 hours while President Banda’s plane took off at 12:30 hours.
The President flew to Chipata on a private visit and is expected in Lusaka late this afternoon.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

First Republican President, Kenneth Kaunda, says Africa should take advantage of its abundant natural resources in order to diversify its economies and attract more foreign direct investment.[quote]

Dr. Kaunda said this in Johannesburg at the weekend when he received the lifetime achievement award from the African Heritage Society in recognition for his contribution to the liberation struggles in Southern Africa.

He told a 500 plus invited guests at the Sandton International Convention Centre that Africa should have achieved a lot in the fight against poverty after so many years of independence.

Dr. Kaunda said African countries have remained underdeveloped due to a number of factors some of which are due to the manner in which it is conducting its trade with the rest of the world.

He said Africa’s trade with other countries is lopsided as it is to a large extent only exporting raw materials.

Dr. Kaunda said Africa needs to develop its manufacturing sector to enable it attain sustainable comparative advantage and compete highly with the rest of the world.

He also cited agriculture as one of the neglected areas in Africa which could help in making many countries be self sufficient.

He said a well run agriculture sector could help establish many agricultural based industries and ensure food security for its people.

Dr. Kaunda, further, said the tourism sector was another sector which contributes enormously to the Gross Domestic Products, GDP, of many African countries.

He, however, said this sector has largely been neglected and the situation had been exacerbated by the current financial crisis which has affected international travelers.

Dr.Kaunda said the education and vocational training were critical to the continent’s development adding that the continent can only be competitive by having a qualified human resource.

“We cannot remain competitive in this world if we do not have an educated populace and a well trained manpower to run factories, mines, hospitals and schools. We can only compete by developing our human resource to provide necessary skills in order to enhance our productivity,” he said.

ZANIS

need for Zambia to initiate means of re-opening the various industries that were closed as a result of the privatization programme so as to increase revenue generation for government through tax.

Speaking in an interview in Ndola over the weekend, Charles Ngesa said it has now become clear that the privatization process did not help the Zambian economy, hence the need for government to institute measures of re-opening these industries to enhance job-creation and strengthening the nation’s economy.[quote]

Mr Ngesa said the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund misled the Zambian government when the two institutions propagated the privatization process until government implemented it.

He observed that the closure of industries, especially in Ndola, reduced the income generation avenues for government, leaving it to depend mainly on the public service workers and the mining industry.

Mr Ngesa further observed that even the companies that are operating under the ownership of foreign investors are not ploughing enough profits in the local economy, especially in the mining industry, and are benefiting foreign investors and their countries more than Zambia and its people.

He also observed that the mass loss of employment in the country as a result of privatization raised the poverty levels in the country.

Mr Ngesa urged government to be bold and use necessary legal processes through the International Court of Justice to reverse the economic damage that has been brought about by the privatization process.

The privatization process has led to the closure of many companies on the Copperbelt, leaving thousands jobless, especially in Ndola, which was a major industrial town.

Some of the notable companies that were closed include Dunlope Zambia Limited, Lever Brothers, Johnson and Johnson limited, Colgate Palm Olive and Swarp Spinning Limited among several others.

And Mr Ngesa observed that the MMD is capable of beating all existing political parties in the country including the PF and the UPND alliance in the 2011 general elections.

He, however, observed that the on-going squabbles in the party over the presidential candidate may disrupt its focus if the problem is not solved wisely.

He observed that the party was still strong and formidable country wide to beat all political parties.

Mr Ngesa disclosed his intentions to challenge president Rupiah Banda at the forth coming MMD convention to be held before the 2011 general elections.

He urged the MMD National Executive Committee (NEC) to allow president Banda to be challenged at the convention to enhance prevalence of democracy, the principal on which the party was formed.