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The normalization of Zambia’s fiscal regulations was “a very significant event” for the country in its attempt to attract new investment, said Mark Bristow, CEO of Barrick Gold.
Only two months after the election of Hakainde Hichilema as Zambia’s new president, the country reformed tax regulations in its national budget last week.
New rules mean that royalties mining companies pay are deductible from corporate tax, reversing an unpopular decision taken by President Hichilema’s predecessor, Edgar Lungu.
Barrick Gold operates the Lumwana copper mine in Zambia which is on course to contribute roughly 20% of the group’s annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization owing to the improvement in the copper price.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure dealing with this [Hichilema’s] new Government and the real reward is that the mine is really delivering,” Mr. Bristow said regarding Lumwana which he estimated would deliver $400m a year, and possibly even more with the relaxation in Zambia’s fiscal regime.
Zambia has targeted an increase in copper production of about three million tons a year in ten years from the current production of about 800,000 tons.
“There’s no doubt that Zambia is under-invested,” said Bristow.
The improvement in the copper price also means that Barrick will have more flexibility on whether it proceeds to the development of a super-pit at Lumwana.
Mr. Bristow said that exploration geologists working at the mine were looking at targeting improved grades and a lower strip ratio to enable this.
The mine currently has a 30-year life at Barrick’s copper price assumption for its 2021 financial year of $2.75 per pound.
Lumwana is forecast to produce between 250 and 280 million attributable pounds of copper this year.
Production in the group’s third-quarter was 56 million pounds, a slight reduction on the second quarter.
Barrick reported 20 US cents a share in net earnings for the third quarter compared to 23c/share in the second quarter, partly owing to a quarter-on-quarter decline in the realized gold price.
It declared a nine cents a share quarterly dividend in addition to a third $250m payment related to the proceeds of the firm’s sale of its stake in an Australian mine, Kalgoorlie.
Commenting on the gold price, Bristow said it would benefit in the long run from global economic distress.
“World GDP has recovered but it is a lot less (than before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic). There is no ability of world economies to act and we have these equity bubbles that are unsustainable,” he said.
Analysts think the short-term direction of the gold price hangs in the balance owing to uncertainty over how the tapering of post-Covid-19 stimulus by the US Federal Reserve will impact the economy.
“There’s not much different now with 2010 when we thought we were all over the global economic crisis,” said Mr. Bristow.
Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane’s initial but short stint as Finance Minister during MMD’s reign thrust him into spotlight as a fiscal hawk. Rightly so, he reigned in on excessive government spending while managing to place the economy on a firm growth trajectory.
In fact, it was Musokotwane working together with Felix Mutati as Commerce and Industry Minister in the then economic cluster that presided over a consistent 6% economic growth streak in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – last experienced during MMD’s latter years in power. While his predecessor Ng’andu Magande is credited for laying the fundamentals for economic growth, it is Musokotwane that picked up the baton to successfully navigate Zambia’s path to debt consolidation.
Slightly a decade later and after the MMD was ousted from power, Musokotwane was back in parliament last week Friday to continue from where he left – albeit to present a budget for a different government. During his previous reign, economic fundamentals were strong. The mining sector was experiencing a stellar growth run largely helped by a commodities boom.
Last week Friday – on his second home coming, Musokotwane was staring down a radically changed economic environment. The country’s huge foreign reserves which he bequeathed to his successor in the PF government, Alexander Chikwanda have all but been wiped out leaving him with little margin for error. The mining industry is limping and the intermittent power cuts that lasted through to August 2020, decimated several small to medium size businesses.
Faced with a shrinking tax base, rising inflation and an insurmountable mountain of debt servicing obligations, a fiscally prudent budget would have been a natural default option for Musokotwane – and more so given the UPND’s electoral commitment to reign in on excessive spending. Instead, he opted for a populist budget – one that will see Zambia’s debt position shoot through the stratosphere.
Let’s put this into context, Zambia’s external debt currently stands at K249bn against a projected K170bn earmarked for spend in the UPND’s maiden budget. Off significance, tax collection agency, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) is projected to contribute roughly K97bn to the fiscus with the balance expected to come from foreign financing agencies including the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is a huge statement of intent. By implication, Zambia is going to continue a on a borrowing trajectory.
Even more worrying is the fact that government has allocated nearly 68% of the budget estimate to expenditure consumption – a tacit indication that the state will soon be raising its begging bowl to its donors asking them to fund its pro-consumption budget. While encouraging that 44 000 new jobs spread across the broad spectrum of the economy will be created, it’s worrying that this will be achieved by bloating and an already overstretched wage bill – a classic example of the more things change, the more they stay the same.
For example, how does one reconcile the fact that government intends to spend K170 bn in a single fiscal year yet the return on spend is an envisaged 3.4% growth to its GDP? Here is a challenge though, government can’t keep borrowing to fund consumption – and this is something that President Hakainde Hichilema kept harping on while the UPND was in opposition. Did it even make sence to allocate the bulk of this budget estimate to non-productive sectors of the economy?
A case in point, why should defence be allocated K7.6bn? While this may seem like an overly simplistic question, Zambia is not a country at war? Government can’t spend its way out of an economic morass through recklessness. Even more alarming is the fact that we have been through this path before which largely explains the US$14.7 bn debt that the former government has saddled the treasury with. Accepting that the new government is in a hurry to implement some of its election promises including the controversial promise ‘to adopt free education’, this is not reason enough to discard fiscal prudence.
Most important though, the level of transparency and detail in the information provided in the budget is a marked departure from the past – a breath of fresh air which perhaps explains why critics may have found it easy to poke holes to this presentation.
It’s perhaps consoling that a budget is just a statement of intent, the real work is in the implementation. We eagerly await outcomes of the new government’s maiden budget.
About the author: He is an avid reader of political history and philosophy. The only thing he supports is Kabwe Warriors and Liverpool. For feedback, contact: [email protected]
Against the backdrop of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and Zambia’s thrust to increase its export volumes, Harrison Muchenga, Bureau Veritas Government Services, appealed to mining and manufacturers to play by the rules ensuring they were compliant with standards and regulations.
Speaking during a recent Zambian Association of Manufacturers (ZAM)/ Bureau Veritas (BV) webinar themed Accessing Markets by Adhering to Product Quality, Muchenga explained that governments across Africa and the rest of the world contracted BV to ensure that products entering their countries were compliant with quality, health and safety regulations among other things. The event raised awareness of the importance of standards, testing, inspection and certification particularly when exporting.
Mashudu Lembede Country Chief Executive for BV Zambia said the partnership with ZAM had developed because of Bureau Veritas’ history of resilience and versatility in ensuring standards compliance in Africa. The global company operated according to three absolutes – ethics, safety and financial control – when conducting its testing, inspection and certification business, she said.
“Exporting comes with a responsibility. Because you manufacture a product does not mean you have a right to take it to the market. It has to meet the required standards. Zambia’s neighbours and many other countries on the continent had implemented a pre-export verification of conformity programme to ensure that imports met quality, health and safety standards and did not undermine markets,” said
Muchenga.
He pointed out that at border posts customs officials may at any time pull a sample of product for testing. If it is found to be non-compliant the exporter faces black-listing and a fine. Moreover these incidents adversely affected export opportunities for other manufacturers.
Elias Mwale, Sales Manager/ Certification Business Developer at Bureau Veritas explained that quality, health and safety standards were set by governments and not by any testing, inspection and certification body.
He called on manufacturers to consider certification as part of their processes, as a must have, and not as an additional cost. Moreover, once certified this was valid for three years. “Certification and the related requirements should be thought about from the start and not as an afterthought.”
While company chief executives attest to the superiority of their systems their confidence alone may not be enough and, buyers may demand that an independent body checks and issues a certificate. This is the role of Bureau Veritas. “When we declare that goods meet the requirements we do so objectively,” said Mwale, adding that they could offer training and gap audits to see how companies could improve their systems.In response to a question about goods being unloaded at border posts for inspection causing delays and damages to product, Muchenga said that generally goods are not unloaded unless something untoward is suspected. There is neither the time nor the space to do this.
Mwale added that if this border post off-loading happened regularly it was possible that the manufacturer did not know the requirements of the destination market; and possibly there were matters that should have been dealt with prior to export which had been overlooked. “Bureau Veritas is able to guide you in these matters. Normally goods are only loaded onto a truck once the Certificate of Conformity has been issued. If the process is not followed it can be very inconvenient, costly and undesirable,” he said.
For companies, from mining to manufacturing and light industries, which relied on equipment it was vital to ensure that this equipment met all specifications, said Ngosa Malama, Manager of Bureau Veritas Zambia Industry Services Division.
Outlining his division’s services he said statutory compliance inspections ensured that assets and operations were compliant with regulations ensuring they functioned soundly, safely and efficiently, thus improving performance.
The benefits of using BV’s industry services, as an independent third party, included companies having the reassurance of an independent assessment, reduced risk of equipment being compromised and, their clients could be confident that they were using suppliers that conformed to standards.
The unit offered traditional and advanced non-destructive testing of materials as well as positive material identifications (metals and alloys) to verify that the material supplied conforms to the proper specifications. It also offered calibration services according to a number of international standards. “The importance of maintaining accurate measurement results to guarantee performance safety and custody transfer of figures could not be over emphasized,” said Malama.
Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development Elias Mubanga has welcomed stakeholders with intent to support government in the area of empowerment for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s).
Mr Mubanga explained that the country has faced challenges with youth employment, thus organizations willing to partner with government through financial support, are essential.
Mr Mubanga was speaking when Zambia’s Ambassador to France Christine Kaseba and her French counterpart Francois Golgblatt, in the company of a French firm PROPARCO and Agency Francaise Development (AFD) officials paid a courtesy call on the Minister.
The Minister, disclosed that the idea to establish the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises Development was aimed at enhancing SME development.
He told the entourage that the country’s economic status has not been performing very well in the past years, hence the partnership with investors will result in economic growth for Zambia.
“This Ministry has been created to lay out a conducive environment for existing SME’s to grow and further incubate the start-ups resulting in economic development,” Mr Mubanga stated.
He said that government has given confidence to many Zambians to venture into business due to the leadership direction.
The Minister therefore commended PROPARCO Group agency and AFD for choosing to invest in Zambia with financial support, among other programmes.
PROPARCO Senior Investment Officer Steven Gardon explained that his organization is involved in guarantees and equity investment for private companies among others.
Mr Gardon explained that PROPARCO provides finance and support in the development of renewable energy and SME’s development.
He listed a number of projects implemented in Zambia including the Itezhi-Tezhi Power Corporation (ITPC) energy project in Itezhi-tezhi and has also been working with financial institutions to address SME financing.
He revealed that his organization relies on financial institutions to support smaller projects or companies such as SME’s for equity investments.
Mr Gardon said the company has strong ambitions for Zambia in the area of business in an effort to kick off the COVID-19 challenges, through support to SME’s.
And Zambia’s Ambassador to France Christine Kaseba is happy that the French companies are eager to invest in the country.
Dr Kaseba noted that the new dawn government is trying to fix the country’s economy as evidenced by the good will that has been demonstrated.
Dr Kaseba expressed confidence in the French President Emmanuel Macron’s will to grow the African continent and mobilize finances for economic growth.
President Hakainde Hichilema has assured that a solution for the issue of Eurobond creditors will be found.
Mr Hichilema said this when he met the Eurobond creditors in London on Thursday.
President Hichilema says he carefully listened to their concerns on credits that the country is involved in.
He expressed appreciation of their concerns and assured them that Zambia still remains a better choice for trade and investment.
“In order to grow confidence in our economy, this morning we met the Eurobond creditors here in London who congratulated us on a peaceful transition. We listened carefully to their concerns and had a fruitful conversation,” President Hichilema said.
“We stated that within our first 100 days, we are doing everything possible to stabilise the economy, create jobs and business opportunities for all Zambians. We further noted that we will attend to all creditors fairly. Lastly, we are glad to state that ultimately, a solution for the Eurobond creditor issue will be found and this consultative meeting was very important. We have resolved to work together to create a path forward.”
President Hichilema said government is doing everything possible to stabilize the economy, create jobs and business opportunities for the youth, women and men who elected the UPND into office.
He said government will attend to all creditors who dealt with the previous regime and pay attention to their dues.
President Hichilema said Zambia will treat all creditors fairly with emphasis that investment is to the benefit of the people so that they are not deprived of anything.
He said a solution for the Eurobond creditors will be found and that the consultative meeting was important as the country works to resolve credit issues that the previous regime incurred.
President Hichilema meeting the Eurobond creditors in LondonPresident Hichilema meeting the Eurobond creditors in London
Zanaco and Red Arrows ended the day with draws on Thursday in their respective FAZ Super League rescheduled Week 8 games in Lusaka.
Arrows and Zanaco are Zambia’s sole continental campaigners in the CAF Confederation Cup this season following the elimination of Zesco United and Kabwe Warriors.
At Sunset Stadium, Zanaco rallied to draw 1-1 with Buildcon.
Buildcon took the lead on the hour-mark through Zephenia Phiri but Emmanuel Mandan equalized not long after that in the 67th minute.
Zanaco are 12th on 10 points after recording their second successive draw since Sunday’s 3-3 away result at Power Dynamos in Kitwe.
Buildcon stay put at number four but join third placed Zesco United on 14 points, seven points behind leaders Green Buffaloes.
At Nkoloma Stadium, Red Arrows and Forest Rangers finished 1-1.
Arrows led one-nil into the break thanks to a James Chamanga goal in the 28th minute.
Laurent Muma secured the one point for Forest via a 78th minute equalizer.
The result sees Arrows move one spot outside the bottom four to number 14 on 10 points and are one point behind seventh placed Forest.
Arrows’ draw comes six days after they left Ndola with a 0-0 away draw at Buildcon.
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Chipolopolo midfielder Rodrick Kabwe has rejoined Zanaco after four year stint in South Africa.
Kabwe has moved to Zanaco on a two year contract as a free urgent after leaving South Africa’s Black Leopards at the end of the 2020/21 season.
“Rodrick Kabwe has rejoined Zanaco FC on a two-year contract from Black Leopards in South Africa, five years after winning the FAZ/MTN Super League with the Bankers,” Zanaco announced on Thursday after unveiling the player.
Prior to joining Leopards, Kabwe played for another South African club Ajax Cape Town.
“It feels nice. Home is home so I am just coming back home,” Kabwe told the Zanaco Media.
The ex-Kabwe Warriors captain further reflected on life in South Africa.
“Life itself is challenging. Even my journey in South Africa has been challenging. But I would say I really enjoyed my stay in South Africa with the clubs that I played for being Ajax Cape Town and Black Leopards,” Kabwe said.
Kabwe feattured for Zanaco in Thursdays home game against Buildcon.
The government has scaled up its nutrition program in the Lusaka district aimed at reducing stunting and malnutrition levels through the implementation of the 1,000 Most Critical days program under the coordination of the National Food and Nutrition Commission (NFNC).
Lusaka Acting District Commissioner Maureen Chilende says she is positive that the program will uplift health standards among children in Lusaka.
She said this is because of the efforts the Commission is making to promote various interventions such as exclusive breastfeeding coupled with supplementary feeding and proper nutrition of expectant and lactating mothers among others.
Mrs Chilende explained that the multi-sectorial programme involves working with different line ministries promoting various interventions such as ‘WASH’ aimed at improving nutrition and ending stunting in Zambia.
“We are optimistic that the community in Lima ward of George compound will receive the programme very well following the interventions the health facility is teaching them such as healthy ways of feeding infants among others,” she explained.
She said when she visited Lima ward in George compound to encourage health personnel at George Health Centre and enumerators conducting the beneficiary registration in area on the importance of the programme.
Mrs Chilende who is also the District Nutrition Coordinating Committee Chairperson said Lima ward in George Compound is among the 33 benefiting wards in the district.
She has since called on the public to fully take advantage of the opportunities government and other stakeholders are putting at their disposal to help enhance the fight against malnutrition and stunting.
Meanwhile Provincial Nutrition Support Coordinator Fanwell Kabbila announced that the beneficiary registration for households to be captured on the 1000 most critical programs has started with four initial wards out of the 33 in Lusaka district.
Mr Kabbila cited Kanyama ward 11, Kabulonga, Mutendere and Lima ward in George compound as one of the areas with high levels of malnutrition in Lusaka a situation he said was overwhelming the facility in the area.
“The intention and objective of the program is to see how best cases of malnutrition can be managed at household level to reduce the burden on health facilities,” he said.
Mr Kabbila further noted that the servility of stunting beyond 2 years of the child’s life is permanent and cannot be corrected hence the need for various interventions to prevent the growth of problem.
He said that stunting in Lusaka District currently stands at 23 percent further clarifying that the figure may seem to be low but Lusaka has a high population if the figure is translated into actual numbers.
Meanwhile George Health Centre In-charge Bridget Banda said the 1000 most critical days program has come at an opportune time as the facility is facing various cases of malnutrition.
Mrs Banda expressed gratitude that government through the National Food and Nutrition Commission has expanded coverage of scaling up nutrition to stimulate nutrition levels in households.
Zambia is at a pivotal moment in urban transport planning, but huge opportunities could easily be lost. At present, even the capital, Lusaka, is still relatively compact, with a population of around three million. Congestion is growing fast, but does not yet define life in towns and cities of Zambia.
However, with one of the fastest-growing urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa, Zambian cities are expanding and transport infrastructure is struggling to keep up. At a landslide election on 12th August 2021, Zambians chose a new President, His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema. Urban pollution and gridlock is not inevitable in urban Zambia, but the choices and investments the new President and his government make will set a course towards, or away from, this hugely damaging scenario, which is already so familiar across the continent.
The Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST) is working to promote safe and sustainable urban spaces where walking and cycling routes are prioritised and traffic speeds are lowered so that roads can be a safe space for all.
Lusaka Car Free Day by the Zambia Road Safety Trust
Alternatives to ‘predict and provide’
By 2050 the UN predicts there will be 40 million Zambians, more than double the population today, and most of these people will be living in cities.(1) Zambia is also experiencing a huge growth in the number of motor vehicles. Between 2006 and 2019, the motor vehicle fleet in Zambia increased by 388% to 823,000.
This has resulted in a tendency to plan for car-dominated cities. Policy-makers easily overlook that, despite the growth, only 10% of all trips are by private car.(2) Most Zambians travel by foot or by bike and these citizens are the most vulnerable to injury on the road. Road deaths and
injuries are a growing problem in Zambia; in 2019, 1,746 road deaths were reported (3),although the World Health Organization estimates the figure may be closer to 3,500. Road deaths and injuries are not an inevitable consequence of urban development; rather, they are utterly tragic, largely avoidable and economically costly.
Adapting to fast-growing cities and urban traffic is, of course, challenging. Over the last decade, the Zambian government has spent considerably on road building, including in Lusaka, where a $289 million decongestion project has seen road widening and the construction of flyovers across the city.(4)
In 2020, Zambia was in recession due to unsustainable public debt and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Real GDP contracted by an estimated 4.9% in 2020 and Zambia’s public debt increased to 104% of GDP.5 The new government will struggle to continue to invest in large road-building projects. Nor does it necessarily need to. More creative solutions to transport planning that consider the needs of all citizens are now needed more than ever, and these solutions will be cheaper than flagship and expensive concrete-pouring infrastructure projects.
Lusaka Car Free Day by the Zambia Road Safety Trust
Supporting walking and cycling
The ZRST has written an open letter to the new President calling for a focus on road safety and investment in facilities for non-motorised transport. Effective non-motorised transport systems have been shown to promote economic prosperity and more efficient and less polluted cities. With relatively modest investment, Zambia could reap significant returns. No single initiative will realise these opportunities, but the ZRST presents three initiatives.
Zambia actually already has a comprehensive Non-motorised Transport Strategy (6) setting out recommendations for all new roads, and whilst some limited progress has been made it now needs to be implemented. The newer roads in Lusaka, while still allocating most space to vehicles, do at least include pavements.
In the city of Chipata in Eastern Zambia, there has long been a strong cycling culture and the city boasts wide, fully segregated cycle lanes on the main roads.
New low-energy and solar-powered street lighting is being installed in Lusaka making it safer to walk and cycle at night. Implementing Zambia’s Non-motorised Transport Strategy will help build more inclusive, less congested and more efficient cities. It is an exciting opportunity that could easily be squandered.
In 2019, a regulation for 30km/h limits in urban areas was adopted nationally. ZRST had a leading role in advocating for this important change and, although there are considerable challenges in implementing the regulation, ZRST is working directly with schools to implement infrastructure that helps enforce lower speeds. To date, 11 school zones in Lusaka have been rehabilitated with speed-calming measures. Given that 10% of all road deaths in Zambia are among children, this is life-saving work, and ZRST continues to expand school zones across the country.
In 2021, ZRST organised the first car-free days in Zambia, in Lusaka’s central business district. This was an opportunity for people to enjoy and experience public spaces of their city without motor vehicles. The days demonstrated just how much safer, liveable and efficient urban space can be. By expanding car-free days,
Lusaka could join a growing club of global cities where citizens and policy-makers are demonstrating that relentless road expansion is not necessarily the most effective solution to promote modern and vibrant cites.
Lusaka Car Free Day by the Zambia Road Safety Trust
Model for African cities
Many cities in Europe and North America struggle with the costly legacies of car-dominated urban design. There is a huge opportunity in Zambia now to plan holistically and avoid a trap of polluted, congested cities, by promoting the vital contribution of walking and cycling to the long-term sustainability of cities and their economies. It will never be possible to widen urban roads sufficiently to keep up with demand. This ‘predict and provide’ method has been proven again and again to lead, in fact, to more traffic and more congestion.(7) Prioritising non-motorised modes offers a much more efficient way of using the increasingly scarce space within growing cities.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, cities across the world have found opportunities to reallocate road space quickly and cheaply to pedestrians and cyclists, as a way of facilitating social distancing – for example, within a few months of the onset of the pandemic Bogota, capital of Columbia, introduced 80km of new temporary cycle lanes.(8) Examples like this have shown how quickly and cheaply change can be implemented.
Zambia’s new government could realize huge benefits by committing to implement Zambia’s Non-motorised Transport Strategy, with an emphasis on speed management, wider pavements and segregated cycle lanes. The good news is that these solutions have all been tried and tested. There is no need to wait for new technologies; the answers are already here. With the right political will, community engagement and stakeholder commitment, Zambia has a real opportunity to become a model of sustainable and equitable urban growth across Africa and beyond.
Manyinga Town Council Chairman Henry Sakuwaha has advised the business community in the area to equip themselves with necessary documentations before being considered for local projects’ bidding.
Mr Sakuwaha says there is an urgent need for the Business community to have Statutory documents such as business or company registration, Tax clearance and registration and Workmen’s Compensation Fund , among others before they can be considered for various works in the area.
He stated that the statutory obligations will be the needed qualifications for any entrepreneur to be engaged in various constituency development fund ( CDF ) projects.
Finance and National planning minister Situmbeko Musokotwane, during his Budget address in parliament las Friday said the new dawn government has given K25.7 million CDF per constituency
Stating that the revised and upgraded Constituency Development Fund CDF is meant to benefit local people, Mr Sakuwaha urged local entrepreneurs ensure that they legally registered their businesses.
“It’s only when you have right documentation from PACRA,NCC,ZRA and other documentations that’s when most of you, local people will benefit from CDF projects,” he said.
The Council Chairman said that it is disheartening to see local projects like building a school being given to other people other than locals.
The new dawn government’s vision is to empower local people, to enable them develop their own communities hence increasing CDF allocation from K1.6 Million to 25.7 Million, he said.
The Council Chairman further implored the local business community to partner for them to be considered for bigger projects such as roads rehabilitations and bridge construction works.
“Once local people get these projects it means more income in local households, more employment opportunities for our local youths and development in the district, “Mr Sakuwaha added.
Meanwhile, a local businessman James Chikuta has implored the local business community remain united and support each other in times of need in order to expedite economic growth in Manyinga.
Mr Chikuta further commended the new dawn government for increasing CDF allocation and for making sure that local people participate in it’s implementation.
“As local businessmen and contractors, we are happy now that we have a role to play in developing our own communities, we are very grateful Mr Chairman,” Mr Chikuta said.
His counterpart Joe Luneta, has however advised government to prioritize water, sanitation and infrastructure development in the quest to develop the district.
Mr Luneta said most areas in Manyinga still lack adequate water provision, good sanitation and good infrastructure especially roads.
Dr Musokotwane during his budget presentation said a significant amount of money is now getting into communities for them to identify their priorities, make budgets and undertake the development programs that are dear to their hearts.
He said this means that certain tasks that were previously under the Central Government through the district offices will no longer be performed by them.
They will be undertaken by the Local Authorities working with the local communities through CDF, he said.
Minister of Science and Technology, Felix Mutati says bilateral ties between Zambia and Finland have continued to expand, for the benefit of the two countries.
Mr Mutati cited innovation as one area where Zambia has enjoyed increased cooperation from Finland.
He described the existing collaboration between the two governments as productive.
The Minister said this when the Finnish Ambassador to Zambia Pirjo Chowdhury paid a courtesy call on him at his office.
Meanwhile Mr Mutati says Zambia has a lot to learn from Finland, as the country endeavors to digitalize the economy.
He stressed that Finland has been a knowledgeable economy for a long time, stating that as such, Zambia can learn a lot from that country.
He disclosed that the desire for President Hakainde Hichilema, is to transform Zambia’s economy into a fully digitalized economy.
Mr Mutati further disclosed that his ministry is working towards digitalizing government services, in order for the public to easily access various services being offered.
Speaking earlier, Finnish Ambassador to Zambia, Pirjo Chowdhury informed the Minister that Finland is looking forward to identifying new areas of cooperation.
Ms Chowdgury revealed that Finland has cooperated with Zambia in all areas of the education sector.
She noted that her country wants to diversify its support from education to trade.
Ms Chowdgury notes that Finland will create business linkages for SMEs between the two countries, adding that the vision for Finland is to ensure that there is increased trade relations.
Minister of General Education Douglas Syakalima has disclosed a 13 percent national failure rate, which has been recorded in the just ended General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations.
Mr. Syakalima says that the national failure rate represents a total of 16, 960 candidates failing the 2021 GCE examinations, with mathematics being the subject with the least performance.
The Minister stated that out of the 124, 171 candidates who sat for the July 2021 General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination, a total of 4,496 have obtained certificates, representing a 3.62 percent GCE certificate acquisition rate.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka today, the Minister of Education says out of the 39, 323 male candidates only 1, 618 obtained the GCE certificate in comparison with the 2, 878 females who acquired the GCE certificate out of 84, 848 females who sat for the examinations.
Mr. Syakalima says a total 102, 715 candidates obtained GCE statement of results.
“Analysis of performance by subject revealed that the highest percentage mean score was recorded in French at 75.79 percent while mathematics recorded the lowest at 18.24 percent,” Mr. Syakalima said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education has revealed that no leakage was recorded during the examinations.
“It is gratifying that all stakeholders worked together, once again, to ensure that the examinations were conducted leakage-free,” Mr. Syakalima said.
And the Minister says a total of 9, 299 candidates were absent, recording a national absenteeism rate of 6.97 percent.
Zambia has underscored her commitment to biodiversity conservation, land management and fighting climate change, aimed at improving the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.
According to a statement issued to the media, President Hakainde Hichilema says the conservation of biodiversity that constitutes natural capital, is critical to ensuring that Zambia achieves its aspirations of a green economy, as well as attainment of socio-economic development for all.
In remarks delivered on his behalf by Minister of Green Economy and Environment, Collins Nzovu during a Commonwealth side-event held under the theme “Commonwealth Call for Living Lands”, at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland yesterday, President Hichilema observed that Zambia is endowed with abundant fauna and flora, hence her resolve to take biodiversity conservation very seriously.
“I wish to share with you my government’s determination to ensure that the green economy, which entails low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive approach, drives the economic transformation and recovery that we so desperately need,” he said.
The President added that to achieve Zambia’s aspirations, his administration created a dedicated Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, which galvanises functions on the country’s forests, climate change, meteorology biosafety and environmental protection in general.
He explained that bringing interrelated and critical functions in one single ministry will promote a development path that considers natural capital as a critical economic asset and a source of benefit, especially for poor people whose livelihoods depend on natural resources.
President Hichilema further said the re-alignments of portfolio functions is expected to enhance green investments that spur renewable energy and resource efficiency, prevention of the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
“However, we are constrained to achieve most of these targets in time due to inadequate financial resources, making it difficult for us to make our fair contribution to global efforts, in addressing these multiple challenges,” he told the meeting.
He added that “it is equally important that our actions on biodiversity conservation, land management and fighting climate change result in improved socio-economic impacts on people’s livelihoods and our nations”.
President Hichilema has meanwhile, disclosed that Zambia was currently engaged with the global community in formulating a new post-2020 global biodiversity framework and was expectant it would soon be achieved.
Zambia has domesticated the Aichi Targets on Biodiversity, and has been implementing the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of 2015 with a view to contribute to the attainment of the Convention on Biological Diversity and foster economic development.
The COP26 summit has brought Heads of State and Government and other parties together to accelerate action towards the attainment of Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
A peer project between Ghana and Zambia has been forged to leverage existing digital financial solutions between the countries.
This was enacted after a high-level Zambian delegation visited Ghana to study the country’s successes in digital economy.
Facilitated by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the Zambian delegation visit was to learn best practices and better understand how Ghana’s digital financial services providers and utility providers have successfully rolled out digitalized payments for utilities that have transformed Ghana’s economic landscape.
Addressing the delegation, Mr Charles Abani, the UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, said such exchanges help to explore new ideas and impact it to the country, stressing that Africa must rise up and take its rightful place to development.
He said COVID-19 had taught the world about the importance of digitization and the need to maximize its benefits, and commended Ghana for its digitization agenda.
He said the UN had allocated huge sums of money for countries to apply for the fund to help in the recovery plan of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Madam Arianna Gaspari, Financial Inclusion Speciality, UNCDF, said about 7,258 youth have been supported through different business performance and credit scoring tools.
She stated that 430 vulnerable entrepreneurs have accessed loans for a value of almost 400,000 dollars through the innovative crowdlending platforms and mobilized 12,000 dollars on formal digital savings accounts from remote areas since March 2021.
The Zambian delegation was made of representatives of mobile network operators such as Zamtel Mobile Money, MTN and Airtel including banks, government ministries and regulators Bank of Zambia, Zanaco, Ministries of Finance, as well as the Energy and Water Development.
He pointed out that at border posts customs officials may at any time pull a sample of product for testing. If it is found to be non-compliant the exporter faces black-listing and a fine. Moreover these incidents adversely affected export opportunities for other manufacturers.
For companies, from mining to manufacturing and light industries, which relied on equipment it was vital to ensure that this equipment met all specifications, said Ngosa Malama, Manager of Bureau Veritas Zambia Industry Services Division.
