Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson Justice Florence Mumba has urged Japanese Investors to invest in Zambia by highlighting various opportunities in various sectors of the Zambian economy.

Justice Mumba urged Japanese companies to consider investing in the tourism, agriculture, and the manufacturing industry which have been identified as priority sectors by the Zambian government.

She said there was great potential for investments in the energy sector as Zambia was experiencing shortage of power.

Justice Mumba also urged Japanese companies to seriously consider investing in value addition and as Zambia’s copper production is focused to unprecedently rise by 2011.

She added that the current smelting capacity was small at 3,000 metric tonnes against production output of over 550,000 metric tonnes.

Speaking at the same seminar, Zambia’s Ambassador to Japan, Godfrey Simasiku, has urged that country’s public and private sector to explore investment opportunities in Zambia.

Mr. Simasiku says enormous investment potential exists in many sectors of the Zambian economy such as in mining and power generation.

Speaking today during a seminar for promoting investment in Zambia focusing on mining in Tokyo, Japan, Mr. Simasiku further pointed out that Zambia was politically stable hence a safe haven for investment.

He also explained that the cost of doing business in Zambia had been reduced by establishing the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), which acts as one stop centre for investment.

And Director for Geological Survey Department, Kennedy Liyungu said with the progress made so far in the discovery of oil and gas in the country, 29 blocks have been demarcated for oil and gas prospecting.

He said tender bids for interested companies will be opened in 2009 and has since requested Japanese companies to consider participating in prospecting for gas and oil in Zambia.

Mr. Liyungu said iron, manganese and nickel deposits have been found adding that other rare earth metals, nickel deposits have been found in Southern and Uranium deposits in North Western Provinces.

On Wednesday, December 17, 2008 the Zambian Embassy in Tokyo co-organized a seminar for promoting investment in Zambia focusing on mining and was sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation (JICA), Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) and Mitsui Mineral Development Engineering Company, Limited (MINDECO).

ZANIS/AJN/AM/ENDS

President Rupiah Banda says government will not suspend the National Constitutional Conference (NCC).

Speaking on arrival from Chipata, Eastern Province at Lusaka International Airport, Mr. Banda said the NCC has been accepted and embraced by Zambians.

President Banda said the NCC will continue with its deliberations until its set mandate has been fulfilled.

Mr. Banda was responding to questions from journalists on calls by some opposition politicians that government should suspend the NCC and channel the money towards the hosting of the All Africa Games slated for 2011 and solve the financial problems being faced by the mines due to the economic meltdown.

On calls for dialogue among political leaders, President Banda said he had no problem to dialogue with opposition political leaders in a bid to find lasting solutions to the problems faced by the country brought about by the global financial crisis.

Mr. Banda said calls for political leaders to meet and dialogue are welcome as government has always been ready to dialogue with all stakeholders on national issues.

The president was in Chipata, Eastern Province for his first visit to the area following his election as republican president in the October presidential election.

ENDS/AH/AM/ZANIS

A 28-year-old man of Kashikishi in Nchelenge District is admitted to St. Pauls Mission Hospital after being bitten on the genitals by another man.

Sandys Chola of Daison village was severely bitten on his private parts after being found committing adultery with a married woman identified as Godfridah Lwimba.

Chola told ZANIS from his hospital bed that the assailant, Lewis Chola of Nkomba Village severely bit his private parts in the early hours of Sunday.

Chola, who regretted the adulterous affair, narrated that efforts to defend himself from the furious Lewis Chola failed because he was caught red handed in Godfridah’s matrimonial bedroom.

Chola said he is ashamed and regretted his actions and urged other men, who were in the habit of flirting with married women, to desist from such vices to avoid ending up in serious conflicts.

He complained that the injuries suffered in the fight could result in the possible loss of potence and affect his sexuality.

Chola, who was visibly in pain said because of the injuries, he is now unable to pass urine on his own and has to rely on a tube which has been inserted in the urinary tract at the hospital.

Godfridah defended her involvement in the adulterous affair saying it was because her marriage with Lewis was failing.

Meanwhile, Police in Nchelenge have picked up Lewis Chola for assaulting Chola and is expected to appear in court soon.

ENDS/ESM/ZANIS/SJK

Both the United Liberal Party (ULP) and the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Zambia (FFTUZ) have advised opposition Patriotic Front (PF) President Michael Sata to consider dialogue with government on the high mealie-meal prices in the country.

Speaking in separate interviews with ZANIS in Lusaka today, ULP President Sakwiba Sikota said dialogue was an amicable way of addressing and ironing out contentious issues facing the country.

Mr. Sikota further said dialogue with the government on national issues would help maintain peace and reduce tension in the country.

He noted that perceived tension impacted negatively on the country as it scared away investors.

And commenting on reports that Kitwe Patriotic Front (PF) women have threatened to undress during the demonstrations over the high mealie meal prices, Mr. Sikota said the women would only embarrass themselves.

He added that it does not make sense to undress during the demonstrations.

And FFTUZ President Joyce Nonde has encouraged the opposition leader Michael Sata to dialogue with the government.

Ms. Nonde, who noted that the problem was that the opposition has not accepted the outcome of the October 30, Presidential by- elections, advised Mr. Sata to discuss with government on finding solutions the problems in the country.

She however challenged government to comprehensively explain what has led to the high mealie-meal prices in the country.

Ms. Nonde charged that politicians both in the opposition and the government were to blame for some of the problems facing the country as their influence should be used to better the situation not seeking political mileage.

And Ms Nonde has since condemned the Kitwe PF women who want to undress during the food demonstrations.

She said Zambia is Christian Nation adding that God does not allow people to expose their nakedness to the public as the human body is his temple.

ZANIS/AJN/AM/ENDS

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has observed that countries that imported fertilizer early enough were able to procure it at a cheaper price. The president said the price of the commodity had risen by the time government had procured it.

He was speaking on a live radio program on radio Breeze FM in Chipata district.

Mr. Banda  stated that it was not possible for all farmers to benefit the commodity at a subsidized price saying the population of Zambia was too high.

Mr. Banda explained that people would be required to buy fertilizer at the common market if the subsidized fertilizer was not adequate because the population of the country was high.

He also appealed to farmers not to sell subsidized farming inputs for monetary gains. He stated that the program was intended to improve food security in the country by assisting farmers to produce more food.

President Banda also noted that there was no need to regulate the media if they could operate responsibly.

Speaking on radio Breeze FM in Chipata district, Mr Banda said the media did not need to be regulated if they could write and publish the truth all the time.

He expressed concern that some sectors of the media did not cover the October elections very well. President Banda stated that the media required to be factual and objective in their coverage, in a manner which he referred to as professional.

President Banda said the K10 Billion required for the completion of the Chipata/Mchinji railway line may be considered in next year’s budget.

Mr. Banda stated that it was the intention of government to see the completion of the rail line, which was intended to boost economic activities in the province.

He stated that he was aware that people in the province were anxious to see the project completed.

ENDS/HN/PK/ZANIS

Government has disclosed that it has only spent K44 billion out of the K309 billion which was budgeted for in the yellow book for this year’s constitution review process.

Vice President George Kunda said at a press briefing in Lusaka today that government has spent K44 billion on the various activities of the constitution review process contrary to remarks made by the opposition Patriotic Front Leader Michael Sata that it had spent K400 billion on this year’s constitution review process.

He said government would further need an additional amount of K5 billion to carter for other constitution review activities up to the run-up of this year.

Mr. Kunda said that it was sad that some sections of the society were accusing government of over spending resources on the constitution review process when it had only utilized K 44 billion on the constitutional activities.

He said government had devised a mechanism aimed at rationalizing government expenditure with a view to responding to the challenges of the global economic and financial crisis and soaring mealie-meal prices and other essential commodities.

The Vice President further said that government had decided to withdraw from the race of hosting the All African Games in order to ensure that resources which were meant for the programme were channeled to other development programmes such as the Fertilizer Support Programme (FSP).

He explained that if Zambia had hosted the All African Games its was going to spend over K800 billion in hosting the event, a situation he said was going to frustrate government efforts of implementing other development programmes.

Mr. Kunda has since advised the Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata to desist from issuing statements that would help him win cheap political mileage.

Government has also developed a contingency Plan aimed at mitigating the effects floods in flood prone districts.

Vice President George Kunda, who announced the development in Lusaka today, said that government had decided to develop a Contingency Plan in order to respond to the various effects of flush floods in the event of an occurrence.

Mr. Kunda, could not state how much the plan was worth. He however said that government was working with other stakeholders in order to ensure that flood victims were taken care of in an event of an occurrence.

He further said that government under the Zambia Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZAMVAC) has dispatched 14 teams to 34 districts in the country to assess food needs in the targeted areas.

The Vice President also disclosed that a team of Zambia Vulnerability Assessment Committee officials have been dispatched to Monze district to ascertain the gravity of food insecurity in the district.

It has been reported that people in Monze district are living on wild roots.

The Vice President has since assured the nation that government is actively and is continuously assessing the hunger situation and that it is defining other appropriate responses aimed at mitigating the effects of hunger in some parts of the country.

ZANIS/TK/AM/ENDS

Former Mazabuka District Commissioner, Misheck Chiinda, has urged Patriotic Front, PF, leader, Michael Sata, to state his position on calls by government to have an indaba over the rising price of meal meal.

Mr Chiinda has also urged the Police service not to take kindly, people agitating violence over the rising price of mealie meal if they are not ready to dialogue with government.

He told ZANIS in Mazabuka today, the rising price of mealie meal has nothing to do with President, Rupiah Banda, and government but the financial crisis dogging the world economies.

Mr Chiinda said the opposition and other members of civil society should instead offer solutions to the government on how to reduce mealie meal prices rather than inciting people to engage in violent activities and rise against government.

Mr Chiinda said while demonstrations are allowed in a democratic state such as Zambia, it would be disastrous for the Police to issue permits to the opposition parties especially the PF which is well known for fanning violence.

He, however, expressed happiness that Mazabuka residents including the PF cadres are against the demonstrations.