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The Road Transport and Safety Agency – RTSA together with local councils have been accused of lamentably failing to regulate and ensure smooth and safe operation of the taxicab sub-sector in Zambia. A check in major cities and towns across Zambia shows that unauthorized [pirate] taxis are the order of the day.

This failure by RTSA and respective city and town councils is not only compromising the safety of passengers in Zambia, but losing the government million of Kwacha in revenue. The failure to regulate the sub-sector has further led to registered taxi operators and law abiding taxi businesses abandoning to have their vehicles registered as their is no benefit in doing so due to lack of regulatory endorsements.

The Roads and Road traffic act clearly states that taxis should also be metered to ensure transparency in charges for members of the public but this is not followed up, leading to an opaque pricing structure and exploitation of unsuspecting members of the public.

And the Bus and Taxi Owners Association of Zambia has expressed concern over the overwhelming number of pirate taxis that are operating in the country and has asked RTSA, the local government ministry and various local authorities such as city and town councils to ensure the existing laws are enforced.

Association Spokesperson Amis Daudi said there is a law that prevents the pirating of taxis but the regulators have been reluctant in doing their job thereby leading to the increase of the vice. The laws are there and it’s the reluctance to enforce the regulations.

In an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Daudi said the authorities are aware of what the law says about this act and what should be done when it is violated but have chosen not to take any action.

Daudi said there are measures including fines that can be used to regulate and end this vice and what is needed is for the authorities to enforce the law adding that government also loses income.

“If you are caught pirating three times, there is a provision that your vehicle will be forfeited by the state, all those rules are there, so it is just the will to enforce the law”, he said.

He said that it is unfortunate that the authorities know who the drivers operating pirate taxis are and where to find them but have decided to pay a blind eye to the situation. Some pirate taxis have even created their own taxi ranks which are disadvantaging the registered ones.

“As taxi operators, we have tried to team up with authorities so we can manage the scourge but it has grown to such a level where the local authorities, the police and RTSA have failed because it is overwhelming”, he said.

He also said the association has been talking to the authorities who are supposed to regulate these taxis for over ten years but nothing has been done about it adding that the authorities do take action for a while, but stop after a short time.

“The unfortunate part is that they run to politicians and give reasons to justify what they are doing which is not supposed to be the case, we have a situation where some members of parliament have bought vehicles and given to people who are operating without following the regulations”, he said.

He stressed that all businesses are supposed to be regulated and what is been experienced in the taxi business is lawlessness which will affect lawful governance, adding that it brings anarchy as people think they can do whatever they want, therefore laws must be applied equally and consistently.

He said the pirate taxis have not registered their vehicles because they are running from tax obligations, adding that this takes away the business of legitimate taxi owners and distorts their market.

“When you don’t register, ZRA won’t come after you because you won’t be requiring a license to run on the road the following day, so you are running freely, no obligations to the government or the local authority and unfortunately to the passengers too”, he said.

He added that legitimate operators are operating under strict rules where the vehicle has to be tested every three months and ensure that they pay for all the necessary documents required for one to run this business.

“This takes away the motivation for people to be compliant with the law because if my neighbour can just get into the vehicle, pick passengers and operate, why should I be registering my vehicle and begin to have all these tax obligations”, he said.

He also said that the laws and regulations are in place to impound and stop pirate taxis from operating illegally therefore the authorities must come in and do their job.

Some of the crimes have been conducted from these unregistered vehicles operating as pirate taxis, which would have been avoided if this sector was properly regulated. Registered taxis contribute to the revenue base for the country and its high time the country starts to put this sector in order.

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The Road Transport and Safety Agency -

Tech

Most imported drugs into Zambia are sub-standard and not certified and this is one of the areas the new board at Zambia Medicine Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) should look at to bring sanity and safeguard public health.

The World Health Organization – WHO does certify medicines but you find that most of the drugs landing in Zambia don’t have this certification. This has opened up the Zambian public to counterfeit drugs as the local process of certification has been porous.

Pharmaceutical expert Jerome Kanyika says the rate of recalling of medicines that has been happening lately is an indication that ZAMRA is not doing its job in ensuring that the quality and standard of medicine is certified before being circulated to the public.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Kanyika said there has been reports of a lot of political interference with some of the people who bring medicines into the country who work with some top government officials and end up intimidating the regulator who fails to follow the correct procedure.

He said most of the drugs that go into government circulation do not go through the process of certification because they come in like an emergency and end up been used while they are being certified.

Kanyika noted that it is normal to recall medicines once every two years and this should normally be initiated by the manufacturer themselves and not the regulator so the current happenings are very alarming.

“Under normal circumstances, the rate of recalling medicines from circulation should not be as much as it has been lately, the way we are recalling drugs speaks volumes because within a short period of time we have done it many times. You cannot recall so many medicines in two years as has been the case since 2019”, he said.

Kanyika also mentioned that the World Health Organisation (WHO) does not certify most of the drugs that are manufactured from the pharmaceutical companies that the country gets its medicines from adding that Zambia buys substandard medicines at a low price points.

“The other problem is that we also go for cheap products instead of buying quality products, we go for sub-standard medical products without considering the consequences of such actions because they are cheaper”, he said.

“Provided someone is selling it at a cheaper price, we don’t question ourselves to say why is this medicine selling at a lower price than this one, we don’t even check to see if a pharmaceutical company is certified by the WHO or not”, he said.

Kanyika added that countries like Zimbabwe ensure that the regulatory body travels to inspect the pharmaceutical company that manufactures drugs before registering it on their market. But this is not the case in Zambia.

“In Zambia, as long as you have written good English and put up a big profile about your company then it will be certified and you will be given market authorisation”, he said.

“When registering a drug, I can buy medicine from a well-known pharmaceutical company, put it in a pack, claim that I manufactured it and submit it to the regulator to say this is the medicine I will be bringing in this country but when the regulator goes and inspects the pharmaceutical company, such issues will not be there”, he said.

Kanyika noted that studies that were conducted showed that 80-85% of the medicine in Zambia is substandard adding that the United States of America (USA) wrote a letter to tell its citizens  not to buy medication coming to Zambia because it was substandard.

“I don’t know if it’s the regulation of the law or the people regulating who are very week but I suspect it’s the people who are failing to execute their duties well”, he said.

When contacted for their side of the story, then Ministry of Health Spokesperson Dr. Abel Kabalo said he did not have full details on the matter but stated that whatever product is not fit for human consumption is recalled from circulation.

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Most imported drugs into Zambia are sub-standard

Companies

The Zambia Citizen Entrepreneurs Development Programme is not dead and the Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) has appealed to stakeholders to come on board and invest in the Programme, which has currently been static due to lack of resources.

EAZ President Lubinda Haabazoka said the programme, which was launched last year, has benefited over 500 people in Lusaka and Luapula Provinces but has been slow because of lack of funds.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Haabazoka said the programme depends on the private sector pumping in resources and Covid-19 has been a huge hindrance to enticing investors to invest alongside ordinary Zambian citizens using an outgrower scheme.

Lubinda said because of Covid-19, many private sector parties are unable to take the risk adding that the association will continue engaging various partners.

He has called upon all well-meaning investors to join the cause so that they can be part of the project, which aims at providing jobs for Zambian citizens and creating wealth through outgrower schemes countrywide.

“As EAZ, who are major players in this programme, we are tirelessly looking for partners; funders that can pump in resources to ensure that this project is implemented country wide. The idea is not dead, the company is there and we have some beneficiaries that we are working with, there are some taxis that are operating, we are just looking for funders because unfortunately as EAZ we are not millionaires or billionaires so we depend on the private sector”, he said.

Lubinda said the programme aims at developing entrepreneurs countrywide and has a target of empowering one million people adding that a huge cash inflow is needed for that therefore he has called upon funders to come on board and participate in wealth creation for the nation.

He added that apart from programmes that were rolled out last year and the over 500 that were empowered, the project has been slow and no new people have been empowered this year due to funding. “We have empowered people with taxis, some are into farming and rearing of goats, he said.”

The Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ) last year July launched a programme called ‘Zambia Citizen Entrepreneurs Development Programme’, which is aimed at enhancing wealth creation through the promotion of entrepreneurship.

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The Zambia Citizen Entrepreneurs Development Programme is

Companies

African Parks have revealed that they intend to work on the roads, airstrip and revamp infrastructure in the Kafue National Park that should then be able to attract investors to set up lodges which will in turn lead to increased tourist inflows.

It’s Country Director James Milanzi says the organisation is carrying out an extensive review and investigation in order to see how it can make the Kafue National Park more attractive so it can draw in investors.

Milanzi said the national park currently has run down road infrastructure which is key to tourism growth as it becomes difficult for the National park to prosper and attract more tourists if tourists and park managers cannot drive around smoothly.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Milanzi said once it works on the airstrip and the roads in the park, investors would be able to come in and put up lodges, adding that this will promote tourism.

Milanzi said the other key area is law enforcement. Poaching is an issue and African Parks plans to ensure that poaching is prevented in order to maintain the number of animals in the park as they are a major tourist attraction.

“We will conduct an aerial census so that we know what Kafue National Park has and what it lacks. If in the future, we sign a long term agreement and there’s need for us to bring in other animals, we will but we don’t need to do that in this case, we need to protect the area and the numbers that are there will grow on their own”, he said.

Milanzi said African Parks strives to ensure that the rates are affordable even for the local people because if there is no local tourism in the country, the tourism sector becomes difficult to grow and unsustainable.

“In an event where there is Covid-19 like the current situation, international tourists will not come into the country, so we try to build products that local tourists can enjoy, it’s not just about the pricing but the product too, we can have a good pricing but if the product is poor, no tourists will visit the place”, he said.

He said the organisation is focusing on improving the park and ensuring that it is accessible and affordable for everyone, adding that African Parks does not come up with rates on their own, but involves the government and these rates are dependent on how good the area is.

Milanzi said the plan is to ensure that the park is well protected, delivers the conservational outcomes and attracts investors who can help transform it in order to ensure that tourists get the best experience.

“We as African Parks run parks with government to support the management of the National parks so that every challenge that the park faces is looked at critically and then investments are done to work on such weaknesses”, he said.

Milanzi said the country should expect the best from this collaboration as African Parks has done their best wherever they have been to ensure that the parks offer the best products and the plan is to make the area attract more investment.

African Parks is a non-profit conservation organization that takes on direct responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of protected areas in partnership with governments and local communities.

This is the third conservation area in Zambia that has been awarded to African Parks with the first two being Bangweulu wetlands and Liuwa plains. The lodges that are attracted and have been set up in these two areas are considered expensive or unaffordable by local Zambians, with efforts to get lower local rates yet to yield visible results.

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African Parks have revealed that they intend

Lifestyle

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has confirmed that about 18,000 duplicate or double registrations have been removed from the register. Intentional duplicate registrations investigations are expected to proceed.

Chief Electoral Officer Patrick Nshindano told a Media Briefing on 25th February, 2021 at Elections House in Lusaka where he presented the Statistics of the Provisional Register of Voters.

Nshindano said that After de-duplication, the provisional register now stands at 7,002, 393 registered voters representing 0.2% marginal reduction from the initial 83.4% to 83.2% of eligible voters arising from duplicate records. Out of the provisional total of 7,002, 393, 3,739,971 are female representing 53.4% while 3,262,422 are male representing 46.6%.

“At provincial level, Western Province accounts for the highest number of female registered voters which stands at 59% of the provincial provisional registered voters Lusaka Province accounts for the highest number of registered voters representing 17.7% whilst North-Western is lowest at 5.5% of the total provisional register of voter” he added.

ECZ further confirmed that the current register details are provisional and may change due to updates following the Inspection of the Provisional Register of Voters which is currently underway electronically on USSD *214# free on all networks and the ECZ Website at www.eczovr.org.

The Electronic Inspection which provides for Voters to check and verify their details for correctness is from 7th February, 2021 to 7th May, 2021 while the Physical Inspection of the Provisional Register of Voters is from 29th March, 2021 to 2nd April, 2021.

During the Physical Inspection of the Provisional Register of Voters available services will include Valid objections, Valid appeals, Notification of death, Transfers and Delimitation among others.

The updates as a result of the services undertaken during the Physical Inspection can lead to an adjustment in the Voter Registration Statistics.

Following the Physical Inspection of the Provisional Register of Voters, the CEO will publish the notice in the Gazette Notice that the register for polling station has been certified. The register published in the Gazette Notice replaces all registers of voters that had previously been prepared for that polling station.

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The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has

Tech

Airtel Money has been awarded the World Customs Organisation – International Customs Day certificate of merit award and shield for rendering exceptional service to the international Customs community and for the ongoing support on domestic taxes during Covid-19 by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).

Airtel Head of Corporate Communications Yuyo Kambikambi said Airtel Money has been recognised as a key player in international trade matters due to its role in developing the ZRA e-payment platform during the Covid-19 pandemic that enables customers to seamlessly make online payments of domestic taxes amongst other services.

Kambikambi said on presenting the award to Airtel Money, ZRA Assistant Commissioner, Learning and Development, Customs Services Division Chikumbi Chama said ZRA was delighted to present the award as part of the January 26th International Customs Day celebrations.

Kambikambi said Chama congratulated Airtel Money and others for having been selected to receive the award of merit adding that these were unprecedented times and appreciated all that Airtel Money has done and continues to do especially in the promotion of the ZRA e-payments as the country battles with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The International Customs Day is a global event that is commemorated every year on 26 January and recognises the efforts of customs officials, public and private sector individuals, and agencies that play a pivotal role in facilitating trade and travel, in simplifying, standardising and harmonising border procedures and in securing borders.

And Airtel Money Director James Chona said he was delighted that Airtel Money has been recognised for its contributions in supporting its stakeholders in Zambia adding that the network provider was proud to be contributing to the local community by providing an easy solution to enable Zambian locals to pay duties on time during the difficult circumstances of the pandemic.

He thanked the Zambia Revenue Authority for the continued collaboration and for recognising the role that the Airtel Money platform and service plays.

According to information made available to Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Kambikambi said the certificate and shield, which was presented by ZRA’s Collector Steven Mukalula, was received by Airtel’s Tax Manager Chabinga Katumbi and Head of Corporate Communications and Government Relations Yuyo Kambikambi.

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Airtel Money has been awarded the World

Companies

Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) has expanded its plantations footprint to four more provinces in Zambia to met the growing demand for timber and other wood products.

The Corporation which recently become a public company by listing on the Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) says its listing has significantly improved the profile for the corporation and enhanced its ability to raise capital in future.

ZAFFICO Public Relations Manager Ireen Lungu said that the company had embarked on an expansion programme, adding that it has set up more plantations in four more provinces of Zambia.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Lungu said the corporation has established plantations in Northern, Muchinga, North-Western and Luapula Provinces.

Lungu said expansion into new areas requires capital injection as it involves investing not just in human resource to manage the plantations, but also in procurement of equipment and all the auxiliary materials that go with the planting, seedling and managing of the young trees.

“Originally ZAFFICO was just on the Copperbelt, but we are now in five provinces of the country and we have established plantations in Kalumbila, Lupososhi, Shiwang’andu, Kawambwa and Nakonde among others”, she said.

Lungu also said that the company has been replanting exotic trees within it’s areas and plantations on the Copperbelt. She noted that the roundwood stocks on the Copperbelt plantation have not been able to keep up with the demand, which keeps increasing.

It is because of this increasing demand that the corporation is currently unable to meet, that is the main reason the company decided to expand. The quality of our wood products is very good, so demand keeps increasing, she told ZBT.

She added that when the trees are ready for harvest in the next few years, the corporation might be able to meet the national demand for roundwood. The ZAFFICO PR Manager further said the high demand for roundwood in the country is because of the economic activities happening in other sectors of the economy such as construction.

She also mentioned that the corporation’s long term plan of setting up plantations in all the ten provinces still stands adding that this involves many factors including the acquisition of land for planting and mobilizing additional financial resources.

Lungu said the growth of ZAFFICO as a public limited company is good for the country because wherever they set up, other than employing people to manage the plantations, they support and help with the growth of other sectors of the economy as well.

She said some of the company’s operations require recruiting seasonal workers, so the communities around plantations have also been benefiting from the company’s growth as they are employing more people than before.

She stressed that the significant benefit to be derived from being listed on LuSE is that the corporation has an additional option to raise funding which in turn would be used to make the expansion programme possible.

Zambia has good soils, normal to above normal rainfall patterns (especially in the Northern parts of the country) and vast amounts of arable land that could make the country an Agro-forestry powerhouse and net exporter of timber and wood products.

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Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO)

Sport

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has clarified that the new Toyota Landcruiser Prado worth $100,000 that was handed over to the association by Toyota Zambia Limited is not for the exclusive use by Serbian Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic but whoever is the Zambia National Team coach.

Questions on the Toyota deal with FAZ we’re raised after a joint Toyota and FAZ statement that stated that the vehicle donated to FAZ was for the “exclusive use” by the current Serbian Zambia National Team Coach Micho and the fact that the donation was being done by Toyota Zambia Chief Operating Officer Nenad Predrevac, believed to be a Serbian national.

Other soccer fans called on Toyota to instead donate a bus that could be used by the entire national team as opposed to targeting one person who in most cases is already allocated a personal vehicle, with expert coaches paid competitive US dollar packages.

FAZ Spokesperson Sydney Mungala told the Zambian Business Times – ZBT that according to the nature of the partnership, the car is attached to the office and not the person or current holder, so in an event that Micho’s contract is terminated, any person who will take up the position of national coach will use the car.

Mungala said the motor vehicle is exclusively meant for use by the national team coach as he carries out his day-to-day activities. He said the partnership between FAZ and Toyota Zambia Limited is ongoing and the association will be able to make more pronouncements on the partnership going forward.

The handover of the motor vehicle was preceded by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between FAZ President Andrew Kamanga and Toyota Zambia Chief Operating Officer Nenad Predrevac. The MOU copy and details have not yet been made public.

See article related article Toyota – FAZ US$100k deal

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The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has

Sport

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) President Andrew Kamanga has clinched a US$100,000 (US$100k) deal between his Association and Toyota Zambia.

Kamanga said his executive was proud to be part of yet another significant milestone which opens more corporate doors for FAZ. He stated that “The approach by my executive has always been to keep the doors open to corporate sponsors and not lean on closed partnerships,” said Kamanga.

He appealed to other corporates to come on board and ensure that they utilized the many opportunities that football and FAZ have to offer.

And Toyota Zambia has handed over a brand new Toyota Landcruiser Prado worth $100,000 (about K2 million) to the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). The handover was preceded by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FAZ President Andrew Kamanga and Toyota Zambia Chief Operating Officer Nenad Predrevac.

Predrevac said Toyota was proud to have found a way to sign the MoU with the FAZ as this signified a start to a successful cooperation. “Football is the most popular sport in Zambia, so for us it is important to be with FAZ that are doing their best for Zambia and that was our main goal to support further development of football in the country,” said Predrevac.

The Kamanga Executive entered office with a promise to rope in more corporate support and instill financial transparency in the running of football affairs in Zambian football.

However, the executive has struggled to deliver a credible senior national team performance, with the Chipolopolo missing appearance at two consecutive Africa cup of nations (AFCON), with the current campaign destined to make a third consecutive time for the senior Chipolopolo side to miss appearance at AFCON.

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Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) President Andrew

Agribusiness

The Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has disclosed that the country is not self-sufficient when it comes to rice production and has an estimated deficit 35,000 metric tonnes per annum.

ZNFU Public Relations Manager Calvin Kaleyi said the production of rice in the country stands at about 50,000 metric tonnes which increased between 2002 and 2015 from 12,000 metric tonnes.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Kaleyi said the country was in deficit by 2017 and this has led to the importation of the commodity despite the country having the capacity to produce more.

He said the main hindrance is the production yield per hectare as farmers are still producing 1.4 metric tonnes per hectare, adding that if that can be increased to 3 metric tonnes per hectare, the country can attain self-sufficiency.

He also said old and traditional methods of producing rice, low mechanisation, broadcasting seed instead of precision planting, use of low yielding varieties, limited fertilizer application, limited weeding, poor water management and limited access to extension services are some of the challenges affecting rice production.

Kaleyi noted that farmers need more sensitisation on how to go about rice cultivation, how to identify the right variety for different areas and once such knowledge is availed, even those who have never grown rice may venture into rice production.

He said more investment should be made towards the production of tailored rice varieties, adding that there has been innovations where nerica upland rice that doesn’t require a lot of water has been promoted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which has played a huge role in the increase of rice production.

“If you look  at the dambos that we have, we can do a lot of rice production and close the deficit, if you go to areas such as Bangweulu, Luapula, all those areas can be used for rice production and unfortunately Luapula does not produce rice but if you look at the water masses and bodies that we have in Luapula, that can be used for rice production and we can do very well there”, he said.

He added that Western province has been producing rice, but further investment should be made to ensure that the quality and quantity of rice being produced improve. Western province alone has potential to expand rice production and help cut imports.

“If you look at some dambo areas in Luangwa, we can be producing rice there, Chama has been producing rice and we can make more investment there and increase production. Chama and Mongu small-scale farmers produce a lot of rice but Nakonde rice has some influence from Tanzania”, he said.

Kaleyi said the country still has huge opportunities and potential to produce more than what is being produced currently and be able to export the excess rice. He also noted that the inculcation of diversification and increased demand for rice has contributed to the continued increase in production.

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The Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has