A multi billion kwacha expansion of the Zambia Revenue Authority [ZRA] yard in Nakonde district in Northern Province will start before the end of 2008.

And construction of 28 low cost houses for junior officers operating at Nakonde border is progressing well.

District commissioner Edwin Sinyinza has confirmed the development in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services [ZANIS].

Mr Sinyinza says the multi billion kwacha expansion of ZRA Nakonde border check point will commence before the end of December.

” All is set for the commencement of the multi-billion expansion project of the Nakonde ZRA yard and construction works are expected to start before the end of this year,” Said Sinyinza.

Mr. Sinyinza said all the clearing agents and other people operating from containers placed outside ZRA yard have been directed to ensure that all the containers are removed within the next 48-hours.

He said the containers and other make-shift shops should be erected at other designated places approved by the district council.

He however, said he was happy that the move to relocate the containers has been well received by all the stakeholders who have since started moving containers and other make-shift shops to other designated places.

The district commissioner disclosed that a bull dozer from Kasama was expected to arrive any day to start demolishing structures and prepare the land for the commencement of the expansion exercise.

Mr Sinyinza said the government was expected to hand over the site to the contractor immediately after all the unnecessary structures have been pulled down.

” The expansion of Nakonde border check point follows the upgrading of the station that has seen remarkable increase in the revenue collection,” Mr Sinyinza added.

Nakonde is currently the second largest collector of revenue after Chirundu in Zambia.

And construction of 28 low cost houses for junior officers operating at the border is progressing well.

District commissioner Sinyinza said the contractor has just finished laying the foundation and will start working on the super structures.

” Yes, I can confirm to you that the construction of low-cost houses for junior officers operating at Nakonde border check point is progressing well and moving on schedule,” Mr Sinyinza said.

He said once completed, the houses which are located along the Nakonde/ Malawi international Road in Katozi area will be allocated to officers under the Drug Enforcement Commission [DEC], ZRA, Police and the Immigration department.

This is the phase one of the project in which a total of 100 houses are to be constructed at the end of the project.
ZANIS/JM/ENDS/MM.

Parliament heard today that 29 geological blocks in Chama and Lundazi districts in Eastern province have so far been demarcated for prospective oil explorations.

Mines and Mineral Development Minister Maxwell Mwale told parliament that his ministry has invited exploration companies to bid for the oil and gases that show positive indications of the mineral resource in the province.

Mr. Mwale, who is also Malambo Member of Parliament (MP) told the house that 153 soil samples were collected in Chama while 211 others were collected in Lundazi to determine the quantity and availability of the two minerals.

He said to this effect, government has replaced the Mineral Act of 1985 to favour more prospectors to freely conduct mining activities in the country.

The Minister said that three other provinces namely North-western, Luapula and Western have shown signs of oil and gas while Southern province has prospects for gold. He said exploration works would soon commerce in the said provinces.

Mr. Mwale was responding to a question by Nyimba MP Forrie Tembo who wanted to find out the latest oil and gas exploration in Chama and Lundazi districts by government.

Bwangweulu Patriotic Front (PF) MP Joseph Kasongo asked the government as to when it would start exploring the gold deposits in his constituency.

Mr. Mwale assured that the exploration of oil and gases is an on-going and that government has since embarked on land demarcation exercise to potential prospecting firms.

ZANIS/KC/ENDS/MM

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]