Bank of Zambia (BoZ) Governor, Caleb Fundanga, says Zambia should increase its focus on economic diversification in order to achieve the set targets in the Vision 2030.

Dr. Fundanga said government and stakeholders should now concentrate at improving the viability of agriculture and other sectors apart from mining in the development of the national economy.

He said there is need to improve productivity in agriculture so as to increase agriculture products for exports to the international markets.

He said Zambia has the potential to produce cereals and other grains such as rice, wheat and maize for export.

Dr. Fundanga was answering questions from Journalists during a press briefing held at the Pamodzi hotel Lusaka yesterday.

He said irrigation farming is one reliable option for increasing productivity in the agriculture sector adding that it should encouraged in all parts of the country.

He said the Central Bank is working hard to to help improve the microeconomic stability through reduced inflation and interest rates in the financial sector.

Dr. Funadanga advised Zambians to invest in various sectors of the economy in order to effectively contribute to efforts of reducing poverty and securing national economic growth.

Dr. Funadanga cautioned Zambians to desist from entrusting the investment in the economic to foreign investors.

“Let’s do away with this syndrome that funds from abroad will develop Zambia. Then where are our human resources, expertise and knowledge. I call upon Zambians have the spirit to do things for themselves to develop this country. Agriculture is more profitable and it has the potential to replace mining,” Dr. Fundanga said.

Bank of Zambia, BoZ, Governor Caleb Fundanga, is hopeful that the current political crisis in Zimbabwe is urgently resolved in the interest of securing trade relations between that country and Zambia.

Dr. Fundanga said the political crisis emanating from that country’s controversial March 29 elections has a negative bearing on trade relations between the two countries.

Dr. Fundanga was speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka today.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, ZEC, announced on Friday the official results that saw opposition Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, leader Morgani Tsvangirai secure a 47.9 per cent vote against incumbent President Robert Mugabe’s 43.2 per cent.

Dr. Fundanga said the Central Bank is determined to ensure the sustenance of measures aimed at maintaining the liberal marketing system for imports and exports between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Dr. Fundanga advised local and foreign businesses to identify areas for investment in the Zambian economy.

He said the country is endowed with abundant natural resources that could be exploited for various investment projects that could significantly contribute to national development.

Meanwhile, The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) says it will soon announce the date for the presidential election run-off.

Commission chairperson Justice Chiweshe was quoted on Sunday saying details would be made available after a full meeting of the ZEC board.

“The commission is going to meet as soon as possible. I cannot state exactly when the run-off will be held, but I can confirm that the poll will be on a date to be announced by the commission,” said Justice Chiweshe.

The deputy minister of Information Bright Matonga was quoted saying the elections could be held in three weeks.

The law allows that the run off be held within a year.

The run off follows failure by candidates in the harmonised elections held on March 29 to win the election with an outright majority.

Movement for Democratic Change candidate Morgan Tsvangirai polled 47, 9 percent of total votes followed by Zanu PF candidate Robert Mugabe with 43,6 percent.

The remainder went to two independent candidates.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe will participate in the run off.

President Mugabe has already registered his willingness to take part in the run off but Tsvangirai’s position is yet to be made clear.

The MDC has said it does not accept the results of the presidential elections announced by ZEC claiming it won the election, making a run-off unnecessary.

MMD chairman of elections Mr. Mike Mulongoti has cautioned MMD members at all levels of the party egainst commiting themselves to particular presidential candidates to succeed Dr. Levy Mwanawasa.

Mr. Mulongoti said members of MMD should at the moment preoccupy themselves with the work of organising the party.

The minister was speaking when he addressed MMD members of a London based branch.

Mr. Mulongoti said MMD members should guard against being bought, adding that MMD was not for sale.

”Don’t sell your conscious to freely selecting the successor of Dr. Mwanawasa,” Mr. Mulongoti said.

Mr. Mulongoti was prompted to address the MMD members following leadership wrangles that arose in the branch.

”Let’s not spend time quarrelling over leadership instead, let’s use the opportunity to organise the party,” he said.

The London MD branch is chaired by a Mr. Frederick Chileshe.

Meanwhile, Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Anderson Chibwa, has expressed happiness with initiatives of some Zambians residents in the UK to help solve problems back home.

Mr. Chibwa said he was satisfied with a non-governmental organisation formed by Zambians which has raised 90,000 British Pounds for an orphanage project in Chongwe.

The high commissioner was speaking when Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mike Mulongoti, stopped over at the Embassy on his way from Algeria where he attended a parliamentary conference seeking solutions to a 33-year-old Western Sahara conflict.

Mr. Chibwa said another group of Zambians called Zambia overseas Christian Fellowship were also fund raising to support orphans in Ndola and Luanshya on the Copeprbelt.

Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, Mike Mulongoti, has advised media practitioners not to abuse the Freedom of Information Bill, once it becomes law.

Mr. Mulongoti urged journalists to responsibly apply the law and avoid using the legislation to frustrate people.

Mr. Mulongoti, who is also Chief Government spokesperson, was speaking on the occasion to mark World Press Freedom Day which fell today.

He said government cherishes freedom of the press and hence called for unity of purpose and enhanced consultation between the media and government on contentious issues of national development.

This year’s Press Freedom Day was commemorated under the them “Freedom of Information and Empowerment of the people.”

And Press Association of Zambia, PAZA, President Amos Chanda urged journalist to continue fighting for the timely enactment of the freedom of information bill.

Mr. Chanda said the bill should be enacted into law during the forthcoming legislative window of Parliament.

He, however, said PAZA is encouraged that government is moving in the direction of taking the bill to Parliament.

Journalists in Zambia today joined counterparts in other parts of the world to commemorate the Press Freedom Day.

In Lusaka the media practitioners gathered at the main Post Office and matched to the Freedom Statue where they were addressed by Mr. Mulongoti.

Zambezi East Member of Parliament, Sarah Sayifwanda, has urged the Zambezi District Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, DMMU, officials in the district not to politicize the relief food distribution exercise.

Mrs. Sayifwanda says relief food should not be used for gaining political mileage because the aid is a government policy implemented for vulnerable communities across the nation.

She said District DMMU officials in Zambezi district are allegedly not fairly distributing the maize meant for flood victims and accused some of the officials of de-campaigning her.

Mrs. Sayifwanda was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.

She warned that she will not hesitate to expose ‘defiant’ DMMU officials accusing government of not paying necessary attention to flood victims in Zambezi East Constituency.

The MP said Mpidi, Lupwempu, Lukung’i, Nyakuleng’a, Chitokoloki in the East Bank were also hit by floods therefore the villagers are in dire need of relief food.

The visibly annoyed Mrs Sayifwanda said the DMMU officials in the district should involve the Office of the District Commissioner and all Appointed Food Distribution Agents to follow established distribution channel of relief food.

Mrs. Sayifwanda, who is also Agriculture and Cooperatives co-minister, bemoaned that government efforts were being frustrated by a few individuals who are bent on de-registering scored development success.

Meanwhile, DMMU National Co-ordinator, Dominiciano Mulenga, said in a separate interview in Lusaka today that stakeholders who are willing to donate to flood victims should do so through their respective area district commissioners.

He told ZANIS that people are free to support affected communities to help reduce government burden of addressing the effects of floods and other natural disasters.

The ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) in Lusaka says it has embarked on a new strategy that would increase focus on improved performance ahead of the 2011 presidential polls.

MMD Lusaka District Chairman, Paul Chihande, said the ruling party is determined to become more organised to secure victory in the next general elections.

Mr Chihande declared that the party has become a ‘hot iron and a force to reckon with’ after the 2006 tripartite polls because the outcome of the elections enabled it to identify weaknesses and strengths.

Mr Chihande was speaking in Lusaka today in Chawama Compound when he introduced the MMD Acting Chawama Constituency Chairman Trymore Mwenda.

Mr Mwenda takes over from Kellys Siame, who is now serving a suspension from the MMD party for alleged gross indiscipline and insubordination contrary to party regulations.

MMD Lusaka District chairman disclosed that the ruling party is also reorganising all the party structures at ward, branch and constituency levels.

He said from Chawama, the party would go to Kanyama, Matero, Mandevu, Munali, Kabwata and Lusaka Central.

And Acting Chairman, Mr Mwenda, appealed to the opposition to work hand in hand with the MMD in an effort to improving the lives of the ordinary citizens.

Mr. Mwenda noted that development goes beyond partisan politics hence the need for the opposition and the ruling party to work together in the implementation of economic policies.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Friday released results of the presidential election held on March 29 which show that there was no outright winner.

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction leader Morgan Tsvangirai garnered 47, 9 percent of total votes cast (1 195 562 votes), followed by the incumbent President Robert Mugabe of Zanu PF with 43, 2 percent or 1 079 730 votes.

Independent candidates Simba Makoni and Langton Towungana garnered 8, 3 percent or 207 470 votes and 0, 6 percent or 14 503 votes respectively.

There were 39 975 spoilt papers with the percentage poll standing at 42, 7 percent.

ZEC chief elections officer, Lovemore Sekeramayi told journalists at a press briefing that a presidential run off would be held since no candidate got an outright majority of 51 percent or more.

“Since no candidate has received a majority of the total number of valid votes cast, the provisions of Section 110 (3) of the Electoral Act do apply and a second election shall be held at a date to be advised by the Commission,” he said.

He said President Mugabe and Tsvangirai, being the top two candidates, were eligible to participate in the second election.

ZEC had on Thursday called the candidates or their chief election agents for verification and collation of figures.

President Mugabe, through his agent, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Makoni compared their figures with the Commission while the MDC T indicated that their figures did not tally with those of ZEC.

But on Friday, the MDC Tsvangirai representative Chris Mbanga said he had not been given a chance to verify the figures.

“We are not happy. I was denied an opportunity to verify the figures,” he said.

“They (ZEC) wanted to place the burden of proof on us but then it not for us, it’s for them to prove to us how they arrived at the figures,” he said, adding he would report the matter to his superiors.