Patriotic Front (PF) Media Director Antonio Mourinho Mwanza says the UPND’s one year stay in Government has been an “Economic Disaster” and a serious challenge for the Zambian people.

Speaking during UNZA Radio’s Lusaka Star Programme yesterday, Mr Mwanza stated that the economy is in distress adding that the money is losing value.

Mr Mwanza noted that life under the New Dawn Administration has been extremely difficult for the Zambian people especially for those running businesses.

He added that the cost of running business was very low under PF compared to the period the Current Government has been in power.

“The cost of living has remained high such that one needs not less than K9,300 per month to raise a family of five in Lusaka before adding other expenses,” he said

Mr Mwanza noted that today, most people have closed these shops in townships because the cost of doing business has become very high, and when it comes to commodity prices, Mealie meal was 120 and today it is k150 in certain places.

“When UPND took over Government fuel was K17 per liter, but today it is k24 per liter……We had medicine in hospitals today, even UTH is fighting to have reagents,” he noted

Mr Mwanza stated that the PF had a clear road map when it comes to economic policies as compared to the UPND.

He said that the PF under the leadership of Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu introduced the economic recovery plan as well as debt management plan which this current Government has failed to do.

“If the Zambian people were complaining when fuel was at K17 per liter, imagine how deep the problems are for the citizens at K24 per liter. When the fuel was going up, the PF brought in measures to lower the costs such as the removal of VAT on Fuel and removing excise and import duties on fuel,” he said.

He explained that a stabilisation fund on fuel was created to cushion the increase in price of the commodity, that’s how the PF managed to maintain it when in other countries prices soared, the UPND Government has not injected any money to stabilise the fuel prices.

Mr Mwanza claimed that the UPND is using the PF economic recovery plan and the issue of debt management plan Government is using is primarily the copycat of what the PF left.

He cited that the Government must not give excuses for the Ukraine war because they need to prepare for such situations and cushion the poor.

And Mr Mwanza mentioned that 2022 has been a sad year for farmers, because the Government has neglected all the promises it made during the campaigns on farming.

“The promises made to the farmers to buy Maize at over K200 hasn’t been achieved, when the UPND took over Government, fertilizer was at K450 but today it is Over K1000 when they promised that it will be at K250,” he said

President Hakainde Hichilema has arrived in Dar er Salaam, Tanzania for a one day state visit at the invitation of his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu Hassan.

President Hichilema’s plane touched down at Julius Nyerere International Airport at 09:43 hours Zambian time accompanied by his wife Mutinta Hichilema.

President Hichilema was received by Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Zambia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Stanely Kakubo, Transport and Logics, Minister Frank Tayali, Peter Kapala of Energy and Chipoka Mulenga for Commerce trade and industry and some senior government officials from Tanzania.

President Hichilema was treated to a thunderous welcome that was characterized by traditional dances by some Tanzanian cultural groups.The Head of State was also accorded a 21- gun salute before inspecting a guard of honour that was mounted by the Tanzanian defence forces.

Whilst in that country President Hichilema and his Tanzanian counterpart President Hassan are expected to unlock a number of issues that have been hindering bilateral trade between Zambia and Tanzania.President Hichilema is also anticipated to hold bilateral talks with President Hassan to focus on areas of trade, investment and infrastructure development.

The President will also discuss matters related to the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority -TAZARA, with major emphasis on operational issues that will include revamping and -recapitalization of the railway company.The two leaders are further expected to engage in bilateral talks regarding the Tanzania-Zambia Mafuta -TAZAMA Pipeline Limited and the Nakonde-Tunduma One Stop Border Post.

President Hichilema and President Hassan are expected to tour the Dar-es-Salaam Port, Dar-es-Salaam Standard Main Gauge Railway Station, TAZAMA Pipelines Limited and TAZARA.

Minister of Information and Media, Chushi Kasanda says her ministry has engaged the Ministry of Finance and National Planning over the possibility of a tax waiver on imported media equipment.

Ms Kasanda says considering the high import tax on imported media equipment and materials she feels has affected the smooth operations of the local media, her ministry has been engaging Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane led ministry on the possibility of a tax waver on the media equipment.

The Media and Information minister made the remarks during her tour of a number of media stands at the on-going National Agriculture and Commercial Show being held under the theme: “ Innovation through technology transforms business.”

“The PS and I have been in consultation with other Ministries including the Ministry of Finance and we are looking at the fact that most of the equipment you bring into the country is expensive so we are trying to see if we can find a waiver for that,” she said.

In view of the advanced technology in this Information Technology and Communication ( I.T.C ) era, especially, the local media continues to face operational hitches in procuring state of the art media equipment such as cameras and drowns other than printing press that often attract high taxes.

These operational challenges among others have grossly affected media operations and expansion in the country.

In addition to the above concerns, majority of journalists are poorly paid making them easy prey to their sources especially during election campaign time.

And commencing her tours of various media stands at the 94th Agriculture and Commercial show, Ms Kasanda begun with the ZANIS stand, followed by ZAMCOM and the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) all housed in the same pavilion.

Accompanied by her Permanent Secretary Kennedy Kalunga and ministry officials , Ms Kasanda then proceeded to the ZNBC pavilion, where she urged the national broadcaster to improve on its viewership coverage .

“ This is by coming up with adverts during prime slots advertising popular entertainment programming, “ she emphasised.

Ms Kasanda also toured the Sun FM Radio and Television stand before wrapping up the tour with the Zambia Daily Mail and Times Printpak stand and lastly the Prime TV pavilion.

Speaking in an interview with journalists after the tour, the Minister commended the media houses for exhibiting at the show.

“I’m very happy with the way our media houses have exhibited this year. I’m sure there has been a lot of revenue that has been generated, all the stands have been filled up, looking at the fact that people were not able to exhibit in two years during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

The Minister also called for increased collaboration between the private and public media.

President Hakainde Hichilema has reiterated the New Dawn government’s commitment to continue with the expansionary approach to private sector participation in the economic transformation agenda for job creation and poverty reduction.

President Hichilema is urging the private sector to fully engage and utilize the newly established public private dialogue forum for development to rapidly resolve barriers to private sector business development and growth.

He said the Government has tasked the public institutions, among them regulatory bodies, to constructively ease business registration and licensing requirements to aid private sector participation in the economy.

Speaking at the official opening of the 94th Agriculture and Commercial show, Mr. Hichilema noted that the show presents the perfect opportunity for businesses and other stakeholders including regulators and authorities to trade, network, and share knowledge and ideas on economic transformation.

“May we take this opportunity to indicate that the presence of a large number of international guests, investors, researchers, foreign exhibitors and other countries participating in this show, reaffirms our government’s commitment to opening up our country for business. Zambia is indeed open for business. We also thank all the sponsors and the show society for putting together this magnificent show. May we also pay tribute to our farmers, who in the face of turmoil spurred by a combination of climate change, global geopolitical tensions which have affected both the cost and flow of production inputs, and a Covid 19 pandemic that has continued to disrupt production endeavors on a scale never seen before, still ensured that Zambia and our citizens remained relatively food secure,” President Hichilema said.

“The show, therefore, presents the perfect opportunity for businesses and other stakeholders including regulators and authorities to trade, network, and share knowledge and ideas on how we can transform the economy, increase agricultural production for job creation, household and national wealth creation, as well as fight poverty amongst our people. In this regard, the government established the ministry of technology and science to reposition and spearhead the use of technology and innovation as a means to drive the digital transformation agenda for growth and development, with a target to increase internet penetration to 80 percent by 2026, from 52.9 percent in 2020,” he said.

The Head of State continued:”For instance, in the agricultural sector, we are seeing the increasing use of digital platforms in pest and disease surveillance, diagnosis and early warning, trade facilitation, and the delivery of extension messages to farmers through e-extension (ict).technology is also being used in the development of improved crop varieties and breeding stock, mechanisation, and climate smart agricultural practices, resulting in a significant increase in yields for farmers, and an improvement in the livelihoods of our people. In delivering inclusive and sustainable socio – economic growth and development, it is imperative that we pursue inclusivity in the use and application of technology and innovation, as we robustly work to address the needs of women, the youth, persons with disabilities and underserviced areas in rural areas to promote inclusive and sustainable growth.”

President Hichilema further emphasized the role that the remodeled CDF can play in boosting local agriculture production and food security.

“As we conclude, we wish to reiterate the government’s commitment to continue with our expansionary approach to private sector participation in our economic transformation agenda for job creation and poverty reduction. We urge the private sector to fully engage and utilize the newly established public private dialogue forum for development to rapidly resolve barriers to private sector business development and growth. We have, further, tasked our public institutions, among them regulatory bodies, to constructively ease business registration and licensing requirements to aid private sector participation in the economy. May we also perhaps take the liberty to emphasize the role that the remodeled CDF has and can play in boosting local agriculture production and food security, by leveraging partnerships with well established farming businesses. Note that some constituencies such as Zambezi west have invested in agricultural equipment,” President Hichilema concluded.

President Hakainde Hichilema is tomorrow scheduled to undertake a two day State Visit to the United Republic of Tanzania, following an invitation from the country’s President Samia Hassan.

Whilst in the neighbouring county, President Hichilema is expected to hold bilateral talks focusing on areas of mutual interest aimed at enhancing trade, investment and infrastructure development among others, as well as discussions on the revamping, capitalization and operationalization of the Tanzania Zambia Railways TAZARA.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanely Kakubo has confirmed in a statement saying the state visit is very significant as Tanzania is a strategic partner for the country in terms of transportation in the Southern Region for freight and passengers through the Eastern African seaport of Dar-es-Salaam.

“This Visit is highly significant as Tanzania remains a strategic partner as a link for transportation in the southern region for both freight and passengers through the eastern African seaport of Dar-es-Salaam. To this end, during the Visit, President Hichilema and President Hassan will hold bilateral talks where discussions will focus on areas of mutual interest aimed at enhancing trade, investment and infrastructure development, among others” Mr. Kakubo said.

The Tanzania-Zambia Mafuta TAZAMA Pipelines Limited, and the Nakonde-Tunduma One Stop Border Post ( OSBP ) will also be an area of discussion and focus and that the President will tour the Dar-es-Salaam Port, Dar-es-Salaam Standard Main Gauge Railway Station, TAZAMA Pipelines Limited and TAZARA.

The Minister further disclosed in the same statement that the two Presidents will also preside over the signing of Memoranda of understanding ( MOU ) in the fields of defense and tourism.

Mr. Kakubo expressed hope that President Hichilema’s visit will strengthen the ties between the two sister countries that have existed for many years for the benefit of the people of Zambia.

“The President is of the firm belief that increased collaboration through trade and investment and beneficial joint ventures at regional and continental levels will provide the necessary building blocks and opportunities that are crucial to ensuring improved livelihoods and integral economic transformation.

“ Therefore, it is hoped that President Hichilema’s visit to Tanzania will provide for the firming of the longstanding ties between the two sister countries and unlock the much needed economic opportunities that will yield tangible benefits to the people of Zambia” he added.

President Hichilema is expected to return to Zambia immediately after his engagements.