CANADA CONGRATULATES ZAMBIA FOR PEACEFUL ELECTIONSCANADA CONGRATULATES ZAMBIA FOR PEACEFUL ELECTIONS

Hon. Deepak Obhrai & Dr. Nevers Mumba in Ottawa yesterday

Canadian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the House of Commons, Hon. Deepak Obhrai has congratulated President Michael Sata on his election as Zambia’s new leader.

Mr. Obhrai also congratulated former President Rupiah Banda, who he said accepted the will of the people of Zambia and peacefully transitioned power to the newly elected President.

Addressing the House of Commons in Ottawa, Mr. Obhrai applauded all the candidates that participated in the elections and the Zambian people on their role in bringing about peaceful political transition through peaceful elections.

He observed that Zambia’s peaceful elections were another example of Africa’s drive towards building stronger democratic institutions and principles on the continent.

He noted that Zambia “remains” a key partner for Canada in Africa.

He added, “Canada contributed to the Zambia electoral process through the United Nations and Commonwealth.”

Two Canadian officials took part in the European Union’s election observation mission.

Meanwhile, Barrick Gold Corporation, the owners of Lumwana Mining Company Limited, have also added their voice in congratulating President Michael C Sata as Zambia’s fifth Republican President.

In a statement made available to the Zambia High Commission in Ottawa, Canada, the Board of Directors wished President Michael C Sata and his team every success and wished him their support in the highest office in the land to deliver his vision of growth and prosperity for Zambia.

This according to a press statement released by Press Secretary to the Zambian High Commission to Canada, Ben Kangwa.

UN ANNOUNCES US$ 2BN INCREASED FUNDING FOR DROUGHT-HIT HORN OF AFRICA

By Margaret Kalekye
NAIROBI, Sept 26 ,(NNN,KBC)---- The World Bank has announced it is increasing funding for the drought in the Horn of Africa to nearly US$ 2.0 billion boosted from around US$ 500 million which the Bank announced in July.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick says the financing will help fill a US$1.0 billion funding gap needed to tackle drought and a food crisis engulfing parts of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Uganda.
At the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a conference on the Horn of Africa famine over the weekend that around US$ 700 million were still needed for this year alone. "Next year we will need more," he added.
The UN had estimated that some US$2.4 billion in aid were needed for immediate drought relief assistance. While international appeals had drawn US$1.4 billion in donor pledges, a gap remained.
Somalia is at the epicentre of the hunger crisis. The UN says about 750,000 people face imminent starvation in Somalia, where the al Qaeda-affiliated rebel group, al Shabaab, controls much of the south and will not allow food shipments in.
Zoellick said the World Bank funding would be allocated in three phases following initial needs assessments conducted by Bank experts in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somali refugee camps and Uganda.
He made clear that the bulk of the funding was for long-term measures to aid resistance to drought, with just US$288 million going for "rapid response" relief in the fiscal year ending next June 30.
"In addressing today's disaster, our role is to help build resilience for tomorrow. A humanitarian crisis need not and should not become a perpetual crisis," he said in a statement.

YOUR INVESTMENTS SAFE, MUMBA ASSURES CANADIAN INVESTORS

Peter Munk owner of Lumwana Mine and

Chairman of Barrick Gold with Zambia's

High Commissioner to Zambia Dr. Nevers Mumba

at the Marriot Hotel in Toronto

Zambia’s High Commissioner to Canada Dr. Nevers Mumba, says Zambia’s ability to resolve and respect the norms of democracy has shown the World that the country has the ability to provide policies that respect the rule of law.

Officially opening the Zambia – Canada Business Forum which attracted about 60 Canadian investors, in Toronto, Dr. Mumba assured the Canadian Business community that their Investments were still safe in Zambia.

He observed that Zambians had shown the world that the country had the ability to transfer power smoothly, a sign that demonstrated maturity in democratic governance.

“For the fifth time, Zambia has shown the world that an African country has the ability to transition in dignity and respect for both the victor and the vanquished,” he stressed.

He said it was this unique character of Zambia that makes it the finest destination for any investor and that the political stability provided a   comfort and peace of mind for any investor.

He said Zambia were now determined to further develop the country into a truly prosperous nation of the 21^st century as a result of peace that exists among Zambians.

Dr. Mumba emphasized, “There is a new lease of energy and hope amongst the Zambian people and we are determined to ride on this enthusiasm.”

He    said he was aware   of the fact that several Canadian investors had expressed great anxiety as to how the new administration of President Michael C. Sata would relate to the Canadian Investment community.

He assured the investors that the new President was one of the most experienced politician who served as a public servant all his life for a long time.

He said President Michael Sata fought for office of President using democratic means and that although he had opportunities to cause unrest in the country, he more than many Zambians the significance of maintaining peace and adhering  to democratic norms,” he added. 

Dr. Mumba further quoted President Michael Sata last Friday when he specifically addresses foreign investment in the country.

He noted the President said that,”Foreign Investment is important to Zambia and we will continue to work with foreign investors who are in the country,” end of quote.

Dr. Mumba also said that the former Zambian President Mr. Rupiah Banda who graciously conceded defeat in the recently held elections last week   had secured himself a place on the list of respected statesmen in African politics.

 Former President Banda had said “The people of Zambia had spoken and we must. Now is not time for violence and retribution but time to unite and build tomorrow’s Zambia together.”

“This, Dr Mumba said, “is the Zambia I wish for the investors and the world to see and know.

We are committed to the respect of the rule of law and it is these values that shall protect your investments.”

It was against this background that Dr. Mumba urged for more Canadian companies to invest in Zambia particularly in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure and ICT.

He told his audience that currently there were more than 200 Canadian companies that were doing business in Zambia and that out of this number only 41 were officially registered with the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and that these enjoyed fiscal and non fiscal benefits offered by the country.

Dr. Mumba stated that Zambia had been assigned a sovereign credit rating of B plus by Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor an indication of the country’s creditworthiness.

He also added that the World Bank also reclassified the country as a Low Middle Income country, a development that has been seen as a booster to economic development.

“The reclassification will lead to more investments which will stimulate growth in major sectors of the country,” he added.

In his presentation, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Barrick Gold, Mr. Peter Munk congratulated President Sata on his election win as Zambia’s fifth President.

He said the victory had proved that Zambia was able to rise above political differences in order to safeguard peace.

Mr. Munk whose company Barrick Gold has invested $7.8 billion in Zambia, the largest investment in any African country.

He said Zambians deserved to be congratulated for providing policies that protect investors such as good governance, the rule of law, transparency and most of all peace.

He urged the new government to attract major companies that would create employment, develop the country and raise the living standards for their citizens.

Mr. Munk said his company will continue to invest in Zambia as long as good governance issues were preserved.

“We are looking forward to be your ambassadors in the global economy,” he said.

Earlier, Mr. Henry Sakala, the Acting Director – Investments, Promotion and Privatisation at the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) made a presentation of Zambia As An Attractive Destination.

Zambia was presented as an attractive investment destination by the Canadian Council on Africa (CCA) and two private businessmen from Zambia. The presentation made by Mr. Francis Chola Mutati, Managing Director of Tec-Trade Limited and Mr. Joseph Mbazzi Director of Projects at Plinth Technical Works Limited were good practical testimonies to some of the competitive advantage that Zambia offers.

The Investment Forum moves to Ottawa on 30^th September.

This is contained is press statement released by Press Secretary at the Zambian High Commission in Canada, Ben Kangwa

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TO SOON HAVE LABOUR AUDIT

Immediate past president of the Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (HCAWUZ) Mubiana Sitwala says a labour audit would soon be carried out in the hospitality industry in Livingstone.

Mr Sitwala said this is in a bid to check whether the investors in the hospitality industry are abiding by the country's labour laws.

ZANIS reports from the Tourist capital, that the former HCAWUZ President said this in an in an interview, today.

He said whilst investors are welcome to invest in the country, they should never be allowed to abuse the labour laws.

''We are advising our investors that we are not against any investor in the country and that we will receive them with open hands but we will not tolerate any investor who will abuse our rights and who will not respect the labour laws of the country,'' he said.

Mr Sitwala further noted that it was important for the investors to ensure that they abide by the labour laws.

He said if investors are not sure with the country's labour laws, they should consult from labour officials whom he said were better placed to advise them.

Mr Sitwala said most of the workers working in the hospitality industry in Livingstone were on contract contrary to the labour laws of the country.

ZANIS

16 ARRESTED IN SEPT 20 ELECTIONS VIOLENCE

The Zambia Police (ZP) Service says it has so far officially arrested a total number of 16 people involved in connection with election violence in Lusaka.
Police Service spokesperson Ndandula Siamana told ZANIS in a telephone in Lusaka today that those arrested are allegedly  charged with conduct likely to breach peace.
She added that her office has also received more reports of fresh arrests in Lusaka’s Lilanda Township and other compounds.
Meanwhile the Zambia police is expected to release the final list of all the people arrested through the country in connection with election violence.
And by press time, the police spokesperson Ndandula Siamana said she was still compiling a full list of all those arrested throughout the country.
ZANIS

ACCESS TO INFORMATION EMPOWERS CITIZENS – IDASA

WIDER access to information allows and empowers ordinary citizens to participate actively in development processes, Institute for Democracy in Africa (Idasa) has stated.
In a statement ahead of the commemoration of the International Right to Know Day, which falls on September 28, Idasa emphasised the importance of making information accessible to the wider public. “Citizens’ access to information ensures that they take ownership of democratic processes and therefore can participate effectively,” read the Idasa statement in part.  “In 2011, the advocacy message is about making information on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) available to everyone. That access to information can be used as a tool to ensure that the wishes of citizens as set out in the Millennium Declaration are honoured.”
Idasa stated that its Right to Know Right to Education Project would advocate for a push towards the attainment of the MDG that relates to education, with special emphasis on the MDG2, which is on achieving universal primary education.
Idasa sated that its project would promote the right of access to information to all citizens.
According to an MDG report, enrolment in primary education has continued to rise, reaching an impressive 89% in the developing world.
“However, there should be concern around the findings in the report that Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia are home to the vast majority of children out of school,” Idasa stated. “The report has to be simplified so that ordinary citizens may understand and break down the data it contains. More effort should be put into ensuring much wider reach of the report’s findings.”
Idasa has observed that despite a growing consensus among civil society that information provision was crucial in the continent’s quest for development, the role of information had largely been left off the MDG agenda.
“Transparency in governance requires that information be made available to citizens. The tendency of governments to adopt FOI Bills with secrecy as an undertone is in contradiction to democratic processes and against development,” Idasa stated.
Idasa stated that it would advocate for freedom of information not just being a reserve for the media but for a more progressive outlook where all citizens enjoy the right to information as a basic right.

SATA THANKS CHURCH FOR PEACEFUL SEPT 20 POLLS

President Michael Sata

President Michael Sata has commended the church for the role it played in ensuring that the nation holds peaceful and violent free elections.

President Sata said his Government commends the church for preaching love, peace and reconciliation.

He said his Government will be governed by biblical teachings based on the Ten Commandments.

The President was speaking in Lusaka today when he addressed congregants at Saint Ignitius Catholic Parish.

He told the congregation that his Government will also embrace the fight against corruption because one of the Ten Commandments states that ‘thou shall not steal.”

The President on this score warned that his government will persecute any one who steals irrespective of his or her social-economic  status or party affiliation.

President Sata who is a Parishioner of Saint Ignatius Parish thanked the church for their consistence and contribution to his ascending to Republican presidency in the last ten years.

He assured the church that his Government would adopt the catholic doctrine and discipline of services to the people.

The head of state said he would ensure equal distribution of wealth among all Zambians, saying he would not want to see a situation where his children have three meals a day while others had none.

He also emphasized the need for people across the country to love one another and embrace reconciliation.

Earlier, President Sata and wife Dr Christine Kaseba were blessed by the congregation and prayed for by Father Charles Chilinda.

Fr. Chilinda blessed the first couple as they knelt at the alter at who added the 08:15 and 10:00 hours mass knelt before the alter and prayed to God to give President Sata wisdom, knowledge and right judgment for him to effectively govern the people of Zambian.

And Father Chilinda urged Mr Sata to embrace all Zambians and desist from seeking retribution but love, peace and reconciliation.

He further stated that the Presidents crusade against corruption would not be successful if people do not get rid of corrupt practices.

“Corruption starts from within us. You can cry about the lack of medicines in hospital but if you steal medicines in hospitals, can the patients be able to access these medicines”, he said.

And Father Chilinda who acknowledged Mr Sata as the first Catholic President for Zambia said people voted for President Sata because they know that he is a hard worker and would deliver on his promises.

Father Chilinda has since given President Sata a new title dubbed “Servant King” and urged people never to refer to him again as King Cobra.

President Sata was accompanied by Kanyama Member of Parliament, former works and supply deputy minister Lameck Mangani and other senior PF officials.

ZANIS

ZAMBIAN AMBASSADOR ADDRESSES DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING IN DC

President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)and Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations, Ambassador Lazarous Kapambwe has appealed to the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to find necessary and appropriate solutions to the continuing financial and economic crisis which has dogged the USA and Europe.

Addressing the Development Committee at the 2011 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, Ambassador Kapambwe said the continuing crisis had an adverse impact on the economic recovery of developing countries.

This, he said, had led to a reduction in fiscal resources that shielded populations from rising food prices.

 “We are meeting in the midst of a stubborn and continuing financial and economic crisis across the globe. This meeting is therefore not only timely, but is being looked to with great hope and anticipation by the peoples of the world,” he said.

Ambassador Kapambwe also noted that women especially in the Third World countries were the worst affected by the global financial and economic crisis.

He noted that women’s empowerment and poverty eradication were necessary if all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were to be achieved.

Ambassador Kapambwe also expressed happiness that in July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN WOMEN, whose role among others would be to hold the UN system accountable to its commitment to Gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progress.

Earlier, in his address to the same gathering, World Bank President Mr. Robert Zoellick  stated that the continued uncertainties in the global economy posed a great threat to continued growth in emerging and developing countries.

IMF Managing Director, Mme Christine Lagarde noted that in the event that the downside risks of the slowing economy materialized, the IMF was ready to respond rapidly to new financing requests by drawing on the enhanced mechanisms put in place at the start of the crisis.

And Coordinating Minister for Economy and Minister of Finance of Nigeria, Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iwaela welcomed the publication and distribution of the 2012 World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development.

She noted that while real advances in gender equality have occurred over the years, the remains an immense gap between the promises of equality and everyday reality for women in many parts of the world..

Other speakers included Swedish Minister of Finance, Mr. Anders Borg, who cautioned that if another economic and financial crisis was to unfold, the International bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) risked being mere “spectators” based on their current funding trends.

This is a contained in a press statement released by First Secretary for press at the Zambian in USA Ben Kangwa

PF TO FULFILL MANIFESTO PROMISES-KABIMBA

Wynter Kabimba

The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party which has sailed through to victory in the just ended tripartite elections says it is committed to fulfilling the promises of its manifesto.

General Secretary Wynter Kabimba told Journalists that the PF will abide by its manifesto and see to it that it is implemented to the latter.

Mr Kabimba who is also expressed joy at the party’s victory said everything that the PF has outlined in the manifesto still stands and will implemented.

‘’Everything we have put in our manifesto still stands and we are going to abide by our manifesto, see to it that our manifesto is implemented to the latter,’’ he said.

He said this shortly, before the inauguration of President Michael Chilufya Sata which took place at the High Court grounds in Lusaka yesterday.

On the just ended election, Mr Kabimba who described the PF’s victory as sweet said lessons to be drawn from the September 20 election is that money is not what wins an election but that the message that the party has for the people and how appealing the message is.

He said if money were a means to win an election, the opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) would have won with a resounding victory.

‘’ Victory is sweet especially when you defeat a ruling party. The lesson drawn from this is that money is not what wins an election.

What wins an election is the message that you have for the people and how appealing your message is to the people,’’ Mr Kabimba said.

He further pledged the party’s commitment to ensuring that the plight of women and youths are addressed.