Mazabuka council managers disappoint Sampa
By Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka
Tue 07 Feb. 2012, 12:59 CAT
SOUTHERN Province minister Miles Sampa has demanded seriousness and change in the work culture by top management at Mazabuka Municipal Council for residents to appreciate services being provided by the government.
Sampa said the government was disappointed that managers at Mazabuka Municipal Council had abandoned their offices to travel to Choma for an Electoral Commission of Zambia workshop.
He said the negative work culture at the local authority should immediately change because residents could not continue being denied required services if government workers who are charged with a responsibility to implement its policies were not interested in staying in office in preference to workshops where they are paid allowances.
Sampa said the PF government was in a hurry to deliver development to the people and that it would not tolerate such negative attitude by government workers.
He said issues of allowances should not be allowed to hinder progress because residents desperately want to see the change they voted for during last September's general elections.
Sampa said this when he inspected a government funded road project.
And Sampa directed acting town clerk Erof Hangoma to submit a detailed report to his office stating why rehabilitation works on Cha Cha Cha Road in Namulonga had not been completed despite government providing funding to the project nearly every year.
He said Mazabuka residents petitioned his office to intervene because of the suspicious manner in which the road project was being implemented.
Sampa said residents have a right to complain when government projects were not done on time.
And Mazabuka district commissioner Eugine Munyama urged the government to ensure the council was completely detached from handling elections.
Munyama said the ECZ should be allowed to operate independently without the involvement of council officers.
Labels: MAZABUKA DISTRICT, MILES SAMPA, WORK ETHIC, WORKSHOPS
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Sata moves to stop government extravagance
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Wed 18 Jan. 2012, 14:00 CAT
PRESIDENT Michael Sata has cancelled a permanent secretaries' induction workshop which was to run for five days at Protea Hotel Livingstone because it as a waste of government resources.
According to Cabinet Office sources, President Sata did not take kindly to the five-day period to be spent on an induction at the cost of service delivery.
"We just received instructions after tea break that the induction workshop be cancelled as it is perceived to have been a programme that would have gobbled a lot of public resources to teach people who are already knowledgeable of what is needed of them. It is like the President wants the PS's back in office and five days was just too much," said a source.
However when contacted several permanent secretaries who also sought anonymity refused to disclose the cancellation of the induction workshop which was closed off to journalists saying the acting secretary to the cabinet Evans Chibiliti was in a better position to respond to press queries over the issue.
"Yes it has been cancelled, but we have been told that we shall re-convene but we do not know when," said one permanent secretary.
The cancellation of the induction in its day two of the five days organised in-conjunction with National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) surprised the controlling officers.
On Monday Acting Secretary to the Cabinet Evans Chibiliti said government was to sign performance contracts with permanent secretaries and ministers.
"The minister will sign performance contracts with the president and you will also sign with the minister so you should also sign with your directors," he said.
He said controlling officers should ensure that the performance contracts also help to serve and manage the resources.
And Answer Saka who is NIPA executive director said he was pleased to note that government had confidence in the institution's ability to ensure that controlling officers were well vested in government operations for them to lead effectively the process of delivering good quality services to the public.
However effects to get a comment from Saka on the cancellation of the induction workshop and the cost implications of the five-day workshop failed by press time.
President Sata has indicated in the past that he wanted to cut down on government costs through travels, having a lean Cabinet and traveling cheap.
Labels: MICHAEL SATA, WORKSHOPS
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Professor Nkandu Luo bans workshops with immediate effect
TIME PUBLISHED - Sunday, October 9, 2011, 7:27 am
Local Government Minister, Professor Nkandu Luo has with immediate effect banned the holding of workshops by local authorities in the country. She has charged that the outcomes from these workshops are rarely implemented but only serve as a source of corruption.
Professor Luo has further warned Civic leaders to refrain from illegal land allocation regardless of the political party they belong to. She was speaking when she installed PF Councilor, Davies Chiwala as new Mayor for the City of Ndola. Mayor Chiwala takes over from Friday Sikazwe.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chiwala has appealed to all civic leaders to seriously draw a line between politics and development. He says the people of Ndola are highly expectant of development from the new government. The new Mayor has appealed to Government to increase funding to local authorities for easy delivery of services.
Opposition UPND’s Lizuma ward councilor, Aggrey Nyekwa has been retained unopposed as Livingstone City Council mayor. While, his deputy is MMD’s Matthews Jere who also went through unopposed.
Livingstone City Council Town Clerk, Vivien Chikoti as returning officer declared the two duly elected as Mayor and Deputy respectively. Meanwhile, the PF in Livingstone says it did not contest for any position in a bid to probe the land allocation irregularities in the city.
PF Akapelwa ward councilor, Paul Sensele has accused many councilors in Livingstone of allegedly having benefited from illegal plots allocations. He has charged that corruption has hampereddevelopment in Livingstone.
In Kabwe PF councilor for Justine Kabwe Ward, Moses Mwansa, has been elected new Mayor for Kabwe Municipal council, while Ms Rachael Mwelwa also of the ruling PF is the Deputy Mayor.
Mr. Mwansa a former army officer and Rachael Mwelwa who both went unopposed in the elections were declared winners by the Town Clerk Maria Dias Neves in the Council Chambers.
The newly elected Mayor has pledged to work with Kabwe council administration and in collaboration with other councilors whose support he said he values to transform the face of Kabwe town.
He adds that he will work to revive Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles and other companies that have since closed to create more jobs for the people of Kabwe.
MUVITV
Labels: CORRUPTION, NKANDU LUO, WORKSHOPS
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COMMENT - Excellent.
ZCSMBA urges mindset change on SMEs
By Kabanda Chulu in Kitwe
Wed 15 Dec. 2010, 04:00 CAT
THERE is need to change the mindset of people running Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for them to contribute to wealth creation. This is according to Zambia Chamber of Small Medium Business Associations (ZCSMBA) Copperbelt association representative Michael Sinkamba.
During a workshop on access to markets and finance training of entrepreneurs hosted by the Kitwe District Business Association, an affiliate of ZCSMBA and the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), Sinkamba said SMEs’ quest for expansion was constrained by finances.
“Many financial institutions including banks claim that SMEs do not send adequate documents whenever they apply for credit ands to address this challenge we have partnered with ZDA and other institutions so that we explain how things should be done because skills training is important in every sphere of development,” said Sinkamba on Monday.
“This workshop will unlock the SMEs by changing their mindset so that they grow their businesses to result in wealth creation as well as contributing towards attaining economic development and the vision 2030 of becoming a middle income country.”
The training workshop which ends on Friday has drawn various entrepreneurs in the region and participants are expected to acquire knowledge on book keeping, preparing a business plan, sourcing business from corporate entities and taxation registration requirements.
Labels: PETER SINKAMBA, SMEs, WORKSHOPS, ZCSMBA
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SMEs urged to learn new business techniques
Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 22:20
ZAMBIA Development Agency (ZDA) Regional Entrepreneurship Development Officer Shental Siajunza has called on Small and Medium Entrepreneur (SME ) business organisations to develop interest in learning new techniques in running their businesses.
ZDA Regional Entrepreneurship Development Officer made his call at a one day workshop organised by COMESA at Kasama Lodge on Monday this week.
Mr. Siajunza said SMEs should take advantage of the workshop and advance in running their business profitably and effectively through joining relevant trade organisations.
He pointed out that by linking with relevant organisations like COMESA they could avoid paying trade taxes to councils and exorbitant border charges.
Mr. Siajunza thanked Zambia national Commercial bank for sponsoring the workshop to expose the SMEs in Kasama to modern trade techniques and enhance the development of the district.
He further praised COMESA for offering free a free training kit to SMEs in Kasama which would go a long way in enhancing smooth business operations.
Mr. Siajunza pointed out that SMEs should making joint trips when importing items abroad to cut down on costs which could result into economic growth of their businesses.
Meanwhile Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) Head Business Banking SME Manager at Head office Chibamba Lopa said his Bank is proud to sponsor SME workshop to empower local businesses in national.
Mr. Lopa said ZANACO is aiming at promoting and empowering Small and Medium Business Entrepreneurship by providing conducive business climate to it clients and achieve economic growth.
The Head Business Banking SME Manager disclosed that his bank has reduced Bank interest rate to 20 Per cent from 32 with effect from May 1 this year.
Mr. Lopa added that ZANACO is also geared in offering short tern loans, credit facilities in overdrafts and make their customers comfortable by spending shorter times at their branches national wide.
[ZANIS]
Labels: COMESA, KASAMA, SMEs, TRADE, WORKSHOPS, ZDA
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Zambians are not utilising their talent, says L/stone DC
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Tue 19 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT
LIVINGSTONE District Commissioner Francis Chika says that Zambians have not utilised their talents to earn a living and sustain their future, despite being highly talented.
During the opening ceremony for the Business Skills Training workshop for Southern Province based artists at Chapa Classic Lodge; Chika said that Zambians lacked exposure in vital skills such as starting a business.
"Zambia is one country which is endowed with rich talented cadre of people in various arts. However, it is a pity that not all of them have utilised this talent not only to earn a living but to sustain their entire future. This is due to lack of exposure in vital skills such as starting a business, developing a business plan, costing and pricing and indeed marketing," he said.
He thanked the Finnish government for making available 52,500 Euros (about K357 million) to cater for the countrywide training workshops.
" Countries that appreciate and invest in their own culture also advance in development. I would like to assure you that Zambia is not lagging behind in far as this concept is concerned. The Fifth National Development Plan FNDP has also prioritised investment in arts and culture. It is for this reason that here in Livingstone, government is constructing Maramba Cultural Village specifically to be the venue for production and marketing the arts with a view for sustainable human development and preservation of our cultural heritage," said Chika.
And International Labour Organisation (ILO) Broad Based Wealth and Job Creation senior technical advisor, Jealous Chirove said the ILO through a project - Strengthening Creative Industries in Zambia - is looking at turning the arts into an industry, which could create job and generate foreign exchange.
He said the project would train about 180 artists.
"We look at artists and creative arts as an industry which can lead to the creation of jobs and foreign exchange earnings. Our target is to train 20 artists from each province with the support of the Finnish government," he said.
Chirove added that the project would also endeavour to link artists to other programmes such as financing programmes such as the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC).
"Any business expansion needs financing, so we need to link our trainees to other on going programmes in the country so that they can access financing such as the CEEC," said Chirove.
And National Arts Council (NAC) assistant director Adrian Chipindi said the training programme had caused chaos among the artists and there was need to train more.
"We have a lot of artists so when we train 20 like in Lusaka, we create chaos because there are many more who need training," said Chipindi.
Labels: BUSINESS, FRANCIS CHIKA, WORKSHOPS
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‘SMEs don’t know requirements for accessing finance’
Written by Mwila Chansa in Ndola
Thursday, August 27, 2009 3:52:52 AM
THE inability by most micro, small and medium enterprises to prepare business plans is a hindrance for them to access finances from lending institutions, Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) Copperbelt provincial officer Innocent Melu has observed.
And Ndola district commissioner Moses Mumba said the survival of any business largely depends on the availability of markets.
In an interview during a workshop on facilitating access to markets and finance training for micro, small and medium entrepreneurs in Ndola on Monday, Melu said finance was critical to the survival of any business.
“Most SMEs don’t know the requirements for accessing finance from banks or from the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission and this is why we have invited institutions to explain various financial products or requirements,” Melu said.
“And the other thing is that these SMEs lack knowledge on preparation of business plans. Quite alright they have the concepts but they can't put them on paper to suit the requirements of financial institutions.”
He advised entrepreneurs to be vigilant and have their ears to the ground for them to remain updated on various issues related to business.
Melu said small enterprises were supposed to complement the government's efforts in creating employment, strengthening domestic markets and contributing to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product but that this could not happen if they failed to access markets for their products or finances to grow their businesses.
And Mumba said the only sure way of survival for any enterprise was the availability of guaranteed markets.
The objective of the workshop was to help entrepreneurs understand various practical business processes, procedures and requirements when dealing with financial institutions and when sourcing business from corporate companies and large organisations.
Labels: CAMPAIGN FINANCE, CEEC, MOSES MUMBA, SMEs, WORKSHOPS, ZDA
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Seminars curtailed
State acts to save costs in the Ministry of Health...
By Times Reporter
THE Ministry of Health has suspended the holding of seminars and other non-essential activities to ensure that the delivery of service is not disrupted after some donors withheld US$33 million.
Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane said in Lusaka yesterday that the suspension of seminars and other non-core activities was part of a contingency plan intended to ensure continued delivery of health services in the absence of critical funding.
Dr Musokotwane explained that out of a total amount of $120 million that donors committed for the whole of 2009, about $33 million had been withheld.
“The Government wants the health services to the people to be ring fenced and strengthened using both Government’s own budgetary resources as well as from other cooperating partners who have not suspended aid,” he said.
At a joint media briefing with his Health counterpart, Kapembwa Simbao, Dr Musokotwane said that Sweden and the Netherlands had informed the Government that they had suspended aid following the revelation of possible embezzlement of more than K10 billion.
The Government agreed to engage the embassies of Sweden and Netherlands to understand from them the actions they would like the Government institute beyond the investigations and possible action taken on the culprits once identified.
He said the Ministry of Finance had since provided financial support to the auditor general’s office to conduct the investigations into the alleged theft and that it was still waiting for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to submit its budget.
Dr Musokotwane said the Government was also reviewing arrangements of financial management and controls to avoid reccurrence of financial irregularities.
The minister said the suspension of aid would have a negative impact on the Government’s ability to deliver health services to the people.
He said it was not true that the Government was abetting corruption and questioned how possible it was to build houses and a guesthouse seized by the ACC within the six months that President Rupiah Banda had been in office.
He said every ministry had internal auditors who were supposed to look out for such cases and it was sad that the system failed to detect the K10 billion scandal.
Mr Simbao said the most affected following the withholding of donor funding were district hospitals which got about K16 billion out of the total budget of K24 billion in a month.
Mr Simbao said the Government regretted the possible theft of public funds in the health sector whose interventions were at the core of providing basic human needs, especially for the poor.
He said the Ministry of Health would have difficulties in feeding patients, and the fight against malaria, HIV/AIDS and other programmes.
Labels: MINISTRY OF HEALTH, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE, WORKSHOPS
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Zambia’s recovery plan, Part III: the execution strategy
Written by Prof Clive Chirwa
Thursday, May 28, 2009 3:08:27 PM
The Business Plan we prepared together in Part I mapped our future, the Stimulus Plan in Part II stipulated the areas we need to concentrate on in search of a quick recovery and this Part III details how much we can make from manufacturing using our perfected Execution Strategy. To facilitate our presentation, we will use copper as the natural resource that we want to take to finished products.
If you want to know more including other natural resources, there will be a one-day workshop in the first week of June in Lusaka, organised by Squaremark Market Solutions of Ndola. At the workshop we will give you the tools and the knowhow to the execution strategy. Contact details will be advertised in this newspaper.
What is the Execution Strategy? In its simplest term it is the tactic our country can use to make more money by creating conditions for primes, supply chains and converters to blossom. Since Zambia is a developing country, we need as a nation to direct our growth route. Otherwise, nobody will come and do that for us as investors are cherry pickers and are more interested in acquiring raw materials than developing Zambia. Therefore, the government should create primes that are supported by the private supply chains. The government can even go into joint ventures of 51/49 percentage weighting on primes.
Why are we doing this? The main reason is that the current revenue from taxes is too little for a country to function properly. Zambia gets about 80 per cent of its revenue from copper. But in money terms this is just peanuts. Statistics show us that in year 1990 with copper at US$2300 per tonne, we got US$423 million and in 2006 with copper at US6500 per tonne on average, we had only US$133 million from copper exports estimated at US$3 billion.
This shows how we have lost a lot from privatisation of mines. Tax on profit alone is not working because of the mining companies’ sophisticated systems to avoid paying taxes by channelling their profits through offshore companies on islands like Mauritius. With the new tax regime in place, Zambia in 2008 was suppose to have earned US$421 million from US$3 billion that was made by the mining companies, but it only received US$200 million. Why? No wonder we are depleting our international reserve faster than we built it.
The government must insist that the mining companies pay the rest. We cannot just throw away US$221 million because the multi-nationals have contested the new tax regime. These companies are using the same known tactics of taking the government to court, risk redundancies, threatening of taking the business or investment away from Zambia and so on. Indeed if you look closely at history, you will find that Zambia was doing well under ZCCM despite the inefficiency and lack of mature management skills. In the last 5 years of the boom, Zambia received less money despite very high prices of copper. This again depicts Zambia’s hard luck background that has never seen copper benefitting it apart from the short period when ZCCM was supreme.
If we really want to develop, it will not come from selling copper raw material. It will come from us using copper to its fullest potential and that is creating a vibrant manufacturing base that will add value. Let us turn that US$200 million tax revenue from copper to US$10 billion in five years. This is how we can do it.
The first thing to do is to identify the areas where our copper is used, that is in electrical/electronics, building, health care, food industry, cars, trains, ships, aerospace, telecommunications and many more.
Electrical uses of copper, including power transmission and generation, wires in building, telecommunication, electrical and electronic products, account for three quarters of the total global copper use that stands at over 933000 tonnes per year.
The use of copper in wires is the oldest and still the world has not got enough of it. This is why I propose it to the government to invest in the prime company. We currently have ZAMEFA that is doing an excellent job. But ZAMEFA is just too small with 347 employees to make a dent in that big global market and hence make money for Zambia. Especially with its current capacity of over 30,000 metric tonnes of copper rods, bare wires, power cables, building wires, and telecommunication cables.
We need between 4 and 5 more companies like ZAMEFA created by the government as primes. The companies will specialise in just drawing of copper rods and wires each having a capacity of minimum 50000 metric tonnes. Then private Zambian investors will make cables in Zambia and electric motors of any size. Even as we speak, Zambians can buy copper rods from ZAMEFA and extrude them further to wire and make cables, hence more value addition. The Zambian wire industry alone can create between 10000 to 20000 jobs. The global market is still open and in the next few years after the recession, the Asian, European and especially the African market will also pick up. We can become the African centre in copper wire production and bring home to Zambia needed revenue.
For instance a tonne of bare copper wire will bring in from US$20,000 for 1 mm diameter to US$112,000 for 0.05 mm diameter (visit: http://wires.co.uk/index.html). Even if we bring in half that we will still be making far more than selling copper raw materials at US$2500 per tonne.
The second government investment should be in making copper alloys.
Four companies can be formed for making brass (copper with zinc), bronze (copper with other metals such as aluminium, nickel, iron, etc), Beryllium copper (copper with beryllium and nickel), and cupronickel (Copper with nickel).
There are 28 countries that cast and wrought copper alloys. Why is South Africa doing it and we are not. We have all the raw materials. It is just the matter of combining them in proportions. Then the other five extruding firms and the private enterprises will work the alloys into tubes, rods, and plates. Copper alloys are usually used in high technology areas such as in automobile and aerospace, heat exchangers, military equipment and so on. Brass and bronze are used at the low end of the market while cupronickel and beryllium copper are used in high strength tools, oil fields, aerospace and military.
Brass, a combination of copper and zinc, is probably the most famous copper alloy. It can be found in house door knobs, hinges and locks. Also used in making bearings, fan blades and decorative parts. It is cheap and adds limited value to the product. It is mass produced due to its great demand in buildings. Typical brass products can be sold on average between US12000 per metric tonne to about US$20000 per tonne.
The cupronickel is mid range copper alloy containing 25 per cent nickel and is used mainly for coin making. Because copper and nickel mix so readily the cost of manufacture is moderate and we can be able to make a wide range of alloys. When you add 45 per cent nickel, the alloy becomes high in electrical resistivity and used in resistors, thermocouples, and in rheostats. The mostly used cupronickel is that containing 30 per cent nickel. This is the most important and widely used for condenser tubes in steam-power plants as it is non-corrosive and possesses high resistant to oxidation at high temperatures. Depending on the type of cupronickel parts, the value addition begins at around US$35000 per tonne and US$45000 per tonne. General applications are in ship building, oil and gas pipelines, heat exchangers and condensers, hydraulic lines, for those in deserts use it in desalination units that make drinking water from sea water.
Beryllium copper alloy is at the top end in value addition. The alloy is very strong and therefore used in making spring wire, expensive tools such as spanners, hammers, farming ploughs and cutting blades.
Due to its electrical conductivity, it is used in low-current contacts for batteries and electrical connectors. Since it has other properties of being non-sparking and physically tough and nonmagnetic, it is used in making tools that can safely be used in environments where there are explosive vapours and gases in an oil field. It is widely used as tools in all our mines because of non-sparking qualities. Above all beryllium has become the well preferred material in making armour piercing bullets as it has the drilling capability. The biggest bonus for us is that beryllium copper alloy has now entered the biggest market of all time, the telecommunications and computer electronics markets.
The big multinationals are constantly looking for ways to reduce the size and weight of their products such as mobile phones and computers without sacrificing performance. The unique combination of strength, electrical and thermal conductivity of beryllium copper make it an ideal choice for miniaturised components. The value addition here is can go up to US$120000 per metric tonne depending on application.
The four government firms each can create up 10000 jobs at different levels making a total of about 40000 jobs in copper alloy industry alone. The government’s primes will employ about 9000 employees and the rest will be in private hands that will be part of the supply chain and converter chain. The revenue for each yearly production of 50000 tonnes of beryllium copper alloy to be conservative is about US$1.75 billion at the low end to US$6 Billion at the top end.
In health care, copper has been recognised as a hygienic material since the dawn of civilisation. Indeed when the first European settlers came to Zambia they were amazed to find that the people around Bwana Mkubwa in Ndola used copper canister and containers for their medical herbs and cleaned tools in copper basins. Research has now been supported by scientific output showing that copper is antimicrobial, that is it inhibits the growth of harmful pathogens-bacteria, moulds, algae, fungi and viruses. The latest research output has even shown evidence of copper’s antimicrobial effect on a range of disease-causing organisms including MRSA, Clostridium difficile, Ecoli, Listeria monocytogenes, Influenza A and Aspergillums Niger.
In Zambia many patients die each year in hospital because they have been infected by a hospital acquired germ. For instance, hospital-acquired infections in England cost about a £1 billion in treating patients who were in the first place admitted to hospital with a completely different disease. About 5000 patients die of complications from infections that they contracted in hospitals.
These hospital-acquired infections are preventable. Replacing frequently touched surfaces with copper and its high copper content alloys such as brass and bronze, which are naturally antimicrobial, could be an important infection control measure and complement other measures such as hand washing, patient screening and isolation, and improve cleaning. Frequently touched surfaces in hospitals which could be made from copper and its alloys are: door handles, push plates, light switches, bed rails, grab rails, intravenous poles, dispensers (alcohol gel, paper towel, soap), dressing trolleys, counter and table tops. Nobody so far has entered this market of using copper in hospitals. We can be one of the few and it is a big market for us. Every year we can save hundred of thousands of patients across the globe by us producing the copper surfaces. The technology involved in making these parts is old and even a man and dog round the corner can metal bash into shape the basins, cups, holders and make a real fortune. Hospitals around the world are looking for solutions and copper surfaces are the long term solutions that do not need disinfectants. Zambia can create a prime to just make these surfaces. If target is 50000 tonnes of copper per year, the revenue can be in the range of US$2 billion to US$8 billion. This is our niche market that will create 4000 to 5000 jobs.
The four areas we have targeted for Zambia to explore will create a minimum of 75000 jobs with revenue in the Bank of Zambia, if assuming a small conservative 50000 tonne per year in every sector with a total 200000 tonnes per year used in value addition firms that have been formed by the government, will bring in minimum of US30 billion per year. South Africa using our copper, zinc and nickel make billions and billions of dollars. Mozambique too has now started using our copper to add value. The latest IMF figures put Mozambique at top of fastest growing manufacturing base south of the equator. The time has come to wake up and see how much we have lost over the years. We are the richest in natural resources in the south of the equator. Other people are using us for their benefit. It is time for the government to think of what primes it needs to create in order to develop the private entrepreneurship that will service the primes and converters.
There will be a one-day workshop during the first week of June and it is being advertised here in The Post. This forum will empower you with the necessary knowledge and know-how to make your business a success. You will be equipped with the tools to move out of recession or start brand new company in copper value addition that will bring prosperity to Zambia. On the marketing side and the technology we will help you. So please register soonest for the workshop. Contact Mr Kenny Kangwa at Squaremark Market Solutions of Ndola on 0955628696 or 0966559450 ( squaremarkzambia@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). When registering please indicate your interest so that we can help you with some solutions. If you are interested in other businesses please do not hesitate to ask. We will help you and perhaps take you to your promised land. Come on let us do it for Zambia.
The four government firms each can create up 10000 jobs at different levels making a total of about 40000 jobs in copper alloy industry alone. The government’s primes will employ about 9000 employees and the rest will be in private hands that will be part of the supply chain and converter chain. The revenue for each yearly production of 50000 tonnes of beryllium copper alloy to be conservative is about US$1.75 billion at the low end to US$6 Billion at the top end.
In health care, copper has been recognised as a hygienic material since the dawn of civilisation. Indeed when the first European settlers came to Zambia they were amazed to find that the people around Bwana Mkubwa in Ndola used copper canister and containers for their medical herbs and cleaned tools in copper basins. Research has now been supported by scientific output showing that copper is antimicrobial, that is it inhibits the growth of harmful pathogens-bacteria, moulds, algae, fungi and viruses. The latest research output has even shown evidence of copper’s antimicrobial effect on a range of disease-causing organisms including MRSA, Clostridium difficile, Ecoli, Listeria monocytogenes, Influenza A and Aspergillums Niger.
In Zambia many patients die each year in hospital because they have been infected by a hospital acquired germ. For instance, hospital-acquired infections in England cost about a £1 billion in treating patients who were in the first place admitted to hospital with a completely different disease. About 5000 patients die of complications from infections that they contracted in hospitals.
These hospital-acquired infections are preventable. Replacing frequently touched surfaces with copper and its high copper content alloys such as brass and bronze, which are naturally antimicrobial, could be an important infection control measure and complement other measures such as hand washing, patient screening and isolation, and improve cleaning. Frequently touched surfaces in hospitals which could be made from copper and its alloys are: door handles, push plates, light switches, bed rails, grab rails, intravenous poles, dispensers (alcohol gel, paper towel, soap), dressing trolleys, counter and table tops. Nobody so far has entered this market of using copper in hospitals. We can be one of the few and it is a big market for us. Every year we can save hundred of thousands of patients across the globe by us producing the copper surfaces. The technology involved in making these parts is old and even a man and dog round the corner can metal bash into shape the basins, cups, holders and make a real fortune. Hospitals around the world are looking for solutions and copper surfaces are the long term solutions that do not need disinfectants. Zambia can create a prime to just make these surfaces. If target is 50000 tonnes of copper per year, the revenue can be in the range of US$2 billion to US$8 billion. This is our niche market that will create 4000 to 5000 jobs.
The four areas we have targeted for Zambia to explore will create a minimum of 75000 jobs with revenue in the Bank of Zambia, if assuming a small conservative 50000 tonne per year in every sector with a total 200000 tonnes per year used in value addition firms that have been formed by the government, will bring in minimum of US30 billion per year. South Africa using our copper, zinc and nickel make billions and billions of dollars. Mozambique too has now started using our copper to add value. The latest IMF figures put Mozambique at top of fastest growing manufacturing base south of the equator. The time has come to wake up and see how much we have lost over the years. We are the richest in natural resources in the south of the equator. Other people are using us for their benefit. It is time for the government to think of what primes it needs to create in order to develop the private entrepreneurship that will service the primes and converters.
There will be a one-day workshop during the first week of June and it is being advertised here in The Post. This forum will empower you with the necessary knowledge and know-how to make your business a success. You will be equipped with the tools to move out of recession or start brand new company in copper value addition that will bring prosperity to Zambia. On the marketing side and the technology we will help you. So please register soonest for the workshop.
Contact Mr Kenny Kangwa at Squaremark Market Solutions of Ndola on 0955628696 or 0966559450 ( squaremarkzambia@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). When registering please indicate your interest so that we can help you with some solutions. If you are interested in other businesses please do not hesitate to ask. We will help you and perhaps take you to your promised land. Come on let us do it for Zambia.
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COMMENT - It is time that Zambia industrialized, and went beyond exporting raw materials. The money for that, has to come from the taxes on the mines. Manufacturing must be protected, so Zambian manufaturers will not be swamped by foreign corporations, who can take a loss on their sales in Zambia, just to gain market share.
Having said, 10,000 jobs, although much better than the present situation, is not going to make much of a dent in Zambia's 5,000,000 strong workforce. The key still I think is in the 80% of arable land that is not under cultivation, and the 97% of arable land that is not under permanent irrigation. Today, most people are still employed in agriculture, and even if 10,000 jobs were created in industry, that would still be the case. Also, the development of agriculture has many add-on effects. The creation of irrigation works will not only employ many people, it will also create agricultural land that these very same workers can go on to farm, creating jobs (in agriculture) by creating jobs (in works projects). The resulting water management will prevent the annual floods, that create so much loss of life, destruction of property and result in hunger in the affected areas because of failed crops. The truth is that low food prices come from an abundance of food, which is a great way to not only create hundreds of thousands of jobs, but also to leave consumers with more money to spend on other goods. In fact,anything that can be done to lower the cost of living will stimulate the economy indirectly, by stimulating demand.
Maybe there should be a two-tract development plan - one of industrialisation for the cities (mainly the Copperbelt), and one agricultural development, aimed at the rural areas, where most people live.
Labels: CLIVE CHIRWA, COPPER, ECONOMY, INDUSTRIALISATION, WORKSHOPS
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Mulongoti urges private sector involvement in infrastructure development
Written by Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Monday, February 16, 2009 5:03:32 AM
THERE is need for stakeholder consultation and public awareness on public private partnerships (PPPs), delegates to the just-ended PPP seminar in Livingstone have declared. And works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti said the involvement of the private sector in infrastructure development would help deliver desired results.
In a declaration passed at the end of the seminar last Friday, the delegates who were drawn from the government, energy, finance, utilities, insurance and the engineering sectors noted the need for confidence building and accountability in both the private sector and public sector through on-going dialogue, transparency and adherence to contractual obligations.
They resolved that being mindful of the critical role infrastructure development and proper service delivery played in ensuring social and economic development of the country, there was need for stakeholders to be consulted.
“We recognise the need for continuous and sustained infrastructure development and service delivery, recalling that in the national Policy on PPP’s, government acknowledges that it does not have sufficient resources to finance all infrastructure development and service delivery. Even as we respond to the demands of our economy, we should pay particular attention to the needs of the Environment,” they stated.
“While on empowerment, where a foreign entity is involved in a PPP project, there should be mandatory partnering with local entities.”
On capacity building, the delegates declared that there was an urgent need for capacity building for both the public and private sectors at all phases of the project cycle.
And Mulongoti said PPP’s played a complementary role in the overall process of provision of basic services.
“In order to enhance economic growth at the desired rate, infrastructure is a cardinal ingredient. It is important that concerted efforts are made to accelerate investment in the infrastructure and other services," he said.
He said government’s limited resources could get strained further with the current global financial crisis.
“It is important therefore that we pull resources together. It is no longer a question of what government can do for the people or what the private sector can do, but it is how government engages the private sector and work together to provide the much needed quality services at an affordable cost," he said.
He added that PPP essentially meant that government minimised its old traditional role of being the direct provider.
“The experience in Public Private Partnerships is that there is a need to tailor partnerships to best suit our local context that will meet local needs. In this regard, Public Private Partnerships have taken various forms ranging from service and management contracts, to leases and concessions and to perhaps the most sophisticated arrangements in the form of build-Operate Transfer (BOT) operations,” said Mulongoti.
Labels: INFRASTRUCTURE, MIKE MULONGOTI, PPPs, WORKSHOPS
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Workshops
Written by Editor
It cannot be disputed that the cost of workshops and travel to government is excessively high. There are instances where a great portion of money meant for certain programmes is consumed by workshops and seminars with very little remaining for action implementation. As such, we have ended up with so many recommendations from workshops and seminars with very little, or no, implementation.
We are not saying workshops and seminars are not important. There are some workshops and seminars that are valuable. But like everything else, a balance has to be struck. Workshops and seminars have simply become a source of allowances and per diem for those attending, with no practical value to the nation.
It is also said that some of our top civil and public servants are associated with motels and lodges where such workshops and seminars are directed and deriving huge financial benefits therefrom. It is also said that in some cases, kickbacks are given to those who take workshops and seminars to some lodges, hotels or motels.
So the incentives for workshops and seminars are very high. As for travel, it has been heard that a lot of money is made by civil servants from moving around. Frederick Chiluba last year said he made a lot of money from travel allowances and many civil servants were building houses from such allowances.
If this is so, then there is something seriously wrong with the amounts provided for such travels. Travel allowances were not meant to enrich any civil or public servant. They were simply intended to enable them meet the expenses of their travel and stay. They were not meant to be a source of income or supplement their salary.
Today, we have senior people in government travelling to meetings where they don’t even know what is going on, where they are not needed but simply to get an allowance.
Locally, trips are being made whenever allowances are needed. The cost of all this top government is gigantic and there is need to put a lid on it. Government business has to be conducted in an efficient, effective and orderly manner. There has to be thriftiness and frugality in government expenditure.
Let us look at and learn something from the way the Europeans and others are conducting public affairs. There isn’t the type of travel allowance and per diem that we are dishing out. Even the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund do not enrich their officers through travel allowances and per diems in the way we are doing it.
Therefore, Rupiah Banda’s words on this matter of attending workshops and international travel by permanent secretaries must translate into real action. In fact, Rupiah’s statement must apply to all government officials, not just permanent secretaries. There is a tendency by Rupiah to say things that he does not believe in. He says things just to please and appease his audience. He wants to say things that he thinks people want to hear at a particular time without necessarily being committed to his pronouncements.
Sometimes we have heard Rupiah making some good pronouncements on the fight against corruption when his actions are to the contrary. The line Rupiah took on permanent secretaries’ international travel and their unnecessary attendance of workshops is progressive. However, we will only see that he means what he says when these good pronouncements are translated into deeds.
And to be a good leader, we will expect Rupiah to lead by example. He has to look at the way money is administered starting from his own entourage, the presidential entourage. Each time the President moves, especially out of the country, a lot of money is spent. But we believe that this expenditure can be reduced if there is prudent management. We have heard of some civil and public servants who look forward to presidential trips because it is a time for them to make money. Why? Because a lot of things, if not all, are done in the President’s name and therefore accountability is almost zero. It appears that a lot of officials would find it safer to do things in the President’s name because there is some unwritten rule that the President is above the law and therefore cannot be audited.
We hope Rupiah will lead by example in this matter and ensure prudent management of resources. The billions of kwacha that are every year spent on local and international travel by government officials can go a long way in making a difference to the development of this country.
Labels: WORKSHOPS
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Rupiah warns PSs against corruption
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Thursday, January 29, 2009 9:45:29 AM
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda yesterday warned that he will dismiss any permanent secretary involved in corruption. And President Banda has barred permanent secretaries from undertaking travels abroad and workshops that do not benefit Zambians.
Addressing 13 newly-appointed permanent secretaries after they took oath of office at State House in Lusaka, President Banda said he would not tolerate misuse of government funds on unnecessary luxuries which add no value to the lives of Zambians.
"A number of you are also going to be appointed controlling officers. I want you to use public funds properly and efficiently," President Banda said. "I want my permanent secretaries and controlling officers to be wary of corruption. I will not condone corruption and will dismiss any of you if caught involved."
However, President Banda said he trusted his new permanent secretaries would perform to his and the whole nation's expectations. President Banda warned permanent secretaries against taking unnecessary trips abroad.
"Travels abroad, workshop to workshop, which yield no results must not be undertaken," President Banda said.
He also told permanent secretaries that they must stop gossiping and avoid careless talk outside their offices.
"Work must be the priority before all," he said. "I want to emphasise what I said in my Parliament speech to the nation. I want discipline and hard work from all serving with me. I will not accept failure."
President Banda emphasised that he had a short period of time in office as President within which to fulfill the promises he made to the Zambian people during his campaign for election.
"I, therefore, will not accept excuses for failure to perform. I do not want unnecessary bureaucratic delays. I do not want scapegoating [scapegoat]. I want Zambians to receive a decent service from the civil service," he said.
President Banda said he was counting on his newly-appointed permanent secretaries to ensure that Zambians received the services they deserve from the government.
"In spite of what our detractors are saying about your appointments, each one of you was carefully selected from many equally capable Zambians," President Banda said. "I am as your President very confident that you will form part of the team of permanent secretaries who will oversee the successful implementation of my government's policies, programmes and projects."
He urged the new appointees to carefully read his speech to the nation, which he presented in Parliament so that they could understand and appreciate his government's vision, objectives and plans for 2009.
"I want you [to] take special interest in the budget which the minister of finance is presenting to Parliament this Friday [tomorrow]," President Banda said. "The budget will list and show all the projects and programmes which government plans to implement this year. I expect and demand that each one of you successfully implements programmes and projects under your charge."
Those sworn-in as permanent secretaries include Sebastian Kakoma [Office of the Vice-President], Berlin Msiska [Ministry Finance and National Planning], Dr Velepi Mtonga [Ministry of Health], Chilala Chibbonta [Ministry of Local Government and Housing], Godwin Beene [Mines and Minerals Development], and Davison Mendamenda [Lands].
And provincial permanent secretaries sworn-in included Villie Lombanya [Copperbelt], Eularia Zulu-Syamujaye [Eastern], Jazzman Chikwakwa [Luapula], Stephen Bwalya [Lusaka], Mwalimu Simfukwe [Northern] and Ikanuke Noyoo [Western Province].
And President Banda swore-in Robison Nkonde as senior private secretary at State House.
"I want to welcome Mr Nkonde to State House; it's a very tough place to work in, there is no time to break but we know you will be able to perform," said President Banda.
Labels: CORRUPTION, PERMANENT SECRETARIES, RUPIAH BANDA, WORKSHOPS
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ECZ embarks on programmes to review election manuals
January 26, 2009
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has started reviewing its election manuals in a bid to enhance the credibility of holding elections in the country.
ECZ chairperson Justice Florence Mumba disclosed this when she officially opened a post-election workshop of the 2008 presidential election held at Moto-Moto Pastoral Centre in Kasama today.
In a speech read for her by ECZ manager for Elections and Voter Education Jocelyn Mubita, Justice Mumba named the election manuals under review as those relating to electoral officers at all levels respectively.
She noted that since electoral officers play a critical role in elections, ECZ decided to consult them in order to come up with user friendly handbooks.
Justice Mumba has since urged electoral officers to ensure that they actively participate in the formulation of new election manuals in order to add credibility to the way elections are held in the country.
And Justice Mumba has called on all electoral officers from Northern Province to provide the ECZ with accurate and comprehensive information of how last year’s presidential election was conducted in the region.
She said ECZ decided to hold post-mortem workshops of the last Presidential election in order to learn from the shortcomings noticed and make necessary improvements for future elections.
Justice Mumba expressed optimism that the feedback from stakeholders would help the ECZ to improve on its performance of holding credible elections in the country.
Justice Mumba further advised her staff facilitating the post-election workshops to be attentive and allow the participants to highlight the challenges they faced during the last presidential election so that they could obtain useful information of bettering the electioneering process in the country.
The three-day post-election review workshop in Kasama has attracted electoral officers from all the 12 districts in Northern Province, who took part in the 2008 presidential election..
Meanwhile ,the Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) has maintained that the 50 per-cent plus one vote for a presidential holder should be enshrined in the new republican constitution in order to curb regional voting in the country.
AVAP executive director Bonnie Tembo said the 50 per cent plus one vote for a winning presidential candidate is a progressive idea especially for a democratic country like Zambia.
Mr. Tembo was speaking in Kasama during a stakeholders meeting held at AVAP governance house over the weekend.
He urged Zambians to support the popular mode of electing a republican president unlike the current system of a simple majority.
Mr. Tembo noted that incidences of people choosing a president on tribal lines would be curtailed once the top two (2) presidential candidates go for a re-run in case the first round polls does not come with a clear-cut winner.
The AVAP director also dismissed arguments from some sections of society that the exercise was costly saying it was a better a have a legitimate president elected by a majority vote than have minority one.
Mr. Tembo further urged National Constitutional Conference (NCC) delegates to be objective and conduct their debates above partisan lines if the country is to come up with a people-driven republican constitution.
And , Mr. Tembo has revealed that his organization will this year advocate for amendment of the current electoral code of conduct in order to make it more enforceable.
He explained that during last year’s presidential election, political parties and other stakeholders breached the code of conduct but that no action being taken against them.
The AVAP director further urged Zambians to actively participate in the electoral reform process in order to enhance the credibility of elections in the country.
ZANIS/WS/MKM/ENDS
Labels: ECZ, ELECTIONS, FLORENCE MUMBA, WORKSHOPS
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Councillors threaten walk-out over allowance
Written by Lemmy Likando in Siavonga
Thursday, January 15, 2009 3:17:28 AM
COUNCILLORS who are attending a workshop in Siavonga on Monday threatened to abandon the workshop after word went round that they would only be paid K150,000 as out-of-pocket allowance for the five days.
The councillors are attending a five-day women-in-local-government workshop at Leisure Bay Lodge. The workshop has attracted women councilors from across the country.
Namwala Central ward councillor Ellie Mweetwa said it was unfortunate that councillors were not regarded as anything despite being voted into office.
"We can’t be here for five days and you only pay us K150,000. Don't take us for granted," she warned.
"This is January and we have a lot of responsibilities. We need to send our children to school so we need money."
The councilors were, however, calmed after assurances of reasonable allowances.
Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) president Charles Mumena pleaded with the women not to abandon the workshop, assuring them that reasonable allowances would be paid to them during their stay in Siavonga.
And Mumena accused members of parliament from both the opposition and ruling party of being the ones blocking and frustrating efforts aimed at improving the welfare of councillors.
Mumena charged that councilors would have been getting reasonable allowances from government if only they were getting support from their members of parliament.
He said unfortunately, members of parliament were the ones in the forefront of frustrating and shooting down every little effort that councillors were making aimed at improving their current meagre allowances.
"I want to tell you now that your fellow councilors who are part of the NCC are being fought by your MPs for speaking on the need to increase allowances. Tell your MPs to come and challenge me if what I have said is not true because what they want is to see you continue living in misery" he said.
Currently government pays councillors attending municipal council meetings allowances amounting to K105, 000 of which K75, 000 is paid as subsistence allowance while K30,000 is transport refund.
Mumena observed that councillors despite being paid peanuts spend most of their time doing community projects unlike members of parliament who spend most of their time in Lusaka.
Labels: COUNCILS, SIAVONGA, WORKSHOPS
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Youths urged to learn entrepreneurship skills
Posted on August 7th, 2008
The Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) has assured youths in the country that it has provided seed money in order to mitigate the difficulty that youths face in accessing empowerment funds from the commission. CEEC Chairperson Jacob Sikazwe reiterated that the commission has K150 billion which will be used to support broad based economic empowerment programmes for targeted citizens such as youths, women and the disabled.
Mr. Sikazwe urged youths to get close to successful business persons in the country in order to learn the best practices of managing an entrepreneurship. He said this in Lusaka today at a youth sensitization workshop on the operations of CEEC and funding guidelines organized by the Youth Association of Zambia.
And YAZ Executive Director Evans Musonda said his organized stands ready to partner with the CEEC in the area of sensitization in order to ensure that all young people access the empowerment funds.
Mr. Musonda also disclosed that his organisation has since January this year spent over K1 billion in giving loans to young people in seven provinces.
He said YAZ which works in partnership with the Copperbelt Forum will by September this year cover all districts in all the nine provinces in a bid to supplement government efforts in youth empowerment.
The two-day workshop has drawn about 30 youths from all the nine provinces and is being held at the Commonwealth Youth Programme office at the University of Zambia great east road campus.
ZANIS/BK/AM/ENDS
Labels: CEEC, ENTREPRENEURS, EVANS MUSONDA, JACOB SIKAZWE, MENTORING, MICRO-FINANCE, WORKSHOPS, YAZ, YOUTHS
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Mutati deplores inconsistency in economic statistics
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Friday July 25, 2008 [04:00]
COMMERCE minister Felix Mutati says it is difficult to ascertain the correct economic position of the country because the available statistics are not consistent. And Mutati has said there is
too much theory in the development agenda of the country at the expense of practical solutions. Opening the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA)’s three-day strategic planning workshop at Sandy’s Creations yesterday, Mutati said
lack of harmonised data on the country’s economic position was working against efforts of attracting foreign investments in the country.
“The same government, if you ask different institutions like Bank of Zambia (BoZ), Central Statistical Office (CSO), Ministry of Finance on any issue like inflation, exports, copper output…you get a different picture. So it means we are not coordinating in terms of understanding the fundamentals and that is where you as ZDA need to ensure the correct data is available.
This is making it difficult to tell the investors the correct position of Zambia’s economic fundamentals,” he said.
And Mutati urged ZDA to ensure that they draw up a strategic plan that was going to fit into the country’s long-term plan, the Vision 2030.
“We need to devoid ourselves from endless theories, analysis, quantifying things that we must do on a practical basis,” said Mutati.
Meanwhile, President Levy Mwanawasa’s special assistant for economic affairs Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane urged ZDA to come up with a client charter as a way of streamlining the marketing of the country’s investment potential.
Labels: ECONOMY, FELIX MUTATI, STATISTICS, WORKSHOPS, ZDA
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First MineWatchZambia conference - Sept 19-20, Oxford
Mine Watch Zambia Conference:
Politics, economy, society, ecology and investment in Zambia
Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September, 2008
University of Oxford, UK
Speakers already confirmed include
Professor Oliver Saasa, International Economic Relations, University of Zambia
Professor John Lungu, Economics and Management, Copperbelt University, Zambia
Professor Jeremy Gould, Development Studies, University of Helsinki
Dr Nicholas Cheeseman, Politics and African Studies, Oxford University
Dr Jan-Bart Gewald, History, University of Leiden
Dr Marja Hinfelaar, National Archives of Zambia
Dr Miles Larmer, History, Sheffield University
Elva Bora, PhD candidate, Economics, SOAS
Andrew Brooks, PhD candidate, Royal Holloway
Namukale Chintu, MSc student, SAID Business School, Oxford University
Alastair Fraser, PhD candidate, International Relations, Oxford University
Tomas Friederikson, PhD candidate, History, Manchester University
Dan Haglund, PhD candidate, Economics and Management, Bath University
Rohit Negi, PhD candidate, Geography, Ohio State University
Frida Wallin, MSc candidate, Economics, Uppsala University
Janie Whitlock, MSc student, African Studies, Oxford University
Objectives
This inter-disciplinary conference aims to bring together senior Zambianist scholars, a group of young researchers currently engaged in primary research in Zambia and all those interested in the country.
Contemporary Zambian political economy has been largely ignored by the academy for a decade. The excitement of the ‘dual transition’ to democracy and free market economics in 1991 led to a flurry of articles and books on the political economy of reform. Once the economy continued its long-running decline and popular political forces retreated, Zambia appeared to lose its appeal. For the last decade the country attracted contemporary social science research almost exclusively on aid, the impacts of HIV-AIDS and occasional elections. Historical researchers have continued their work, and have remained well-networked, through newsletters and email circulars organised by the Network for Historical Research in Zambia, as well a series of conferences in Zambia and Europe.
However, economic and political developments in the country over the last five years have sparked a new wave of contemporary research, much of it being carried out by young scholars early in their academic careers. This research is particularly focused on:
- The privatisation of Zambia’s copper mines, through the negotiation of secret ‘Development Agreements’ between the Government and mine multinationals.
- The role of international financial institutions and aid donors in the privatisation process and subsequent reforms of the regulatory and tax frameworks.
- Increases in investment, productivity and profit since privatisation and the roles of privatisation and a boom in global commodity prices in these developments
- The impacts of Zambia’s new boom on the wider national economy, government revenue, urban social conditions, labour relations and the environment.
- The increasing involvement of non-traditional (largely Indian and Chinese) investors, creditors and donors in mining and other commercial and industrial sectors
- Company approaches to labour relations and laws, popular and regulatory pressure for corporate social responsibility and the ‘empowerment’ agenda.
- The unilateral revision of tax structures by the state in 2008. Reactions of the companies and investors to these changes.
- Reactions of the Zambian population, trade unions, NGOs, Churches and politicians to social and political change on the Copperbelt and the country more widely.
Background
One of the first publications reviewing the impact of privatisation of the copper mines (For Whom the Windfalls?, Fraser and Lungu, 2007), the linked publication of previously secret ‘Development Agreements’ between the Government and mining companies, and a ‘blog’ www.minewatchzambia.com sparked a number of the presenters at the workshop to contact the conference organiser. An informal network developed into an email list, as young and experienced scholars shared with each other their research objectives and provided practical advice on research in Zambia. This workshop will be the first physical meeting of many of those involved and presents an exciting opportunity to create new relationships, research connections and debates. The existing participants in this putative new network are excited about the possibility of meeting others, thus far unknown to them, working on linked research. If the workshop is successful, Fraser and Larmer propose to prepare an edited volume for publication based initially on the papers presented.
Publicity and Registration
This notice will be circulated on a range of email list-serves and websites. You are invited to forward this information as widely as possible.
Those interested in presenting papers at the conference are asked to email alastair.fraser@politics.ox.ac.uk with a title and abstract.
Deadline: July 18 2008.
Participation in the conference will be limited by the space available. Those interested in participating without presenting a paper are also invited to register their interest at the same email address. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Funding and Costs
The organisers have applied for funding to bring leading Zambian and European scholars to the conference, making possible an exchange between two generations of Zambianists. Their participation will likely only be possible if we are able to secure this funding, but the conference will go ahead either way.
It is unlikely that we will be able to provide transport costs for other participants.
We hope to make the conference free to attend and may be able to provide a contribution to accommodation for those speaking. However in the absence of funding there may be a small fee of around £20.
Participants with ideas about potential sources of financial support for the conference are invited to contact the organisers.
Labels: MINEWATCH ZAMBIA, WORKSHOPS
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SAFADA calls for strong support system in deals
By Joan Chirwa
Friday June 06, 2008 [04:00]
SMALL-scale farmers in Zambia need a concrete and strong support system for survival once the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) come into effect, Small-Scale Farmers Development Agency (SAFADA) director Boyd Moobwe has said. And East and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) vice regional chairperson Mubanga Kasakula has said small-scale farmers have been facing numerous difficulties in influencing policies designed for them due to inadequate information about trade arrangements like the EPAs.
During a three-day workshop on the EPAs and regional integration which ended in Lusaka yesterday, Moobwe said small-scale farmers in East and Southern Africa regions had been operating under stress, hence opening competition with the European Union (EU) would completely put them out of business.
“The vision of the EPA is a very big one and it needs a lot of time to discuss and come up with concrete resolutions before Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries sign the full EPA in December this year. We don’t need to rush into signing this agreement, we need to have case studies and see what repercussions the trade arrangement would have on small-scale farmers,” he said.
“Our experience nationally and regionally is that the capacity of farmers and the organisations that represent them has been weak,” Kasakula said.
Zambia and a few other countries in the region have signed an interim EPA, which would be replaced by the full EPA, expected to be signed this December.
The EU engineered EPAs will require countries to engage in reciprocal trade once implemented. However, most ESA and ACP countries do not have the capacity to compete on the EU markets as farmers in the EU are heavily subsidised.
Labels: EPAs, FARMERS, WORKSHOPS
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‘Invest in research to improve agric production’
Herald Reporter
Sadc needs to improve agricultural production through investment in research and technology, irrigation and rural infrastructure, Industry and International Trade Minister Cde Obert Mpofu has said.
Speaking at a regional workshop on trade and development, agro-biodiversity and food security in Norton this week, he said while agricultural growth and improving production was the focus of the region, the level to which countries added value to agricultural production was still very low.
"Our region should, through trade, exploit regional value chains and integrate through value addition," said the minister.
Through value addition, he said, the region would not only increase the income derived from selling value-added products, but also create employment for youths and women.
The workshop was organised by the Community Technology Development Trust as part of the Southern Africa Biodiversity and Biosafety Policy Initiative to facilitate stakeholder consultation and draw up special recommendations for trade agreements for the region.
The workshop, which drew more than 50 participants from Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe, analysed the implications of regional and international trade agreements.
These included Economic Partnership Agreements and World Trade Organisation negotiations.
"As a region, we need to safeguard our economic and social interests in all negotiations and ensure that developed countries do not sideline our concerns by making onerous market access demands at the expense of our economies and people.
"As developing countries, we reiterate the development issues remain a priority for our continent and a key component for the successful achievement of the real objectives of the Economic Partnerships Agreement negotiations," Cde Mpofu said.
CTDT executive director Mr Andrew Mushi said the workshop provided a platform for open discussion among all stakeholders to contribute towards the shaping-up of global instruments and defining national and regional positions on trade and development instruments.
CTDT is a non-governmental organisation that runs a number of programmes on agriculture, food security, trade and development, environment and bio-diversity.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, SADC, WORKSHOPS, ZIMBABWE
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COMESA express worry over low agro-production
By CYNTHIA MWALE
THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) says low agriculture productivity coupled with uncompetitive industrial output has not provided prospects to boost trade within or outside the region. Comesa assistant secretary general, Sindiso Ngwenya said that there was need to address the structural deficiencies and the high cost of doing business to achieve significant growth in intra-Comesa trade.
Mr Ngwenya was speaking in Lusaka yesterday when he officiated at the, Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Toolkit Zambia Awareness, workshop.
He said there was also need to improve business information access on products and services, financing and technology to make the region competitive, particularly in Zambia.
Mr Ngwenya said in a rapidly changing global economic environment, there was demand for Africa to move swiftly and strategically to achieve regional economic integration.
He noted that opening the Comesa’s immense economic potential would bring greater stability and improve the business climate hence provide growth for the business sector.
“I strongly believe that regional integration provides a key to unlocking our region’s vast economic potential and help raise the living standards of our people”, he said.
He said SMEToolkit provides an opportunity for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and businesses in Zambia, Comesa and Africa to compete with others in developed countries through effective uses of the toolkit software and online marketing among other things.
The workshop discussed some aspect of development Moneyweb such as lighting Africa Initiative, the Lighting Africa Development marketplace Grant Competition and Carbon finance programme.
The Zambia-Comesa SMEToolkit project partnership is a unique strategic partnership of the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group, Comesa and Elif Business Solution.
Labels: COMESA, SMEs, WORKSHOPS
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