WWF Calls for More Investment in Fisheries Management  

By NAMO PHIRI 

The World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature Zambia has called on the government to invest more in the management of the fisheries in order for it to reap more benefits from the sector.

WWF Country Director Nachilala Nkombo said research had shown that over 1 million people in Zambia depend on the fisheries sector which makes it a vital part even for the economic development.

Ms Nkombo also added that the fisheries sector was one of the most viable employer in the country hence the need to enhance it through massive investment for it to create more employment for Zambians.

She said the sector can also contribute to the eradication of the high levels of malnutrition which the country was being faced with.

“It is a known fact that Zambia is one of the countries with the highest levels of malnutrition, but this situation can be turned around with good management of the fisheries sector,” said Ms Nkombo 

Ms Nkombo was speaking during the launch of the upper Zambezi fisheries baseline survey report in Lusaka yesterday.

And Ms Nkombo emphasised the need for more research to be done in order to appreciate the challenges that the sector is being faced with in order to bring solutions.

She said WWF believed that investing in research would help to ensure that potential hindrances are quickly recognized and dealt with.

Ms Nkombo also said the report had revealed very important policy implications that need to be paid attention to by the government and other stakeholders going forward.

And Permanent Secretary at the ministry of fisheries and livestock Dr Anna Songolo said government is keen to ensuring that fish production is increased.

Dr Nsogolo therefore said issues that are affecting the sector need to be reported in order to ensure that the government acts on time.

She commended WWF for their efforts and the report that they had released further encouraging them to release such reports on short time intervals and consistently because information is vital.

Dr Nsogolo also said the government had taken note of the challenges that were being faced by the sector and action would be taken to make improvements.

Government calls for timely, predictable climate financing 

By PRINCE MABUMA

GOVERNMENT has called for timely and predictable financial flows to Zambia and other African countries to enable attainment of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments. 

Speaking at the ongoing Africa Knowledge Exchange event hosted by the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, Permanent Secretary John Msimuko called for more predictable climate financing from the developed world and multilateral climate financing institutions such as CIF and African Development Bank (AfDB) to address the vulnerability among African economies to climatic shocks. 

Mr Musimuko highlighted the negative impacts of climate shocks on Zambia’s development goals and Government’s efforts to address the challenge. 

This is according to a statement issued by Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Senior Communications Officer, Chibaula Silwamba.

“We have enshrined our climate response into high-level national documents such as the National Policy on Climate Change and the Eighth National Development Plan which has a dedicated development pillar focusing on Environmental Sustainability,” Mr Msimuko said. 

He informed the meeting that in addition to these high-level policy documents, a National Green Growth Strategy was being developed to steer the country to a fully-fledged low carbon and socially inclusive green economy within the next few years.

Zambia is the leading beneficiary in the CIF’s recently launched Nature, People and Climate programme through a country specific award and a regional project which includes Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Tanzania.

Over the past 10 years, the CIFs has provided more than US$90 million to the Government of Zambia to implement projects in adaptation and resilience as well as technical assistance in the development of investment plans for CIF’s Forest Investment Programme and the Scaling Renewable Energy Programme.

Bowman Lusambo never paid tax – ZRA inspector 

By LUCY PHIRI

A Tax inspector at the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has testified in the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that former Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo has never paid tax for transactions on his properties since he obtained a tax payers identification number (TPIN).

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Mighty, Power renew rivalry – as Forest Rangers hunt Buffaloes in ABSA Cup quarter finals 

By MICHAEL MIYOBA

The quarter finals of the K4.4-rich ABSA Cup championship takes off this afternoon with Power Dynamos and “Mighty” Mufulira Wanders headlining the double header slated for Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.

Power are the favourites going into today’s fixture which promises sparks as the two sides begin their quest to win the K700, 000 prize money for this year’s champions.

The Kitwe giants dominate the FAZ Super League with 50 points, seven points ahead of second-placed Green Buffaloes.

Facing a team from the National Division one may be an advantage for the Mwenya Chipepo-tutored Power Dynamos who will have to tread cautiously to avoid a repeat of what happened last year when the tournament was won by Napsa Stars, a team that was then representing the National Division one.

“We have prepared very well. It has been long since we participated in this tournament and we are excited. We play Mufulira Wanderers and it is not going to be an easy game but we are prepared and we are ready,” Chipepo said.

For Power captain Luka Chamanga, competing in the ABSA Cup presents the players an opportunity to do something big for their sponsors.

Chamanga said Power will not make the mistake of under-rating Wanderous just because they are coming from the national league.

For Wanderers’ coach Charles Kafula, playing the Zambian Super League leaders may prove to be a tough challenge but his lads are ready to them.

“It will not be an easy game because Power are topping the premier league and they are playing good football and going into this competition it is a different competition.  We give Power the respect but on the pitch it will be different,” Kafula said.

Meanwhile, Forest Rangers will hunt for Buffaloes when the two sides face off in an early kick off of the double header at Nkoloma Stadium.

Forest Rangers assistant coach Owen Kaposa knows that it will not be a walk in the park against Buffaloes.

“Green Buffaloes is one of the biggest clubs in Zambia.  We have played them in the league and the game ended in draws and in tomorrow’s game, We will approach the game differently and hoping to get a positive result at the end of the day,” Kaposa said.

Buffaloes’ captain Chilimba Monga said the Zambia Army-sponsored outfit was ready to compete as they aim to win their second ABSA Cup title after the 2015 triumph when it was called the Barclays Cup.

Last week ABSA Bank Zambia announced an increase in the sponsorship package for the 16th edition of the Absa Cup from K4 million to K4.4 million.

The champions are set to walk away with K700, 000, the runners up will get K350, 000 from K300, 000 pocketed by Red Arrows last year.

Man of the matches will be walking away with K15, 000 while the coach of the tournament, top scorer and golden gloves winner will receive K25, 000 each.

UPND making agriculture unprofitable – Antonio

By NATION REPORTER
The manner the UPND government is handling Agriculture has resulted in the sector becoming non-profitable, Patriotic Front (PF) Media Director Antonio Mourinho Mwanza has said.
Mr Mwanza said President Hakainde Hichilema was giving false statements that the government had saved US$154 million from fertiliser purchases.
He said this was not possible because the amount of fertiliser had doubled.
Mr Mwanza said some of the contracts for fertiliser distribution was given to “Friends” of Government and suppliers who had no record in distributing the commodity.
Speaking when he featured on Live Radio, Mr Mwanza said the agriculture sector had been killed because farming inputs had gone beyond the reach of many Zambians.
“If you are a farmer six bags of fertiliser gives you 40 bags of maize. Today fertiliser is K1, 200. If you were to multiply that it will give you over K7, 000. 40 bags of maize ni K150 which will give you K6, 000. They have literally made agriculture very non-profitable. Except for the commercial farmers who are very few,” he said.
And Mr Mwanza has charged that the distribution of fertiliser was a scandal.
He said it will not be surprising to see the prices of mealie meal continuing to increase because Government has no proper plan to keep the prices of goods and services at manageable levels.
“The initiative Government has taken for releasing FRA cheap maize. We have to first commend ECL for ensuring that the Hummer meals were placed. The FRA says it released 420 metric tonnes of Maize. Do they have enough to sustain us, no. There are no practical interventions the Government is putting in place,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Mwanza said that if the UPND was not a puppet Government, enough money would have been raised from the Mining sector.

Study shows MISB, a minimally invasive procedure for treating bunions, does not affect flatfoot

Existing thought in the orthopedic world is that treating a bunion with the minimally invasive procedure MISB may make a person’s flatfoot worse. A new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City shows that this procedure does not make flatfoot worse in people with asymptomatic flatfoot and may even improve the condition. The findings were presented today at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).