Government has set aside K3 trillion in this year’s budget for infrastructural developments projects.

Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister, Felix Mutati, said infrastructural development had the capacity to promote competitiveness in economic activities, adding that the construction sector had for a long time been the highest contributors to the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP).

Mr Mutati was speaking in Lusaka last evening during a public discussion on Public Private Partnerships in the face of the global economic credit crunch held by the National Council for Construction (NCC).

Mr Mutati said in the light of the global recession, there was need for business modules such as the Public Private Partnership (PPPs) to be strengthened by putting in place measures that would enable the private sector to thrive.

He added that government would see to it that the PPPs’ policy is passed and that the process of acquiring business licences is revised.

Mr Mutati observed that the current system of acquiring business licenses was too long due to high levels of bureaucracy at institutions responsible for the issuance of licenses, saying there was also need for the licenses to be compressed by getting rid of unnecessary levies.

He said government would therefore see to it that institutions dealing with the registration of prospect businesses are automated to improve on efficiency and reduce on costs of registering businesses.

The minister said government had realized the need to create a favourable environment for the private sector to boom, thereby creating more jobs which the country was in desperate need of.

He said government alone would not manage to attain economic growth but that it would create an environment that would promote partnership with the private sector in developmental projects.

Earlier, NCC Board chairman, Dr Francis Ndilila, said there was need for the construction sector to take advantage and implement more construction projects to create more jobs.

Dr Ndilila said the construction sector should reverse the 1970’s scenario which saw the sector create jobs four more times than now.

ZANIS/ENDS/MP/EB

A CATHOLIC priest in Ndola was yesterday fined K10 million by a local court for having an affair with a married woman whom he was offering marriage counselling.

Pamodzi Parish priest Father Davies Nsama of 42 Fitente Road in Northrise appeared before Chifubu local court magistrates Amos Banda, Aaron Sugar Banda and Rosemary Muke for bringing disputes in a marriage.

Charles Moto, 32, of 3597 Kansenshi Extension, an employee of PG Bisonite sued Father Nsama for causing disputes in his marriage of five years to 27-year-old Virginia Mpanza Moto, an employee of Mission Press at the Franciscan centre in Ndola.

Father Nsama admitted to the offence and applied that the matter be heard in chambers but the court refused.

Father Nsama told the court that he knew Virginia in 2002 and went for rides in his car with her to discuss church matters.

He admitted that one day he and Virginia drove to Luanshya where he kissed her.
But Father Nsama denied ever sleeping with Virginia and said he deeply regretted the affair.

Virginia said she too regretted the affair but pointed out that affairs were not always sexual. She said she had suffered a lot from the ordeal.

Justice Banda said from the priest’s own confession, the court found him guilty and fined him K10 million, noting that it was unfortunate that a Catholic priest could get into an affair with a married woman.

In his testimony, Mr Moto said in a fully-packed court that he got married to Virginia
in July, 2004 and the two have two children.

He said at the end of 2007, he was transferred to Ndola but was transferred back to Lusaka in November last year. It was agreed that he would be travelling to Ndola every Friday and go back to Lusaka on Mondays.

Mr Moto said he decided late last year to have a wedding at Pamodzi Catholic Parish that was set for May 9 this year. It was at this point that the couple went to Father Nsama for counselling.

Mr Moto said he, however, received an anonymous call from a private number on Tuesday March, 31 after 20:30 hours and the caller wanted to find out where his wife was.

He said he called his wife but she told him that she was at the bus stop and later switched off her phone.

He called his wife the next day, but she gave conflicting versions of where she was prompting him to get a court order from the Lusaka local court to get the activity phone record from MTN.

The phone record of the previous one month showed that his wife and Father Nsama exchanged a lot of calls and text messages between 19:00 hours and 23:30 hours.

Mr Moto said he travelled from Lusaka and asked Father Nsama to meet him somewhere so they could have a ‘gentleman’s’ talk.

During the meeting, Father Nsama said he and Mrs Moto were merely going for car rides and that on that evening they went as far as Luanshya.

He said he grabbed Nsama’ phone where he found a text message from his wife telling the priest to say that the two merely went for car rides.

Mr Moto said that day he had never slept, got traumatised and even contemplated suicide.

He then arranged a meeting with Ndola Diocese Bishop, Noel Oregan, who he said was cooperative and asked him to forgive his wife and sue Father Nsama.

Mr Moto said Bishop Oregan even offered Father Nsama a house in Lusaka so that he could relocate, an offer he turned down and the bishop further asked the priest to go for an HIV test.

Mr Moto simultaneously sued his wife for divorce which the court granted without compensation and urged the two parties to take good care of the children.

[Times of Zambia]

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Brian Chituwo says preliminary data collected by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has indicated that the country would have good maize yields this year despite some areas having been hard hit by the floods.

Dr Chituwo told ZANIS in an interview yesterday that the ministry had put in place interventions that will enable the country be food secure in the 2009-2010 season.

Dr Chituwo said government had in this year’s budget set aside K54 billion for water resource development which would promote irrigation of crops among other things.

He said out of the K54 billion, K49 billion was meant for investment to 13 small-scale holder irrigation schemes across the country while K300 million would be rural investment fund.

Dr Chituwo said the ministry would also maximize the tradition of early planting of maize by making available the early maturity maize seed to the farmers, adding that early harvest would contribute to the country’s food security.

He added the ministry would also see to it that extension officers are stationed in districts that had vacancies so that they may teach the farming communities methods that would promote crop production.

Dr Chituwo further said the ministry would also this year ensure that farming inputs are distributed on time as well as improve efficiency in the Fertilizer Support Programme (FSP).

The ministry would also promote diversification from maize to crops such as rice and cassava so as to supplement the country’s food reserves.

Dr Chituwo said a programme in Mansa had already been initiated aimed at promoting the growing of cassava which he said did not require fertilizer to grow while rice-growing would be encouraged in Mongu, Chama and Lukulu.

ZANIS/ENDS/MP/EB

Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) Executive Director Muyunda Illilonga says the current food situation in the country is pathetic.

Mr Illonga explains that this is because the availability of Mealie meal in the country especially on the Copperbelt and other urban areas is erratic.

He said the soaring Mealie meal prices is a matter of concern which requires urgent attention as it was threatening national security.

He explained that since most Zambian people are not yet accustomed to eating other alternative food items like cassava and rice hence the need for government to regard the commodity as an important for national food security.

Mr. Illilonga however said the current food situation may change with the off loading of more maize meal on the market by Government.

The ZACA Chief told ZANIS in an interview that it was gratifying to note that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had signed a memorandum with the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) to purchase maize directly from the farmers.

He said this was a positive step by Government towards enhancing food security as it will cushion the Mealie meal deficit the country is presently experiencing.

And Mr. Illilonga has said that the current flood situation in the country will undoubtedly have an effect on the country’s yields this season.

He however said the situation would not go to an extent of the country having a food deficit. He said the surplus yields from other parts of the country will supplement the deficits in flood inflicted areas.

Mr. Illilonga has since urged Government to ensure that FRA enters the market at the right time to buy more maize from farmers before the commercial farmers.

He said this way Government will be able to outwit the commercial farmers who are in the habit of holding Government at ransom and therefore enhance food security in the country.

He has also called on Government to support peasant farmers by providing them with modern farming equipment such as tractors in order to increase their production levels, and hence contribute effectively to the countrys’ agricultural yields.

Mr. Illilonga said there is need for Government to encourage mechanization in farming as opposed to farming using hoes in planting their foods.

ZANIS/PM/ENDS/MM