Copperbelt Province Minister, Elisha Matambo has pledged to ignite the province’s agriculture sector to enhance its contribution to the national food basket.

Mr. Matambo says the province is endowed with fertile soils and multiple water bodies which should fully be utilised to grow the agricultural sector.

Commenting on President Hakainde Hichilema’s call to increase investment in the agriculture sector during his three day visit on the Copperbelt, Mr Matambo said his office will work closely with farmers to enhance production in the sector.

He said districts such as Mpongwe, Masaiti and Lufwanyama have the muscle to contribute nearly a quarter to the national food basket.

“God gave us everything, he gave us natural resources so away from copper, we really want to go into agriculture and when we talk about agriculture, we are not just talking about maize, we want to diversify to other crops,” he said.

And Ndola businessman, Mellbin Simangolwa said President Hichilema’s commitment on addressing the bottlenecks affecting the growth of business is evident that the cost of doing business will be reduced.

He said Zambians will soon be appreciating the President’s methodical approach towards matters aimed at reconstructing the economy.

Meanwhile, Ndola District Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Paul Chisunka said it is gratifying to see that the President is working tirelessly to unlock opportunities for local businesses.

“Ultimately actualising the President’s sentiments will result in massive job creation and poverty reduction,” he said.

The stakeholders on the Copperbelt Province have described President Hakainde Hichilema’s visit to the province as ‘hope restoration trip.

President Hakainde Hichilema was last week on a three-day visit on the Copperbelt Province, where he met various stakeholders and discussed different matters of national development.

A 22-year-old booth attendant of Chipata district in Eastern province has been murdered, and his body discovered in Katete.

The murder of Emmanuel Nyirenda is alleged to have occurred between 10th and 11th June, after he was lured into undertaking a mobile money transaction away from his work station, a move that subsequently led to his disappearance.

Eastern Province Acting Commanding Officer, Davies Simwanza has confirmed the incident which was reported last Saturday by his parents after he went missing.

“The victim used to operate from Dragon area along Kawalala road in Chipata, and on a fateful day, he was approached by some people who said they wanted to do mobile money transactions. So he left his usual working place to go and meet those people and he was not seen from that time,” he said.

He further said the deceased’s body was discovered the following day in the Katete district after he went missing.

“The body was discovered off the road and two phones were picked, one on his body and one along the road. His body is deposited in St. Francis Mission Hospital awaiting postmortem and burial,” he said.

Mr. Simwanza is appealing to members of the public who could have any information leading to the apprehension of the murderers to come forth and avail such information as investigations into the matter has been instituted.

DefenceWeb, a respected military and defence publication has stated that recently created United States’ Office of Security Cooperation in Zambia is not to be confused with a US military base.

Recently, leader of the opposition in Parliament Brian Mundubile, asked Vice President Mutale Nalumango, a question during the Vice President’s Question Time in Parliament, about the relevance of American security and Zambia.

He asked: “There have been no consultations between Zambia and SADC member states on Africom [Africa Command] and other members have rejected it. To allow it to be set up in here casts Zambia in a bad light. Shouldn’t Zambia rethink this decision?”

The Vice President in May said in Parliament that, “The office being created is an office of security cooperation that will be located at the USA Embassy. This office will work with the Zambia security services. Zambia has no intention of hosting any military base on Zambian soil.”

The MP is not the first to publicly question Zambia-US security ties.

Indeed, African adversarial critics, Southern African media reports, and African analysts have raised alarm bells following the US Africa Command public affairs office publishing confirmation of the April 25th opening of an Office of Security Cooperation at the US Embassy in Zambia.

An Office of Security Cooperation is not a US military base.

The Office of Security Cooperation plans and manages US security assistance programmes, facilitates the transfer of requested defence materials, training, and services to partner nations, and promotes military-to-military engagements, defenceWeb has learned.

Security assistance is a core US foreign policy activity jointly developed, funded, and implemented by US Department of State and the US Department of Defence.

In Zambia, the United States provides pre-deployment training assistance for Zambia’s deployment to the UN peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic as well as institutional capacity staff development and facilities enhancements for Zambia’s peacekeeping training centre at Nanking.

It is understood, from a State Department spokesperson with direct knowledge of the command’s programme, that the US also provides international military education and training (IMET) to professionalize Zambia’s military forces.

The Department of Defence HIV/AIDS (DHAPP) programme provides $12 million annually to support Zambian security forces with technical assistance and mentoring to prevent, manage, and treat HIV and AIDS.

In Africa, many US Embassies have either an Office of Security Cooperation or Defence Attaché Office which oversee security assistance programmes, defenceWeb has learned.

The recently created office in Lusaka is not unique.

The United States says it works with partner countries to counter transnational threats and malign actors, strengthen security forces, and respond to crises to promote regional security, stability, and prosperity.

The US-Zambia security partnership will help advance stability in the southern Africa region, a State Department spokesperson said.

US Africa Command is keen to emphasise its partnership strategy and help states like Zambia to strengthen security forces and respond to crises to promote regional security, stability, and prosperity.

US Africa Command emphasizes that it focuses, “on the development of professional militaries which are disciplined, capable, and responsible to civilian authorities and committed to the well-being of their citizens and protecting human rights.”

President Hakainde Hichilema says the Chingola-Chililabombwe road remains a priority on government agenda.

Addressing Chililabombwe residents this evening, the President said government is aware that the Chingola -Chililabombwe road is in a diplorable state and needs urgent attention.

The President said despite inheriting deplorable roads, the government will ensure that they work on the roads in the quickest possible time.
And speaking earlier, Minister of Mines Paul Kabuswe who is also Chililabombwe Member of Parliament said government will also work on the Chililabombwe-Kasumbalesa road.

“Your government will soon work on the Chililabombwe-Kasumbalesa road. This is an important road that will boost the economic status of the province,” he said.

Meanwhile Chililabombwe town came to a standstill as hundreds of residents lined the streets leading to Lubengele grounds in a bid to have a glimpse of the Head of State.

President Hichilema has since returned back to Lusaka.

Luwingu District Commissioner, Chomba Chileshe has expressed worry on the illegal harvesting of timber in the area. Mr. Chileshe said suspected Tanzanian traders have invaded the forest in Senior Chief Shimumbi’s Chiefdom in Luwingu district and are illegally harvesting timber.

He stated that the Forestry Department in the district has failed to curb the illegality due to lack of transport.

Mr. Chileshe said this when Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Bernard Mpundu called on him at his office in Luwingu.

Mr. Chileshe has called on the provincial administration to help provide transport to the Forestry Department to help curb the illegal harvesting of timber.

And Mr. Mpundu said the illegal timber harvesting is not unique to Luwingu, as it has also affected other districts such as Mporokoso, Nsama, and Senga Hill.

“This problem is everywhere, especially in the Northern districts of the province such as Mporokoso, Nsama Senga Hill. And timber cutting in these areas is rampant,” he said.

Mr. Mpundu has however warned the illegal timber traders without concession licenses that government will deal with them.

He also challenged the forestry department to ensure that it brings to a stop all acts of illegal timber harvesting.

Mr. Mpundu further pledged to temporally help the department with a truck from the provincial office to help them address the problem.

The Permanent Secretary is in the district to monitor the implementation of programmes under the Scaling Up Nutrition Technical Assistance (SUN-TA).