Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has commenced implementation of a project dubbed ‘HOPE’ at a cost of 46.6 million Japanese Yen (about K78 million) meant to promote local integration of former refugees in Mayukwayukwa and Meheba refugee settlements.

JICA Team Leader for Donor Coordination, Sachio Yamamoto said the development of the resettlement areas and the local integration of former refugees is steadily progressing with the support of the international community.

Mr Yamamoto said it is against this background that HOPE was launched by the department of resettlement in the office of the Vice President (DOR) in 2020 with the aim of developing an improved approach to accelerate local integration.

He disclosed that the HOPE project is being implemented with the technical and financial support from JICA.

Mr Yamamoto who was accompanied by North-Western Province Principal Land Resettlement Officer, Paul Chisanga, was speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Kalumbila District Commissioner, Brenda Sankisa today.

He explained that the HOPE project’s goal is to develop the improved approach of the local integration.

“HOPE intends to promote the local integration of former refugees in Mayukwayukwa and Meheba resettlement schemes by developing an approach for resident-oriented resettlement planning, an approach for improving livelihood that encompasses inclusive market-oriented agriculture with better household management and enhanced information sharing and coordination among government and donor agencies for resource mobilisation,” Mr Yamamoto said.

He also seized the opportunity to share his concerns over the local integration area.

“People in the local integration area are still living like refugees in the local integration…we also want those former refugees who are yet to move to the new area to do so, so as to achieve the spirit of local integration,” Mr Yamamoto said.

He also said the implementation of the project has delayed due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 and expressed hope that government will extend the project.

“The project commenced two years ago but was affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The HOPE project is meant to last four years from 2020-2024… There is need to agree with the government and DOR in Lusaka to consider extension of the project because one and a half years may not be enough to implement the project,” Mr Yamamoto said.

He also stated that the implementation of the project requires participation of stakeholders from government and other international agencies as the process of local integration is a very important one.

And Mr Chisanga said 53,000 hectares of land is available for the local integration of refugees in Meheba.

“The scheme is 68,000 hectares and 15,000 hectares has been left for refugees, while 53,000 hectares is available for local integration of former refugees and Zambians,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ms Sankisa said her office is ready to collaborate with partners looking at improving the livelihood of former refugees and the host community.

“My office is ready to work with you… a plan has to be put in place and priorities identified. The provision of basic necessities will help attract people to settle in the local integration area,” Sankisa said.

Kapiri Mposhi Magistrates Court has sentenced a 19-year-old Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) national to six month imprisonment with labour for illegally entering and working in Zambia.

Kapiri Mposhi Magistrates Edward Banda Deni Tshiangala a wheelbarrow pusher of Ngandaishika village in Lubumbashi, DRC, was charged with an offence of unlawful presence in Zambia contrary to section 11 (3) and 56 (1) of the Immigration and Deportation act no 18 of 2010.

Tshiangala had no document legalizing him to be in Zambia and readily admitted the charge.

Facts before the Court are that Tshiangala entered into Zambia via Kasumbalesa on 16 February 2022 without a valid temporary resident permit or valid border pass.

According to the statement of facts on the said date Immigration Officers received information from members of the public that there were suspected immigrants along the Great North Road and acting on the information the officers to rushed to the area and apprehended the now convict.

In passing judgement Magistrate Banda advised Tshiangala to get a boarder pass and employment permit next time he decides to enter into the country and work from Zambia.

Magistrate Banda then slapped a six month jail sentence with hard labour after which Tshiangala will be eligible for deportation to his country of origin.

“You cannot just enter and work in Zambia at will and without a work permit from the immigration. You will serve six months imprisonment with hard labour and you will be deported by the immigration after serving the sentence,” Magistrate Banda said.

The University of Zambia Law School has been throw into disarray after the School leadership resigned and refused to work with the Vice Chancellor Luka Mumba.

The Acting UNZA School of Law Dean, Dr. Lungowe Matakala and Assistant Dean for undergraduate, Mr. James Kayula resigned with immediate effect on 9th March 2022 in protest against Mr. Mumba’s alleged mismanagement of the University and his attempt to doctor the School’s results.

Following the resignations, the processing of results for Law School has been paralyzed as there is no one to process the results.

Without results being published, students cannot register and cannot start classes.

The substantive Dean Prof Chuma Himonga is on leave.

Some Lecturers who spoke on condition of anonymity said law students should not expect their results anytime soon.

The Lecturers also stated that staff morale is very low because of the manner in which Mr. Mumba is mismanaging the School.

“If the students want the School to return to sanity, let them petition the Minister of Education and President Hichilema to urgently remove the VC,” they said.

The Zambia Medical Association (ZMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Collins Mutual Limited, a housing developer, to construct houses for medical doctors.

Collins Mutual Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Conrad Gomani, said the housing units will be offered to ZMA members and other government workers under a rent-to-own facility.

Mr. Gomani said at the signing ceremony of the MoU that Collins Mutual Limited will build 40,000 housing units at a cost of US$1.9 billion across the country in 10 years. He revealed that out of the 40,000 housing units, over 300 houses will be offered to ZMA.

He explained that the construction of the first batch of houses will commence by the end of March 2022 in Chipata, Lusaka and Choma and thereafter, the project will be rolled out to the rest of the country. Mr. Gomani further said the housing project will take 10 years to complete.

He said the ZMA members will occupy the houses as tenants and their monthly rentals will be going towards ownership of the units over an agreed period of time.

He said his company is committed to collaborate with other stakeholders in improving the living conditions of ZMA members and other workers in the country who are largely spending a lot of money on rentals.

And ZMA Vice President, Patricia Shinondo, said the most important thing in life is to look into the welfare of members through housing units, a thing she said motivates every human being.

Dr. Shinondo said the rent to own facility is a powerful initiative that Collins Mutual has come up with.

The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) has made tremendous progress in implementing Statutory Instrument (SI) 65 of 2018 on the ban of the use of plastic carrier bags and plastic-related materials below 30 microns in thickness.

ZEMA Corporate Affairs Manager, Fred Phiri, said most manufacturing companies are adhering to the SI and are performing very well in terms of manufacturing, trading and commercial distribution of the recommended plastics and plastic bags.

Mr. Phiri told media in Lusaka that ZEMA has however faced serious challenges in implementing the SI among the small-scale plastic manufacturers whose locations are not known.

He said most of them are not regulated and as such, distribute plastic bags and plastic-related materials that are below the prescribed standard.

Mr. Phiri further explained that ZEMA is currently promoting awareness and sensitization to the public on the effects of using non-compliant plastics on the environment.

He has since called upon plastic manufacturers across the country to play their role and ensure that they safeguard the environment by complying with the stipulated standard.

Mr. Phiri has meanwhile warned small-scale manufacturing companies to support the government’s agenda in protecting the environment by doing the right thing and getting registered.

He also encouraged the retailers to equip themselves with adequate knowledge on the provisions of the SI and oblige as they also play a major role in safeguarding the environment.

The government has commenced a community scholarship programme that will empower over 5 000 youths with various skills by the year 2026.

In collaboration with the International Coalition of Fellowship (ICOF) Colleges Seminary and Universities, government says it plans to award 500 vulnerable children in each province with scholarships to pursue various courses up to Diploma level.

To this effect, the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts alongside the Ministry of Community Development and the International Coalition of Fellowship (ICOF) Colleges Seminary and Universities have entered a Memorandum of Understanding to implement the programme.

Speaking at the launch of the Community Scholarship Programme in Chibombo, Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts Elvis Nkandu says the programme demonstrates that Government places youth development as a priority through skills development.

Mr Nkandu projected that over 5,000 youths will be empowered with various skills in five years’ time under the programme.

He said the scholarships will allow for youths who have not passed in two or three subjects on condition that they rewrite while pursuing studies.

He said Government will always endeavour to practice inclusiveness.

“The New Dawn Government does not want to leave anyone behind meaning that by the time they are graduating they would have managed to have passed in all the five subjects at Grade 12 level,” Mr Nkandu said.

Speaking at the same occasion, ICOF Vice Chancellor Prof Charles Mwape said for the youths pursuing teacher education, they should be posted back to the areas they were initially selected from.

Prof Mwape said this will encourage the indigenous youths in the area.

And the Vice Chancellor said the programme directly addresses the lack of access to higher education opportunities in Africa.

“Expanding access and participation in higher education has been a major and ongoing concern of most African countries including Zambia,” he said.

And Keembe member of Parliament Princess Kasune Zulu hailed the programme saying it will empower youths in her constituency as well as countrywide.