Vice President Ruphia Banda has bemoaned the lack of local expertise in most African countries, a situation, he said has retarded development on the continent.

Mr. Banda regreted that most African countries, including Zambia, still depend
largely on foreign expertise to run economies at a high cost.

The Vice President was speaking in Lusaka today when he officially opened the
African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) Board of Governors meeting.

“For unless we pay attention to this very important aspect of our national
development, all our efforts will be in vain.No matter how elaborate our plans are,
if we lack trained manpower that can efficiently execute our plans, nothing will
happen,” he said.

He said it is important for a developing country like Zambia to have adequate
doctors, engeneers, lawyers economists and other various disciplines in order to
move the country forward.

He said it is therefore important for African countries to train their own people in
order to acheive sustainble economic growth.

Mr. Banda paid tribute to the ACBF for the role it has played in Zambia and in
particular the support rendered to the ministry of Finance and National Planning in
capacity building.

“I am aware that thre is further support that is coming our way from ACBF in the
recently formed formed Zambia Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR).
This will be a semi-autonomous institute for use by government institutions
responsible for macro-economic policy formulation and implementation,” he said.

He urged all African countries to give the ZCBF all the support it needs in its
endevours to develop capacity in Africa.

Mr. Banda said African countries need to take full ownership of the ACBF and its
programmes, for it to be a relevant force  to the challenges facing the African
countries in the new millennium.

In this regard, he said, Zambia has pledged US$250,000 to the Foundation.

And ACBF chairperson Louise Clement said the Foundation plays an important role in
the strenthening of public sector capacities throughout Africa.

She said good governance is key to the success of international, regional and
national development efforts.

Government has today unveiled new penalties for public nuisance acts under the street vending and nuisance amendment regulation of 2007.

Launching the statutory instrument in Lusaka today, Local Government and Housing Minister, Sylvia Masebo said the instrument was in line with the “Keep Zambian Clean Campaign which President Levy Mwanawasa launched last week.

Mrs. Masebo said the penalty fees for various public nuisance offences have been
increased from the range of between K300 and K1, 000 to the range of between K90,
000 and K450, 000.

She said the old penalty fees were too minimal to deter offenders from committing
the offence.

In the new instrument, throwing litter in undesignated places would attract the
penalty fee of K90, 000 while passing urine in unauthorised places would attract
K200, 000.

She said trading in an unauthorised areas and operating unlicenced taxis would
attract K450, 000.

The minister has since called on Zambians to support government measures in order to
achieve a clean and disease free environment.

She further said Zambians should be vigilant and exercise their powers of citizens’
arrest by apprehending perpetrators of such nuisance acts.

Second Republican President, Frederick Chiluba has been ordered to pay the government over $57.4 million for conspiracy to defraud the state.

In a final judgment delivered, Friday by London High Court Judge Peter Smith, the state is to recover the funds from Dr. Chiluba for his involvement in the ZAMTROOP Conspiracy and a fictitious arms deal the BK conspiracy.

Judge Smith said the $57 million also caters for Dr. Chiluba’s violating the trust of the people to look after the national treasury.

However funds to be recovered from Dr. Chiluba have however been reduced from the initial $58 million announced a few weeks ago after several deliberations by lawyers in the case.

The same court has ordered that state recovers from Fugitive former Zambia Security Intelligence Services Director, Zavier Chungu, $113 Million.

Judge Smith has ordered that Mr. Chungu pays $57 million, for his involvement in the ZAMTROOP and BK conspiracy.

The Judge said the remaining $56 Million must be paid as a breach to protect the national treasure.

Others include Former Zambia Ambassador to the US, Attan Shansonga who has been ordered to pay $4.4 million, for his involvement in the ZAMTROOP Conspiracy and for dishonest assistance.

The government is also expected to recover from Access Financial Services, Chief Executive Officer, Faustin Kabwe $92 million US Dollars.

And Access Financial Services Managing Director, Aaron Chungu is required to pay $40 million for his involvment in the ZAMTROOP conspiracy and for dishonest assistance.

Meanwhile a Lusaka Magistrates Court has set July 7 as date for another mention in Second Republican President, Frederick Chiluba’s case.

The court has also set August 14 and 17 as commencement of trial and August 27-31 as dates for continued trial.

The Magistrate court has since ordered Dr. Chiluba’s Lawyers to inform the court whether the former President will appear in person or through use of video link.

This was when the matter came for mention and was held in chambers, Friday.

Dr. Chiluba is jointly charged with Acess Financial Services Director, Faustine Kabwe and Chief Executive Officer, Aaron Chungu for theft of 488,000 of public funds.

First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa has described the visit by her American counterpart Laura Bush as a great inspiration to Zambia’s efforts in fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country and the African continent as a whole.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian journalists at Mututa Memorial Day Care Centre in Lusaka East which the two first ladies visited, Mrs. Mwanawasa said America is ranked as high in status in the world and therefore a visit by its first lady was honourable.

Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) reports that Mrs Mwanawasa said the
visit was an inspiration to all local and continental initiatives that were aiming
at easing the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Zambian and African communities.

“Let me say that as Zambians we are very excited about this visit by American First
Lady, As you know America has a high status, this inspires us to continue doing what we are doing here,” she said.

Mrs. Mwanawasa who was in the company of American Ambassador to Zambia, Carmen
Martinez, further said Zambia has received a lot of assistance from the American initiatives in the fields of health and education among others.

She said such assistance would help advance Zambia’s efforts towards achieving the
Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015.

“But to achieve this, we must be in partnership with such organisations,” she said.

On the US$300,000 donated to the Organisation of African First Ladies by the Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the President’s Emergence
Programme for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiative for Africa, Mrs. Mwanawasa said this
would effectively advance the work of the organisation.

She pointed out that the donation would help OAFLA implement its programmes on the
continent effectively, adding that the funds would further help strengthen the organisation’s secretariat.

She said soon, OAFLA would hold its fifth annual meeting in Accra, Ghana.

Mrs. Mwanawasa pledged that the money would be used wisely.

Earlier, Mrs. Bush said in her key speech at the same place, that UNAIDS has given
OAFLA US$300,000 to support its activities on the continent.

She told the gathering that the American government was very happy with the works of
OAFLA in fighting the AIDS pandemic.

She praised Mrs. Mwanawasa for her endeavours in the fight against the pandemic and
her efforts to support vulnerable children and women.

And Ambassador Martinez said her government has given  Zambia over US$196 million to be spread over a period of three years.

Earlier in the day, the two first ladies posed for a photo at State House, visited
Regiment School in Arakan barracks, before going to Mututa centre where a lot of HIV/AIDS testimonies were told by affected people.

Mrs Bush who started her tour to Africa in Senegal focussing on anti Aids
programmes, women rights and education leaves for Mali after her visit to Zambia.

ZANIS