Computer Aid International has donated 2000 computers to the Ministry of Education.

Speaking when he received the computers, Education Minister Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa said the provision of quality education requires the application  of information communication technology (ICT), especially computers.

Professor Lungwangwa observed that ICT is developing at a very fast rate adding that the development is creating new ways of learning and conducting business in the education sector.

He said the Ministry of Education in line with the Fifth National Development Plan has adopted the use of ICTs at various levels of the education delivery.

Professor Lungwangwa said computers are at the centre of being aids to strive to achieve quality, equity and efficiency in education.

He said ICT are changing the education system and Zambia desires to fully embrace the development.

And handing over the computers, Computer Aid International Southern Africa Programme Officer Hiller Addo said the mission of Computer Aid is to bridge the digital divide.

Mr. Addo said information technology skills are critical for the survival of all individuals in the information age.

Computer Aid International is a British Charity.

ZAIN Zambia has reaffirmed its commitment to its social responsibility projects of helping government in alleviating poverty in the country.

ZAIN Managing Director, David Holliday, said this yesterday during the handover of the K111m renovated 2×2 classroom block of Kafubu Farm School in Ndola.

Mr Holliday said ZAIN Zambia will work tirelessly in serving the Zambian people and in turn contribute to the development of the country.

He said his organisation was in Ndola as part of the “Build Our Nation” programme, in which ZAIN continues to offer support to needy institutions of learning through partnership with government.

He said this year alone the communication company has spent K600m in support to government schools in all the73 districts in the country.

Yesterdays donation included the school infrastructure worth K86m, and 59 desks valued at K25m bringing the total to K111 million.

And  receiving the donation, Copperbelt Provincial Deputy Permanent Secretary, Christopher Mutembo reassured ZAIN of government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for the private sector.

Mr Mutembo said, with such gestures from the private sector, government was assured of attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s).

The DPS appealed to the pupils at the school to guard jealously the desks and the infrastructure as vandalising them would deter companies from donating more to the school.

He said vandalism was the biggest challenge that government had over maintaining its property countrywide.

And speaking earlier, head teacher, Nason Kabangisha, commended ZAIN for the gesture, saying the rehabilitation works at the school were the first ever since its construction in 1967.

Mr Kabangisha thanked government for bringing in the country socially responsible investors like ZAIN and added that government should not allow such investors to be harassed as they were genuine investors.

Kafubu farm school which only has four classrooms currently has 520 pupils with only four teachers.

ZANIS/ENDS/PC/EB

Commerce and Trade Minister, Felix Mutati has challenged European Union (EU) donors in Brussels to urgently arrive at a fair, equitable, flexible and sensible conclusion of the Doha world trade talks and the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

At the COMESA conference on Trade and Investment in Brussels on Tuesday, Mr. Mutati said if donors could make the policy of “aid for trade” a reality in Africa, it would go a long way to push the continent’s development forward.

Mr. Mutati said COMESA countries like Zambia do not want to be pedestrians on the world trade and investment stage but key players as demonstrated by addressing inconveniences suffered by private sector to do business.

“We came to Brussels, not to seek a rescue package for there will be none. But to engage with you. More than ever, there is an urgency to conclude the Doha round and EPAs. Thereafter, we’ll do the rest,” declared Mr. Mutati.

He cited last weekend’s G20 summit in Washington where the pledge was to halt global economic meltdown and by the same token urged EU donors to engage in the fierce urgency of now by removing bottlenecks in EPAs and the Doha round of talks so that Africa could leap forward in a climate of aid for trade.

He said countries like Zambia are already experiencing challenges of seeing Copper prices which had peaked to $8,000 per tonne now down to $3,900 per tonne.

First Secretary for Press at the zambia mission in Brussels Samuel Ngoma reports that Mr. Mutati assured the donors that COMESA countries are in every way ready for investment as a democratic and reformed region.

[ZNBC]

An economist says the depreciation of the Kwacha is being fueled by speculators who expect the demand for the dollar to increase due to global financial crisis.

Chibamba Kanyama says there is a perception that they will be a shortage of the dollar on the market as the global economy is undergoing stress.

Mr. Kanyama told ZNBC news that some speculators are buying off the dollar in anticipation that the kwacha will depreciate further as dollar inflows reduce in view of the global financial crisis.

He said speculators also anticipate that donors will not commit their funding as the year nears to a close.

Mr. Kanyama said other factors causing the depreciation include reduced export earnings from copper and non-traditional exports.

Mr Kanyama said the government can help curb speculation by constantly communicating to the public about investment inflows.

Shortly after the elections the Kwacha made a dramatic appreciation of about 20 percent but only to depreciate two weeks later by almost the same margin.

[ZNBC]

The kwacha has continued to post a depreciation against the United States dollar on the local market.

This is despite the currency recording an appreciation against the U.S dollar in the first week of November.

The Kwacha is now trading between K3,500 and K4,100.

A random check by ZNBC Business news in some bureau de change outlets, found a dollar buying at K4,250 and selling at K4,450.

A British pound was selling at K6,400 and buying at K6,200 respectively.
[ZNBC]