President HAKAINDE HICHILEMA has arrived in the Belgian Capital, Brussels to attend the Sixth African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) Heads of State and Government Summit.

The Presidential plane carrying the Head of State, touched down at Brussels International Airport at 19:40 hours local time.
The President, who is accompanied by Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr. SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE was met on arrival by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mr. STANLEY KAKUBO, Permanent Secretary Administration Mr. CHEMBO MBULA, Chargé d’ Affaires at the Zambian Embassy in Brussels, Mr. DONOVAN ZYAMBO and Defence Attaché General STEPHEN KABANDA.
President HICHILEMA will join other AU and EU leaders for the two-day Summit which officially opens tomorrow, Thursday 17th February, 2022.

The Summit which is being convened under the theme: “Africa and Europe: Two Continents with a Joint Vision for 2030”, will present a unique opportunity to lay the foundation for a renewed and deeper AU-EU partnership with greater cooperation for mutual benefit.

The leaders will discuss how both continents can build greater prosperity with the aim of launching an ambitious Africa-Europe Investment Package, taking into account global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis.

President HICHILEMA is expected to participate in a series of thematic roundtables which include growth finance; health systems and vaccine production; agriculture and sustainable development; peace, security and governance, and private sector support and economic integration, among others.

On the margins of the Summit, President HICHILEMA is expected to hold meetings with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Commission Vice President, His Excellency Mr. JOSEP BORRELL FONTELLES, and President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), His Excellency Mr. WERNER HOYERN, among other high-level officials.

The President will also hold bilateral meetings on matters of mutual interest with different leaders of the Member States of both the European Union and the African

The United Nations Agency called International Organization for Migration (IOM) has revealed that economic challenges coupled with the impact of Covid-19 have increased vulnerability to abuse and exploitation of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) in Zambia.

IOM is a specialized UN Agency in the migration that supports Governments in implementing migration-related programs within the national priorities as outlined in the National Development Plan.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) Zambia Chief of Mission Nomagugu Ncube said increased vulnerability to abuse and exploitation of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is more pronounced in Luapula, Muchinga, Eastern and Western Provinces.

Ms. Ncube said Zambia is a country of origin, transit, and destination for irregular migrants, asylum seekers, unaccompanied migrant children (UMC), and victims of trafficking (VOT), who move within mixed migration flows.

Speaking to journalists in Kabwe, Ms. Ncube said Lusaka remains the traditional hotspot in the country regarding matters concerning TIP.

She also highlighted the International Organization for Migration (IOM) activities in Zambia.

“IOM Zambia has been supporting the Government of the Republic of Zambia to prevent and respond to trafficking in persons with generous funding from the Government of the United States of America, Justice for Trafficking in Persons Programme (JTIP). As a specialized UN Agency in the migration sphere, IOM Zambia is committed to promote migration as a wheel for sustainable development. In doing so, IOM supports the Government of the Republic of Zambia in implementing migration-related programmes within the national priorities as outlined in the National Development Plan,” she said.

“Zambia is a country of origin, transit, and destination for irregular migrants, asylum seekers, unaccompanied migrant children (UMC), and victims of trafficking (VOT), who move within mixed migration flows. Such migrants, in their quest for better prospects often experience vulnerability and abuse at all stages of the migration process. It is common for migrants to travel without documentation or to be left without the means to continue their journey, which exacerbates their vulnerability to trafficking and has long-term implications for the host country and communities,” Ms. Ncube said.

Ms. Ncube added:” Economic challenges coupled with the impact of Covid-19, have increased vulnerability to abuse and exploitation. This trend has particularly been pronounced in some provinces such as Luapula, Muchinga, Eastern and Western, while Lusaka remains the traditional hotspot in the country. The media are indispensable in educating people about the many manifestations of trafficking in persons. Furthermore, you have a responsibility to ensure that, by taking a careful and informed approach to acceptance of advertisements, your outlets do not inadvertently assist traffickers to recruit and exploit people.”

She said there is need for media practitioners to critically understand matters relating migration.

“Oftentimes, journalists and media outlets are not adequately aware of the trafficking phenomenon and do not have sufficient understanding of the dimensions of the problem. As a result, some media coverage confuses the issue with others, such as migrant smuggling. Media publicity should take into consideration the rights-based approach and ensure that there is no violation of the rights of victims and survivors,” Ms. Ncube said.

“The media has a large role to play in mobilizing public support and involvement to help prevent and combat trafficking. Owing to your reach and ability to mold public opinion, you are a powerful tool of social change. Investigative journalism on trafficking needs to be promoted. By writing an article or broadcasting an item focusing on trafficking in persons, the media not only educate the public but also shine the light on an issue that is typically shrouded in secrecy. Therefore, this training (media training) is one of the several initiatives to be supported by IOM in Zambia and is in line with the Government of the Republic of Zambia’s strategy for combating trafficking in persons,” she concluded.

Former Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Emmanuel Mwamba has said that the removal of subsidies on electricity connection and meter separation fees as announced by ZESCO Limited is a clear indication that the New Dawn government is trying to please the IMF and not Zambians who voted them into office.

Speaking when he featured on Radio Christian Voice’s Chat back program, Amb. Mwamba charged that the government has found itself in a difficult position in view of the pending IMF Staff Level Agreement which will go to the IMF board in June this year.

Amb. Mwamba explained that the failure to remove direct or indirect subsidies on both electricity and fuel will jeopardize its approval.

“Government is sitting on a hard place on one side and a rock on the other. If they increase the cost of fuel and electricity, Zambians will be adversely affected and If they don’t, IMF Board may not be pleased as the government will be viewed as failing to raise domestic resources and continuing with funding poorly targeted subsidies,” Amb. Mwamba said.

He stated that Finance Minister Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane is therefore not concerned with the interest of Zambians but wants to please the IMF.

Following the removal of subsidies by ZESCO, electricity connection fees will now cost K6,930 from the previous K1,500 while meter separation will cost K6,000 from the previous K750.

Amb. Mwamba who also served as Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the African Union, however, admitted that the cost of connections fees cost higher than what was previously charged but the previous government treated electricity as an economic right hence its decision to subsidize the connection fees.

He stated that the New Dawn government should have gradually adjusted the cost of electricity connection fees and not in the manner they have done it.

And Amb. Mwamba has also noted with regret that the normalization of electricity connection fees will further increase the cutting down of trees as those that cannot afford power will resort to other means such as Charcoal for their energy and cooking sources.

He charged that this will ultimately defeat the purpose of the creation of the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment because the UPND administration is not looking at ways of preserving the environment.

Amb. Mwamba has since called for the abolishment of the Ministry of Green Economy saying that allowing mining activities in the Lower Zambezi National Park has also proved that the New Dawn government is not concerned about climate change and the state of the country’s environment.

Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) Executive Director George Hamusunga feels the new dawn administration has paid more attention to primary and secondary education while neglecting tertiary education.

Mr Hamusunga has since urged the New Dawn administration to treat every level of education with equal importance.

Mr Hamusunga told a local radio station that tertiary education is very cardinal because it is responsible for molding citizens into various specialists that harness natural resources for the socio-economic development of the country.

Mr. Hamusunga has cited the delay in reinstating student meal allowance and the inadequate number of students granted students loans as some of the indicators that higher education is not been given the attention it deserves, yet there is a Free Education Policy for Primary Education.

He has urged the government to find ways of tackling the pressing issues that have been affecting higher education within the 2022 budget and not wait for next year.

The Non-Governmental Gender Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has called for increased advocacy in a bid to ensure that more women have access and control to land.

NGOCC Executive Director Engwase Mwale said women’s access and control to land and other productive property is central to their economic empowerment.

Ms. Mwale observed that research has shown that women’s land rights reduce domestic violence, that women who own land are more capable of exiting violent relationships and negotiating safe sex.

When officially opening the four-day media engagement and training on women’s access and control to land in Kabwe, Ms. Mwale said NGOCC and the women’s movement in Zambia value the role of the media in advocacy work towards greater gender equality.

“As NGOCC and indeed the women’s movement we value the role of the media in our advocacy work towards greater gender equality in Zambia. Women’s access and control to land and other productive property is central to their economic empowerment. Land can serve as a base for food production and income generation, as collateral for credit and as a means of holding savings for the future. Land is also a social asset that is crucial for cultural identity, political power and participation in decision making,” Ms. Mwale said.

“Women’s equal access and control to land is a human rights issue. Women’s access and control to land and other productive resources are essential to ensuring the right to equality and to an adequate standard of living. Further, these resources help to ensure that women are able to provide for their day to day needs and those of their families and to cope with some of life’s challenges,” she said.

“Evidence shows that women’s land rights reduce domestic violence, that women who own land are more capable of exiting violent relationships and negotiating safe sex. Agricultural production and food security also increase when women are granted tenure security .Globally, gender inequality around access to productive resources, especially land, is ultimately related to women’s poverty and exclusion,” Ms. Mwale said.

She cited inadequate legal standards and cultural practices as some of the hindrances to women’s access to land and other productive resources.

“The obstacles that prevent women’s access to land and other productive resources include inadequate legal standards and or ineffective implementation at national and local levels, discriminatory cultural practices and practices at the institutional and community level. In many societies, Zambia included gender disparities with regard to land and other productive resources are linked to assumptions that men, as heads of households, control and manage land,” Ms. Mwale said.

“This implicitly reflects ideas that women are incapable of managing productive resources such as land effectively; that productive resources given to women are lost to another family in the event of marriage, divorce or male death and that men will provide for women’s financial security. Other impediments to women’s access to land and security are illiteracy, inaccessibility to information, lack of necessary capital to develop land, labour shortage above all the patriarchal tendencies and attitudes that encourages deprivation of women of all stated above,” she said.

Ms. Mwale said:”There has been found to be a positive correlation between ensuring women’s access to land and other productive resources and improved household welfare and enhanced enjoyment of a broad range of rights for women in both urban and rural areas. When women have access and control to land, they acquire power and autonomy in their families and communities as well as in their economic and political relationships. Additionally, it has been found that women’s access and control to land, especially for the rural women, tends to increase their social and political status and improve their sense of confidence and security.”

“Based on the foregoing, NGOCC is of the considered view that challenging the discriminatory practices around women’s access to land is critical to the empowerment of women and enjoyment of their right to equality. It is against this background that this media training and engagement is being held with you. The media plays an important role in changing attitudes and agenda setting,” she said.

Ms. Mwale urged the media to help in raising awareness around the need for the empowerment of women with land.

“Through the media, we need to advocate that more women have access and control of both customary and statutory land. I am informed that the objectives of the meeting are as follows; To capacitate media on land tenure systems in Zambia so as to enhance their reporting on women’s access and control to land To debunk some of the challenges and opportunities in land administration that negatively affects women’s access and control to land,” she said.