A combined team of Chinese and Zambian investors is currently conducting feasibility studies in Northern Province on the possibilities of establishing a US$ 3 billion bio-diesel joint venture project.

Traditional rulers in Northern Province have expressed willingness to provide large portions of land for the project, which is likely to create employment for the local people.
Speaking in Kasama recently during a meeting with heads of Government departments attended by the investors; Commence Minister Felix Mutati said there was need to attract more investors to create job opportunities for the local people.

Mr. Mutati said Government was working hard to ensure that it creates a conducive environment for both local and foreign investment.

The Minister expressed hope that the project which is aimed at creating massive out-grower schemes for bio diesel would be well received by the province failure to which it will be moved to another province.

Delegation leader from the Private Sector Development Reform Programme, Lovemore Simwanda said Bio-mass development PLC, a Zambian company and Wuhan Kaidi holdings of China, plans to invest about US$ 3bn in the bio-fuel project in Zambia.

The investment is expected to create about 50,000 job opportunities for the local people.

He explained that the team which was targeting five districts in Northern Province was looking for land in excess of 700,000 hectors where to set up plantations for the extraction of bio-fuel.

He said the land which was being looked at was that which had been degraded through massive cutting of trees.

Chief Chitoshi and Mukupa Kaoma of Mporokoso district have expressed willingness to provide land for the Bio Diesel project if their areas are found suitable for the project.

The Chiefs told ZANIS in separate interviews recently that they were ready to sit down with the investors so that they could discuss how best the project would benefit their subjects.

They observed that they have been longing for investment which would help to improve the living standards of people in their chiefdoms.

The districts targeted are Nakonde, Isoka, Chinsali, Mporokoso and Luwingu.

ZANIS/HH/MKM/ENDS

Government says tourism plays an important role in promoting rural development and ensuring sustainable development in the country.

Minister of Tourism Environment and Natural Resources, Catherine Namugala said tourism provides employment and income generation activities for both urban and rural people.

Ms. Namugala said the tourism industry offers many other unique opportunities in both urban and rural areas for economic diversification and job creation.

She was speaking in a speech read on her behalf by the acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Lubinda Aongola at tourism stakeholders’ forum in Lusaka today.

The Minister said government has since allocated K5 billion in this year’s budget to rehabilitate heritage sites, especially in rural areas where much of the heritage sites that can contribute to tourism growth are located.

She stressed that her ministry is currently putting in place measures for the licensing and authorization of tourism enterprises category that were previously dealt with by the Zambia National Tourist Board under the Act 19 of 1979.

Ms. Namugala further said dialogue among stakeholders in the tourism sector should be promoted in order to boost growth of the industry.

Earlier, Tourism Council of Zambia (TCZ) chairman, Mark O’Donnell said the industry should encourage local investors to take part in the hospitality business.

Mr. O’Donnell said the industry would work towards creating relationships with the private sector, a move that would make it easier for local people to venture into different business.

ZANIS/WM/ENDS/KSH/

Government has urged the people of Luapula Province to diversify from fish to agricultural farming because fish had depleted in the region.

Fishermen in Luapula Province have, for a long time, been practicing illegal fishing methods that included the use of mosquito nets to catch fish and fishing during the fish ban between the months of December and March every year.

Luapula Province Permanent Secretary (PS), Jazzman Chikwakwa, said in Chiengi yesterday when he paid a courtesy call on District Commissioner (DC), Mwaba Lwaminda, that there was need to diversify for the province to develop.

Mr Chikwakwa said venturing into agriculture would help develop Chiengi district because Program for Luapula Agriculture Rural Development (PLARD) was undertaking improved cassava farming for farmers to be self sustained.

He said if agriculture was put as number one priority, people would do better economically.

The PS noted that farming of cassava and other crops that did not require fertilizer would assist farmers and government to deviate money meant for the national Fertilizer Support Program (FSP) to other programs.

He observed that cassava had market both locally and internationally and that farmers should take advantage of drought resistant crops as they were easy to cultivate.

Mr Chikwakwa further said that government was aware that it required opening training schools for fish farmers in order for them to learn proper fishing methods.

He noted that the only way to preserve the remaining fish was to educate people on the importance of avoiding illegal fishing methods.

He also said those who have settled in the fish breeding areas should be removed so that fish stocks could improve and avoid complete depletion.

Speaking earlier, Chiengi DC, Mwaba Lwaminda, said that the fisheries department was implementing co–management program where PLARD has given 120 farmers half a lima each of improved cassava cuttings.

Mr Lwaminda said Programme Against Malnutrition (PAM) had targeted 108 famers in two camps for them to diversify from fish farming.

He explained that Chiengi district’s major economic activities were fishing, agriculture and trading.

ZANIS/ENDS/CB/EB.

Government has said Chiengi district has the highest fertility rate in the country.

Chiengi District Commissioner (DC), Mwaba Lwaminda, said the fertility rate for Chiengi district currently stood at 3.5 per cent with a total population of over 92,000 as at 2002 census population exercise.

Mr Lwaminda explained during the Youth day celebrations yesterday whose theme was “Youth Partnership in Development” that in a period of two years, over 9,000 babies are born in Chiengi district mostly from youthful mothers.

The DC said the development was retrogression because the population did not equate with the increase in per capita income.

Mr Lwaminda noted that if the trend was not checked by the youths, Chiengi would get poorer because the population would continue to increase when wealth was stagnant.

He urged the youths to venture into income generating activities for the wealth of the district and to be partners in development with government.

He further said the youths should fight retrogression by taking advantage if the localized curriculum which enabled young people with no academic inclination to acquire practical survivor skills.

He said survival skills enabled youths to lead productive lives even when they did not stay longer in school, adding that they would be useful members of society.

He revealed that government had released K10 billion for each province and urged the youths to apply for funds through the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC).

ZANIS/ENDS/CB/EB.