President Levy Mwanawasa says government has no plans to keep an additional 25,000 refugees in the country.
President Mwanawasa said the Zambian government was not consulted on the issue of receiving refugees saying even if Zambia was to be requested to keep refugees, the country has no room and resources to contain 25,000 refugees.
The President was responding to questions from Zambians resident in Japan last night during a reception organised by the Zambian Embassy in that country.
The question came in view of the reported 25,000 Zimbabweans reportedly headed for Zambia from South Africa where they were running away from xenophobic attacks by the local people.
Dr. Mwanawasa said the country has no enough food, accommodation, health facilities and resources, and therefore can not take an additional number of refugees in the country.
Dr Mwanawasa said government was repatriating Angolan refugees back to their country and hoped that the facilities they were using could be used by Zambians.
He however said those refugees who have lived in Zambia for a long time may apply for citizenship if they so wish.
And President Mwanawasa has revealed that government was about to engage a private Japanese company to start manufacturing fertilizer in the country.
The President said raw materials for fertilizer production have been discovered in Petauke and Monze districts, adding that a fertilizer plant may be set up in Eastern province.
He said government was determined to grow enough food to feed every Zambian hence the current Fertilizer Support Programme to subsidise fertilizer as away of encouraging people to grow enough food and cushion the high food prices.
Dr Mwanawasa further said if Zambia opens up a plant to manufacture fertilizer in the country, it would help reduce the prices of food.
‘’ We can not control the price of fertilizer now because we are importing the commodity and there are expenses to that.
Dr. Mwanawasa expressed happiness that once the fertilizer company was established in Zambia, it would provide market for the commodity to neighboring countries and the SADC region.
On the Constitution making process, President Mwanawasa told Zambians resident in Japan that the process was problematic and that government could have been done it in a simpler way had not been for the fact that it wanted to ensure that it was all inclusive and transparent.
The President hoped that the whole process would be over by the time the country goes to
the polls in 2011 so that people could concentrate on matters of development.
On how to invest money back in the country, Dr. Mwanawasa told Zambians in the diaspora that government sells bonds and those with money could invest in bonds and get their money with interest after wards.
And Finance Minister, Ng’andu Magande said government was trying to work on a mechanism of giving a different security rate or formulating a security mechanism that would protect those investing money in the country.
And President Mwanawasa has called on women to apply for land saying government wants to empower a minimum of 30 per cent women with land.
He said government considered women as partners in development and would want them to benefit from land also.
And Zambia’s ambassador to Japan, Godfrey Simasiku thanked the President for his commitment to attend the TICAD 1V.
Ambassador Simasiku urged Zambians to appreciate the work that Dr. Mwanawasa was doing, saying the country has benefited a lot because of his personal commitment and hard work.
And in a vote of thanks, A Zambian doctor working in Japan thanked the President for finding time to interact with Zambians resident in Japan and share information about Zambia.
A Dr Mwansa appealed to the Zambian government to introduce exhibition in foreign countries so as to entice those in diaspora to go back home.
