NEWS IN DEPTH NATIONAL ADDRESSING 25 10 2018. In This Documentary, I discuss the importance of National Addressing and Postcode system in service delivery.

ZAMBIAN BREWERIES, DEC STRIKES DEAL...as both parties aim at ending drug and alcohol abuse

Zambian Breweries and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to curb alcohol and drug abuse.

Zambian Breweries Country Director Jose Moran and DEC Deputy Commissioner Kelvin Silwimba shake hands on a memorandum of understanding to curb alcohol and drug abuse.

The agreement was signed at the Zambian Breweries Mungwi Road plant last week by Country Director Jose Moran and DEC Deputy Commissioner Kelvin Silwimba.

Speaking at the event, Mr Moran said the cooperation between Zambian Breweries and the DEC presented opportunities to combine the strengths of both parties through their footprint and outreach into smallholders markets, and cement a solid commercial and regulatory relationship.

He said the MOU was in line with Zambian Breweries’ Responsible Alcohol Policy on alcohol abuse and prohibition of underage drinking. He noted that the MOU would also help reduce the sale of potent and harmful tujilijili and junta sold at prices as low as K5, especially to underage youth.

“Alcohol abuse and underage drinking remain prominent in our communities. Here at Zambian Breweries, we believe in bringing people together for better communities. This is why I’m happy we have created a partnership with the Commission to fight alcohol abuse especially among the youth,” he said.

He also appealed to the media to join Zambian Breweries in relaying the message of responsible alcohol consumption.

Corporate affairs director Ezekiel Sekele said the MOU would see the company develop strategies to promote responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages, youth sensitisation and discouraging youths from underage drinking.

It underlined Zambian Breweries’ support of the National Alcohol Policy and its responsibility as a brewer, he added.

“Zambian Breweries highly values partnerships and strategies aimed at lessening the harmful use of alcohol, especially among the youth. We will continue educating and sensitising the youths on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse,” he said.

The DEC Commissioner Alita Mbahwe, in a speech read on her behalf by the DEC Deputy Commissioner, said she was delighted that Zambian Breweries was committed to curbing illicit alcohol abuse and agreed the MOU was a step in the right direction.

She further noted that the interaction was in line with the model in the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) to move away from a standalone thematic approach to addressing national issues towards an integrated multi-sectoral approach.

DEC will support initiatives and partnerships aimed at curbing the vice and that other corporate entities must join Zambian Breweries’ noble cause.

She also said signing the MOU came at an opportune time, as there had been an increase in cases of mental health issues between the ages of 12 and 35 years attributed to alcohol abuse.

“As a Commission, we will partner with Zambian Breweries in creating strategies aimed at reducing illicit drug abuse and underage drinking,” she said.

“It is clear that the problem of drugs, substance and alcohol abuse is on the rise in Zambia. The Commission noted an increase in the number of persons seeking counselling services from 607 in 2016 to 704 clients in 2017,”

“I am delighted we will work hand-in-hand with Zambian Breweries in creating awareness and sensitization programmes, knowledge management and reporting purposes as well as feedback arising from monitoring and evaluation of field activities,” she added.

Witnessing the event, Lusaka City Council director of public health Edgar Mulwanda expressed positivity about the partnership between ZB and DEC and said the MOU will yield positive results.

He said there is also need to increase sensitisation among consumers, as they are key in bringing alcohol and substance abuse to a halt through self-regulation.

NEWS IN DEPTH SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT 20 09 18

Zambia mobilising resources and consensus to combat Climate Change, a modern-day challenge to development

By MacPherson Mukuka

Climate Change has continued to top the list of priorities among many Governments across the World.

This probably due to its adverse effects it is likely to pose on the development agendas of most Nations.

However,  most countries have intensified their programmes for climate change resilience.

Zambia is not an exception.

And Government says climate change is a developmental challenge and the country is taking all necessary actions to minimise further environmental degradations and ramifications on the economy and national development.

Ministry of National Development Planning Permanent Secretary (Development Planning and Administration) Mr. Chola Chabala was speaking when he officially opened the national consultative stakeholder meeting on setting up the National Climate Change Fund (NCCF) in Livingstone on Monday 18 June,  2018.

He emphasised the Government's commitment to mobilise resources to help combat Climate Change and its impact on the economy.

"Zambia has in the past experienced adverse impacts of climate change including climate variability, extreme weather events and other systematic climate changes over the last several decades," he said. "Droughts and floods have increased in frequency and intensity over the last two decades and this has adversely impacted on food and water security, energy availability and general livelihoods of our communities."

The Permanent Secretary said one of the key measures the Government has taken was the formulation of the National Policy on Climate Change of 2016, which provides a framework for coordination and implementation of climate change measures.

He called for consented efforts and innovation to mobilise sufficient resources for climate change mitigation and adaptation, in order to effectively implement programmes on climate change contained in the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP).

"In 2017, Government took the necessary step to establish a catalytic National Climate Change Fund (NCCF). The main objective of the NCCF is to  raise revenue from both public and domestic sources at national and international level to fund climate change programmes and projects," Mr. Chabala explained. "Amongst other objectives, the Fund is to enable Zambia: Tap into new and innovative sources of finance for mitigation and adaptation projects; build national capacity to utilize opportunities presented by international financial mechanisms; increase access to finance for green projects in the country; facilitate appropriate technology transfers into the country for accelerated economic growth and development while achieving a sustainable low carbon development path; accelerate energy access through sustainable renewable energy technologies and solutions; and generate employment opportunities created by implementation of new economic activities through green projects."

The Permanent Secretary called for consensus on the establishment of a national climate fund.

And Zambia National Designated Authority (NDA) for the Green Climate Fund National Co-ordinator Mr. Mainga Luwabelwa said Climate Change impact was multi-dimensional as it affects all sectors of national and human development.

Mr. Luwabelwa explained that the GCF funds projects that promote paradigm shift towards low emission and climate resilient development pathways.

HIVOS, LUSAKA CITY COUNCIL PONDERS ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES

By MacPherson Mukuka_ Lusaka

 The United Nations projects that more than 75 percent of the World’s Population will be living in cities by 2050.

This projection means that cities will have to use and generate more waste unlike before.

This also suggests that cities with poor solid waste management will struggle more because of the huge quantities of waste generated by that time.

  

To this effect, organisations and local authorities in Zambia are already making plans on how to tackle challenges of solid waste.

Hivos Southern Africa Hub has developed a solid waste collection mechanism dubbed Waste Lab in partnership with Lusaka City Council with particular emphasis on making Lusaka city sustainable and better.

This is in line with Sustainable Development Goal number 11 which aims at making cities better, safe and resilience for all to live in.

And Hivos Southern Africa Hub says poor waste management has emerged as one of the biggest challenges facing Lusaka city authorities and other stakeholders trying to address the issue.

Speaking during that launch of a two day workshop on solid waste management under a project dubbed Waste Lab, HIVOS Regional Director TANJA LUBBERS says only a small fraction of the waste generated daily is collected and safely disposed or recycled into other useful items.

Ms. LUBBERS said the situation has been exacerbated by inadequate financial capacity and insufficient implementation of policy direction relating to waste management in Lusaka.

She said through the waste lab project, Hivos seeks to identify possible intervention points from the concerted efforts of all stakeholders to maximize its ability of focusing on priority issues in the waste management sector in Lusaka.

Ms. LUBBERS said the project is aimed at addressing integrated solid waste management issues through supporting front-runners, social entrepreneurship and support to multi actor initiatives.  

She added that the project will also focus at influencing waste management policies and support private public partnership integrated waste management.

Ms. LUBBERS said Hivos is aware that so many tireless efforts by you all have been put into resolving the waste management problem in Lusaka and we do not claim to come with the silver bullet that will resolve the problem.

She however, said Hivos is confident that its efforts will continue to build on what each stakeholder has already began to do and looks forward to opportunities that will arise and enable the organisation to work closely in alleviating this important issue in the community of Lusaka.

And Lusaka City Council Deputy Mayor CHILANDO CHITANGALA said solid waste has remained one of the biggest challenges facing Lusaka City.

The Deputy Mayor who was represented by Kapwepwe Ward 25 Councillor PATRICK SALUBUSA said the challenge is among the causes of cholera and other diseases.

She said Lusaka City Council is gratified to partner with Hivos in bringing sanity to Lusaka.

Ms. CHITANGALA has noted that most institutions operating as NGOs have decided to work in isolation without engaging the local authority.

She said it is LCC’s desire to engage with every institution dealing in solid waste to avoid duplication of efforts.

The Deputy Mayor said there is need for stakeholders to aim at creating more awareness among Lusaka residents on the importance of good solid waste management.

Ms. CHITANGALA has since urged stakeholders attending the workshop to look at solid waste challenges and bring out solutions that will help make Lusaka City Clean, green and healthy.

The Workshop comes two weeks after Zambian President EDGAR LUNGU re-launched the make Zambia clean, green and healthy campaign.

ZAMBIAN BREWERIES LEADS PRESERVATION OF WATER RESOURCES

By MacPherson Mukuka

Community members at Itawa Springs supported by Zambian

 

 

Breweries

As World Water Day approaches, one of Lusaka’s largest users of water, Zambian Breweries, is hard at work in its efforts to help preserve the country’s water sources and contribute to helping communities  have access to clean water.
This year’s World Water Day falls on March 22, under the theme of ‘Nature for Water’. Zambian Breweries recognises the importance of preserving nature in order to protect our water sources and has embarked on projects that promote the preservation and protection of the Itawa Springs in Ndola and the Kafue Basin on the outskirts of Lusaka.
The Itawa Springs is an important tributary to the Kafubu River, which accounts for between 50 and 60 percent of the water supply for both domestic and industrial use for the cities of Ndola, Luanshya and Masaiti. Despite its huge importance, the source of water had been under significant threat due to land degradation and pollution caused by brick-making and unregulated effluent discharge.
Zambian Breweries partnered with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the Habitat For Humanity Zambia (HFHZ) project and built 28 houses for families who were resettled from the edge of the spring where growing population numbers were proving to be a threat to the water source.
GIZ is a German development agency that provides services in the field of international development cooperation
Zambian Breweries has also partnered with WWF Zambia on a project that aims to protect the Kafue Basin, one of Zambia’s most important water sources that is under threat due to increased water demand. The scheme aims to raise awareness and develop a common plan to tackle the shared challenges the Kafue wetlands are facing.
Zambian Breweries’ corporate affairs director Ezekiel Sekele explained that the company aimed to limit water waste at all its production plants as part of its contribution to the efforts of preserving water.
“Water is a vital resource both for our business and the nation. We therefore treat water as a valuable resource that is at the helm of our entire production base and we aim to limit and prevent water waste at all our plants,” he said.
Zambian Breweries is also one of the 16 partners who include the private sector, public sector, civil society and international organisations that signed a Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSi) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in December 2016. The stakeholders agreed to strategise on how to improve the quality of water supply in the city.
Apart from its environmental efforts, Zambian Breweries donated ZMW 2.5 millionto the government’s cholera fight. Part of the money will go towards drilling boreholes in areas that do not have access to clean water.
Zambian Breweries also provided a 30,000 litres water bowser to the government taskforce on cholera and Lusaka Water Sewerage Company (LWSC) to help distribute clean safe water and help stop cholera in the capital’s townships.