Acting Smart Zambia national coordinator Luke Mate has reiterated government’s commitment to promoting digital literacy and accessibility of electronic services especially for public service workers.

Mr Mate states that government is aware of the transformative power of technology in education and how it can play a critical role in achieving sustainable development goals.

In a speech read on his behalf by Smart-Zambia, Director Digital Government Services, Nkula Mwanza , Mr Mate emphasized the need to ensure that digital literacy is blended in teacher training to enhance service delivery in all sectors.

Speaking during the training of trainers for teachers development programme-digital literacy and blended teaching in Chilanga, the Acting Smart Zambia National Coordinator noted that a total of 3,200 teachers across the country will be trained in digital literacy.

The programme will address multiple ICT basic and intermediate requirements in the teaching fraternity.

“Our vision is to roll out the programme to the rest of the eligible teachers and other sectors of society to ensure a digitally literate and transformed Zambia,” he said.

He further commended for sponsoring the programme which is where Digital Skills foundation is developing the skills of the teachers.

And ZCAS vice Chancellor, Douglas Kunda observed that capacity building in ICT at every level is critical in the realization and right to education as well as the freedom of expression which everyone is entitled to.

Prof. Kunda said that lack of access to the internet has led to concerns of pupils being misinformed, as most activities are happening online and they do not have adequate means to participate which makes them feel left behind.

“Such initiatives will bridge the gap in terms of development,” he said adding that the COVID–19 pandemic highlighted the importance of ICT learning in Zambia.

And Digital Skills foundation founder and CEO, Anneijn Perrin said the training which is intended to improve service delivery among schools will help develop critical thinking among learners.

Ms Perrin noted that the training will see pupils become more critical and improve their reasoning as opposed to memorizing what they learn.

She stated that 30 teachers will be imparted with the skills in a period of five days.

“They will be expected to train other teachers and this will be done online,” she said.

Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Bernard Mpundu says there is need to scale-up the promotion of science, technology and innovation among leaners.

Mr. Mpundu said there is need to ensure that leaners are educated in ways that will make them creative, resilient, resourceful and innovative.

He was speaking when he graced the 2022 Provincial Junior Engineers Technicians Scientists (JETS) Fair in Kasama,

Mr. Mpundu said this in a speech read for him by Northern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Lewis Mwape.

He noted that education plays a vital role in boosting young people’s confidence to enable them contribute to the transformation of lives, communities and the country as whole.

“I hope this fair demonstrated value addition, displayed innovation that has a potential to create jobs and these innovations are a nucleus for further research,” said Mr Mpundu.

Mr. Mpundu added that the younger generation is required to work in diverse, flexible and innovative ways.

He said this can be done through the promotion of JETS activities at all levels of the education system.

“There is need to nurture talent and energy of the youths to develop the required values to drive the agenda of industrialization in the context of the vision 2030, agenda 2063 and the 8th National Development Plan roadmap,” he said.

And Northern Province Education Officer, Mulambwa Nawa said the Ministry of Education is doing everything possible to ensure that it imparts knowledge among pupils which will benefit the communities where they live in and the nation at large.

Mr. Nawa said government will support the initiative by the pupils at all levels for them to realize their potential.

“Without science, we would not be where we are as a community, province and a nation hence we will put emphasis on the promotion of science,” he said.

The 2022 JETS fair was held under the theme, ‘Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship through skills transfer and digital literacy, towards value addition, job creation and linkages with industry and community.’

Mungwi District emerged as the overall winners whereas Kasama and Mpulungu districts scooped the second and third positions respectively.

The Police in Luanshya on the Copperbelt are looking for a man who is on the run after he allegedly killed his one-month-old child after a marital dispute with his wife.

Copperbelt police commanding officer Sharon Zulu has confirmed the development to the media in Ndola today, naming the suspect as Gift Kaunda.

Ms Zulu said Mr Kaunda, hit the child in the process of wanting to beat the wife who had carried the child on her back but missed and hit the baby causing the child to start bleeding from the mouth.

Ms. Zulu said the incident occurred on Wednesday last week in the Kawama area and that the baby died on Friday on the way to Roan General Hospital.

“On Wednesday last week around 19:00 hours the suspect saw his wife Astridah Mwape going to the market and when he asked her to go back home she refused which annoyed him leading to a fight, “he she said.

The commanding officer said the matter was not reported to police and the child was not taken to the clinic until on Friday around 16:00 hours when the child started bleeding from the mouth.

She said the child was rushed to Kawama clinic and was later referred to Roan General Hospital but died on the way.

“The Body of the deceased is at Roan General Hospital Mortuary awaiting postmortem to ascertain the cause of death,” she said.

Meanwhile, a 38-year-old woman of Chipululu Village in Cheif Kalasa Lukangaba’s Chiefdom in Mansa District is battling for her life after a domestic flight.

Confirming the incident to the media in Mansa, Luapula Province Acting Commanding Officer Daniel Mseteka identified the victim as Mable Mwamba.

Mr Mseteka narrated that Andrew Chambi, aged 44, the husband hacked Mable his wife after he returned from a drinking spree between 01:00 and 06:00 hours.

He said the two had a quarrel which led Chambi to hacking his wife with unnamed missile which left her unconscious.

The victim was later rushed to Mansa general Hospital where she regained her consciousness.

Mwamba has since been referred to the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka due to her condition.

The man is in Police Custody and will appear in Court soon.

The Unemployment Teachers Association (UTAZ) has set up Joint Voices Educators Enterprise Ltd an organisation that aims to offer education skills and promote adult literacy in various communities.

Speaking in an interview with Lusaka Times, UTAZ President Francis Musonda highlighted that Joint Ventures Educators Enterprise Ltd is an organisation that was recently registered whose main targets are those that have dropped out of school for various reasons but still have the willingness to learn and attain education skills and knowledge.

Mr Musonda added that the goal is to open centres under Joint Voices Educators Enterprise Ltd in various constituencies where people will have access to various education skills empowerment programmes.

“People will be selected from among the UTAZ members as Directors to manage and handle all the matters and affairs in various centres,” he said

He noted that various people are currently being engaged to help the organisation have more insight on how funds can be accessed and raised and have close working collaborations with the government and other stakeholders.

Mr Musonda said that the government has been encouraging adult literacy in communities especially for those people that have dropped out of school for various reasons and UTAZ came up with the initiative to set up Joint Voices Educators Enterprise Ltd an initiative that is in line with the government’s agenda in promoting adult literacy.

He cited that other projects such as poultry or chicken rearing will be embarked on in the long run as embarking on various projects will have an income-based benefit for the members as funds will be raised from these projects which will bring about sustainable development.

Mr Musonda said that the full knowledge about the newly registered organisation will be brought to the attention of association members under UTAZ as soon as all the laid down procedures are fully in place.

“We first want to get some positive response from government and other stakeholders before bring this organisation to the full knowledge of our members,” he said

He added that once the full details are availed to the members, they will certainly take part fully as they have shown keen interest in seeing the association grow and develop.

Mr Musonda has since encouraged teachers who have been left out from the 30,000 plus recruited teachers to have a positive mindset as more opportunities are yet to come from the government who have set up a policy of recruiting teachers every year.

“The teachers who have been left out can also embark on offering tuitions,” he said

Mr Musonda noted with sadness on the recent suicide cases that have been reported from the time the names of successful teachers where published and he has since called on others to stay positive as more opportunities are yet to come.

Turkey says it is committed to working with Zambia in deepening democracy and national unity.

Speaking ahead of a friendly football match between Zambian Members of Parliament and Turkish community in Lusaka over the weekend, Turkish Ambassador to Zambia Istem C?rc?ro?lu said the two countries also shared common values of bilateral cooperation.

“July 15 marks Democracy and National Unity Day in Turkey. On this day, the Turkish nation once more proves its democracy and demonstrates its unity and solidarity,” Mr. C?rc?ro?lu said.

Since its designation in October 2016, every year the nation marks July 15 as Democracy and National Unity Day, with events held nationwide to commemorate those who lost their lives beating back the putschists and to remember the bravery of the nation.

The Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.

FETÖ was also behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Agriculture Minister Mtolo Phiri said the Turkish people resiliently defeated the coup attempt.

“I believe that there are still plenty of opportunities for cooperation between Zambia and Turkey,” Mr. Phiri added.

Zambia declared its independence on Oct. 24, 1964, and the Turkish government accredited its embassy in Nairobi (opened on March 30, 1968) to Zambia.

From 1994 to 2011, the Turkish Embassy in Pretoria became accredited to Zambia.

Turkey-Zambia relations gained momentum following the opening of the Turkish Embassy in Lusaka in 2011 and the Zambian Embassy in Ankara in 2013.

The Turkish Embassy in Lusaka is accredited to Malawi and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is based in Lusaka.

Former President Edgar M Lungu visited Turkey on 8-10 July 2018 to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an.

Visits from Turkey to Zambia at presidential and ministerial levels were not realized until 2018.

On July 28, 2018, President Erdo?an paid an official visit to Zambia.

This visit constituted the first presidential-level visit from Turkey.

The two countries are working closely at the technical level to improve their cooperation in the fields such as agriculture, tourism, health, infrastructure and housing.

The trade volume between Turkey and Zambia in 2019 was at the level of $23.7 million.

Turkey’s exports to Zambia was worth $17.8 million, whereas its imports from Zambia was $5.9 million.

While Turkey was a net importer from 2002 to 2011, it became a net exporter in 2012-2016.

Through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Turkey is providing development assistance to Zambia in various domains.

Since Dec. 14, 2018, Turkish Airlines has been operating between Istanbul and Lusaka.

Since 1992, the government of Turkey continues to grant scholarships to Zambian students.

Police in Malawi have confirmed that their counterparts in Zambia handed over Lu Ke to them Saturday night in the Mchinji district which borders Zambia.

“He is in police custody. He was handed over by our friends from Zambia. As of now he has been charged with trafficking in persons, but other charges may be added,” said Harry Namwaza, the deputy spokesperson for Malawi Police Service.

Lu Ke fled Malawi last month where police were searching for him after a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) investigation found he was recording young villagers in central Malawi and making them say racist things about themselves in Mandarin.

In one video, children, some as young as nine years of age, are heard saying in Mandarin that they are a “black monster” and have a “low IQ.”

The BBC reported he was selling the videos at up to $70 apiece to a Chinese website.

The kids performing in the videos were paid about half-a-dollar each.

The news sparked outrage in Malawi forcing various rights organizations to hold street protests and present a petition to the Chinese Embassy in the capital, Lilongwe.

In the petition, the protesters asked the government of China to compensate the children in the videos for being fooled to say words in a foreign language they could not understand.

Comfort Mankhwazi is the president of the University of Malawi Child Rights Legal Clinic, which led the protests.

She told VOA Sunday that she is happy with the extradition.

“Because we feel like this is one of those things we had in our petition, what we wanted, and we got that. We truly hope that this extradition and the arrest will lead to something big like the prosecution in our courts and finally those victims will be able to get justice they deserve,” she said.

There were no official comments from Chinese authorities on the extradition of Lu Ke as of Sunday.

He was arrested in Zambia and on 24 June, the Chipata Resident Magistrate Mercy Chibo ordered him to pay 13,000 Zambian Kwacha (about MK780,000) for illegal entry and illegal stay.

The Malawi Government through cooperation among Ministries of Homeland Security, Justice and Foreign Affairs, reached out to the Zambian Government to request his extradition.

The Board of Directors of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc in Nigeria (EEDC) has appointed Dr. Ernest Mupwaya as the Deputy Managing Director of the company.

EEDC in a statement said the appointment took effect on the 25th day of June, 2022.

“It will be recalled that in April, 2022, Mupwaya joined EEDC as an Executive Director, in charge of Technical & Operations, as part of the organization’s efforts towards the actualization of its Sustainability and Transformation program. His wealth of experience will no doubt bring about positive change in the company’s Commercial and Technical functions, thereby resulting to enhanced overall performance, for sustainable growth.

“With over 30 years of experience garnered in the Electricity industry, Mupwaya has occupied very senior positions, part of which was as the Managing Director, ZESCO, Zambia; Commercial Director, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), where he was later elevated to the position of Managing Director/CEO.

“He has been involved in the execution of strategies for ATC & C loss reduction, improvement of operational efficiency through effective use of integrated business information system, pre-paid meter roll-out, and customer service programmes.

“Mupwaya holds a Doctorate degree in Business Administration from California Intercontinental University, USA (DBA), a Master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Glamorgan and University of South Wales, United Kingdom, and also a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Zambia.”

The African Union Heads of State have collectively pledged support towards the Education Plus Initiative launched during the AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting.

Gracing the luncheon, President Hakainde Hichilema commended the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) and the United Nations- UN Africa for their initiative to support the welfare of African girls and women.

President Hichilema noted that African girls and women have been marginalised for a very long time in accessing products and resources such as land, empowerment and education thereby making them vulnerable to negative vices such as early pregnancies and marriages, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases among other inequalities.

The Head of State urged his fellow leaders on the African continent to support the Education Plus Initiative, saying that education is the greatest equalizer with which everyone can explore their potential.

President Hichilema said this in his opening remarks at the High-Level Continental launch of the Education Plus Initiative on the sidelines of the AU meeting at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Kenneth Kaunda Wing.

President Hichilema acknowledged that access to education is important to saving lives of young people, that is why the government of Zambia is implementing various policies directed at uplifting the living standards of people without discrimination.

The President cited the free education policy, recruitment of over 30,000 teachers, Girls Empowerment and Women Empowerment Livelihood, promotion of girl participation in sciences and the re-entry policy as some of the programs being implemented to support a girl child in Zambia.

He disclosed that the keeping girl’s initiative targets to reach out to 80, 000 girls by assisting them with grants to support their school necessities and linkages to health services.

“Zambia will continue to implement new initiatives such as education plus to further enhance girl’s education. Government is also committed to working with the United Nations agencies to accelerate the project to achieve its full objective,” President Hichilema stated.

Government is committed to ensuring that no one is disadvantaged on account of gender, social economic status of their family or any other basis of discrimination in the country.

He however noted that the need to also support the boy child, indicating that they too are affected by challenges such as sexually transmitted, poverty and others.

The Senegalese President Macky Sall who is also AU Chairperson applauded the OAFLAD and partners for the commendable works that will see the lives of many young girls on the continent changing.

President Sall also pledged support towards the programme, which he described as a noble cause in bridging the inequality gender gaps in various African countries.

Giving her remarks in a video, United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Winnie Byanyima disclosed that about 4200 adolescent girls and young women in Sub-saharan Africa are infected with HIV every week.

Ms. Byanyima further highlighted that six out of seven new HIV infections among adolescents aged between 15 and 19 are among girls.

She stated that the launch of this initiative is a milestone for the continent and needs the support of all Heads of state, highlighting the role of education in keeping girls safe and protecting them from HIV to reach their highest potential.

“We need to urgently address the gender inequalities that plague the continent with devastating impacts on poor girls and young women,” Ms. Byanyima said.

Ms. Byanyima disclosed that Zambia will be among the 11 governments putting in place the right policies and scaling up investments to guarantee free education for all children.

She commended the First Lady of Zambia, Mutinta Hichilema and other first ladies of OAFLAD for introducing the initiative spreading across Africa to protect the wellbeing of girls.

OAFLAD Executive Secretary, Leyla Gozo disclosed that the Education Plus initiative is a High-Level advocacy drive for the Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women in sub-Saharan Africa

Ms. Gozo thanked all African governments for adopting the free secondary education for all and called others to follow suit.

The Education Plus, 2021-2025 is a game-changing initiative that has been launched on the margins of the 2022 AU Mid-Year Summit to empower adolescent girls and young women and achieve gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Initiative will focus on accelerating HIV prevention among adolescent girls and young women, among the other multiple social and economic benefits which countries stand to gain from heeding the call for political action and leadership as embedded in the Education Plus, 2021-2025.

Leader of the opposition in Parliament, Brian Mundubile says the hosting of the African Union summit is positive for Zambia’s international image.

Mr Mundubile says the successful hosting of the summit means Zambia stands a chance to host future international events of such magnitude.

In an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the AU 4th Mid-Year Coordination meeting in Lusaka shortly after the official opening, the leader of the opposition in Parliament said the event will add value to Zambia’s international status.

Mr Mundubile praised Government for hosting a successful international event saying it was done in an organized manner.

“If you look at the preparations, I want to believe the preparations were well done,” he said.

He observed that food security has been among the issues that have taken prominence during the international event.

Mr Mundubile also praised the quality of discourse by the various leaders during the summit.

“The speeches that have been given so far have been encouraging and professional. I think what dominated most of these speeches are to do with food security. The speakers talked about combining efforts in ensuring that we improve activities so that we are able to tackle the threats that food insecurity poses on the continent,” he said.

Zambia has played host to the AU event which started on July 14 with the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, a pre-meeting involving Foreign Affairs Ministers from different parts of the continent.

The meeting then transitioned to the 4th AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting which is a Heads of State summit that was officially opened yesterday and is expected to end this evening.

Zambia’s railway infrastructure is set to benefit from the reconstruction of railway connectivity in Southern Africa.

Minister of Transport and Logistics, Frank Tayali says regionalization will be key in ensuring that Zambia plays a critical role in facilitating transporting of goods and services in the region.

Mr Tayali disclosed that the Zambian government is spearheading the accession of 150 Billion Euros from the European Union which will improve railway infrastructure in Southern Africa and will benefit Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa amongst other countries.

The Minister was speaking on the margins of the AU Mid-Year Coordination Summit at Lusaka’s Mulugushi International Conference Centre, said the purpose of the funds will be to revamp the railway sector in the region.

He said whilst African countries are driving towards integration, this will only be archived if all sectors which include transport and infrastructure,

Mr Tayali said that Zambia, which is championing the railway initiative hopes that once the money is accessed, part of the funds will go towards supporting the local railway sector in the country.

He said the time for African unity is now and that the country will greatly benefit from the re-engineering and reconstruction initiative in the region.

Mr Tayali stated that linkages in the region where Zambia and its neighbours are interconnected will be crucial for integration.

He said Zambia cannot develop in isolation when the rest of its neighbours are struggling, but simultaneous growth will be critical.

The Minister reiterated that the government will not borrow to revamp the railway sector but will use ingenious ways to help the struggling sector.

And Mr Tayali disclosed that the country has recorded an increase in the collection of revenue at Kazungula Bridge in Southern Province from $50 million United States dollars and to over $250 million dollars

Mr Tayali said this increase is commendable as it shows that when infrastructure is improved, the country benefits in many areas.