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Agribusiness

A source at the Ministry of Agriculture has disclosed to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT that government is yet to lift the ban on the exportation of maize but that the the country should instead expect the exportation of mealie meal to be lifted this week or anytime soon.

In an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo on 17 March 2021 revealed that government has allowed the exportation of maize and has come up with a specific quantity (quota) that will be allowed for the export.

Michael Katambo said the Grain Traders Association of Zambia (GTAZ), Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) have reached an tripartite agreement concerning the export.

The Agro Minister said MAZ has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ministry and will soon disclose the details of the MOU. Efforts to get a comment from the Millers Association of Zambia concerning the contents of the MOU proved futile by press time.

And the Grain Traders Association of Zambia – GTAZ said the exportation will allow the country to earn the much needed foreign exchange. GTAZ Executive Director Chambuleni Simwinga said the country has sufficient maize therefore the price of mealie meal should not be affected whether the country exports or not.

Simwinga said he is positive that the country will have a bumper harvest in this current farming season (2020/2021)m therefore there is no need to keep holding on to maize when the country can export and still have enough for consumption.

Agro Minister Katambo is expected to make the official announcement to spell out the details of the allocated quota for export and will also avail measures that will be put in place to avoid the price of mealie meal escalating out of reach.

Stakeholders have advised that exporting a value added products like mealie meal bring in more foreign exchange into the Zambian economy when compared to exporting maize grain. Moreover, the local milling ensures that jobs are retained in Zambia.

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A source at the Ministry of Agriculture

Markets

ZSIC Life has for the second time postponed its highly anticipated initial public offer – IPO listing of its shares on the Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) to next year 2022.

The Life insurer was expected to undertake a public offer of its shares in 2021 after the initial postponement of its listing that had earlier been planned for 2020. The listing of ZSIC life and ZAFFICO had earlier been announced in the October 2018 budget speech by then Finance Minister Margerate Mwanakatwe for listing in 2019.

Mwanakatwe had in the 2019 budget then stated that “ZSIC Life and ZAFFICO will be listed on LuSE in 2019”. ZAFFICO has since been successfully listed, while the listing of ZSIC Life has now been postponed for the second time.

However, the company has stated that they have made some progress such as the converting of the company from a private limited company to a public company. “ZSIC Life’s ordinary shares have now been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in terms of the Securities Act with effect from September 3, 2020”.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, ZSIC Life public relations manager Nabwalya Vlahakis said the company shares were now tradable and quoted on the second tier market.

Vlahakis said this means that the shares are not yet completely opened up to the public as the registration with SEC was part of the process to the full listing on LuSE.

“Our ordinary shares have been registered with the SEC, this means that the shares of ZSIC Life are now tradable on the second tier market, this entails that we have not yet opened up completely to the public, it is just part of the process”, Vlahakis stated.

“So this is the first step towards our eventual listing on LuSE, by upgrading from the quoted tier to the listed tier. We are in the process, by next year [2022], we will be officially listed on LuSE, and then we can open up [our shares] to the public,” she said.

The insurer stated that there are a couple of processes that are remaining to be followed and are quite lengthy but this is just means preparation on the part of company.

“As a company going out there to the public to sell shares, you have to be a company that is bringing something great to the market. Our different plans, product offering are in line with what we want the public to have, but it is just the regulatory processes we are concluding,” she said.

She also assured ZSIC Life clients and Zambian citizens in general that there is nothing to worry about because the listing is a great step towards improving profitability and attracting more investments.

“Usually there is concern on what will happen to the company after we list, the company is a wholly Zambian owned and our track record is that we are one of the oldest insurance firms, so the listing for us means enhancing our profitability.

“What happens is that every time a company is listed, it changes its profile, the company begins to have a good image because then, its shares are tradable on the stock exchange market and that means that the profile for the company goes up.

“So there is really no fear that should be out there as it is a good thing for the company to be more competitive. For us its just aligning and evolving as a company, and becoming more profitable as we keep on moving with the time,” Vlahakis said.

The net outcome of SEC registration under the Act is that the shares of ZSIC Life are now tradeable on the second tier market of LuSE). SEC registration gives automatic admission to the quoted tier segment of the LuSE market.

Therefore, the quotation of ZSIC Life is the first step towards its eventual listing by upgrading from the quoted tier to the mainboard or listed tier of the LuSE market. Going forward, following the quotation of ZSIC Life on the LuSE, the Board and management of ZSIC Life are working through the steps and actions required to attain a full listing on LuSE.

ZSIC Life is wholly owned by the Industrial Development Corporation (“IDC”). In 2015, ZSIC Holdings was placed under the IDC. In 2017, the IDC took direct equity control of ZSIC General and ZSIC Life to streamline the operating structure and improve the performance and profitability of the two companies.

See the first postponement ZSIC Listing first postponement

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ZSIC Life has for the second time

Sport

Sports Analyst Aaron Mubanga has attributed the poor performance of Zambian clubs that include Kitwe’s Nkana and Lusaka’s Napsa Stars in continental football to psychological unpreparedness that has resulted in most players going into the games with a defeated mindset.

Mubanga said most of the times, Zambian clubs go into these Continental games with a defeated mindset, you hear them making statements such as playing at this time of the day, will give an advantage to a particular team which is a bad thing.

Zambian glamour side Nkana suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Moroccan side Raja Casablanca in a Group D CAF Confederations Cup match tie played at Ndola’s Levy Mwanawasa Stadium on Wednesday night. In the first group stage match, Nkana lost 3-0 to Egypt’s Pyramids in an away game

And NAPSA Stars gave way a healthy 2-0 lead draw 2-2 at home against visiting Algerian side JS Kabylie in a CAF Confederations Cup second round stage match played at Lusaka’s Hero’s Stadium. In the first match, NAPSA Stars suffered a 2-0 loss against CAF defending champions, RS Berkane.

“I think the problem is the mental aspect, I think most of the times our clubs go into the game defeated already, you hear them making statements that playing at this time of the day, will give an advantage to a particular team,” he said.

Mubanga said It is the psychological issue that Zambians clubs have, most of them have already told their mind that that they cannot beat an Arab team. And at times, it is us failing to close the games and sometimes it is inadequate preparation going into continental football.

He said It is a matter of working on the small of the aspect of the game that is costing Zambian clubs, there is a lot of talent, that is undisputed.

Mubanga said for NAPSA Stars, they were supposed to win the game, they were leading 2-0, in 86 minute they conceded so as in the 90th minute and this was due to lack of concentration and the technical bench not working towards sealing the game early enough.

For Nkana, it is even remarkable that they have reached this far, given the amount of problems they are going through, the club is in a rebuilding phase and played a very good Raja Casablanca side with a number of good established players compared to Nkana

“In continental football, if a team was to go far, that team must be able to win home games, but unfortunately Nkana lost because they faced a very good side, they are in a rebuilding phase and we should not expect much from them. For NAPSA Stars, the group they are in, is a group they can easily get out from, for now, they need to force one away win,” he said.

Mubanga added that nothing is lost yet for both teams, but for Nkana it will be tough as they have lost their first two games. They however stand a chance if they work on the small mistakes they made in the home game, they would have carried the day and be in a very good place right now.

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Sports Analyst Aaron Mubanga has attributed the

Markets

The Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) Chief Executive Officer Priscilla Sampa has disclosed that LuSE is soon going to launch an online platform that will allow the public to buy and sell shares online.

Speaking during the launch for the #FinancialLiteracyWeek2021 which the Zambian Business Times – ZBT is participating in, Sampa stated that “As LuSE, we understand the current market shift to using digital interactions to offer better access to financial instruments making it all round convenient for you as an end user, other than ensuring the social distancing.

“We have been thrown a turbulent year in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, each one of us has suffered indirectly or directly by the pandemic, we have since made some changes to how we were living before the pandemic,” she said.

Sampa said these changes have expedited a rapid shift from being more physical to more digital interactions; this has caused some uncertainties in the wellbeing of some people financially.

She disclosed that “for purposes of being efficient and effective, LuSE is about to introduce an online platform that allows the public to trade their shares, bonds and other financial instruments on LuSE”.

“This platform will be available on phone via USSD, mobile application and internet. So you can buy and sell shares or other securities from the Comfort of your home or office,” she said.

The LuSE  CEO also said her Organization was working on an online portal that will bring together Small and Medium size Enterprises – SMEs in need of capital and SME financiers. “We will soon be launching an innovative platform that brings together SMEs in need of capital and the financiers who are looking for investment opportunities.

“The portal comes completely with an inbuilt comprehensive scoring and rating of each input by the respective SME as an applicant indicating to the SME financier how well they are doing and the prospects of their application. Some may raise capital by way of acquiring shares from financiers,” she said.

Local businesses in Zambia have had difficulties raising requisite finances to use to build their businesses and scale to large corporate. The banking industry is dominated by commercial banks with no specialized units for development or venture capital finance.

The LuSE alternative market has also had challenges to emerge as a viable alternative platform for SMEs to fully utilize to raise capital for growth. Yet is is well known that most people in Zambia work for SMEs in the vast informal sector, with broad based national development depending on this very sector (SME’s) to expand.

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The Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) Chief Executive

Agribusiness

Sugarcane out-grower farmers in Mazabuka have accused Illovo’s Zambia Sugar of setting buyer prices that are exploitative and need to be revised urgently if local farmers are to earn a meaningful return.

The mostly local out-grower farmers disclosed that the pricing of sugarcane is usually too low as the farmers only receive 50% of the turnover from the seasonal produce, meanwhile they have to cover the entire input costs which is leaving them with little to nothing in terms of profit.

Kaleya Smallholders Farmers Association which is a group of farmers who grow sugarcane as out-growers for Zambia Sugar Company said the price sharing mechanism needs to be reviewed as it disadvantages the out-grower farmers who have to bear more costs than what the mechanism entails.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, one of the out-grower farmers representative, identified as Mr. Mwiinga, called on government to promote legislation that will compel promoting companies such as Zambia Sugar to exercise realistic price sharing mechanisms between small producers and multinationals.

He said government should employ deliberate policies that will enable the small scale producers and out-growers to be assisted to access title deeds for their production areas (cane fields) and provide some subsidies for pesticides and fertlisers.

Mwiinga said the production of sugarcane reduced by 42,500 metric tonnes in the 2019/2020 farming season. He said 252,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane was produced in the 2018/2019 farming season compared to the 210,000 metric tonnes that was harvested in the 2019/2020 farming season.

He said poor irrigation and water supply owing to excessive electricity load shedding and the Covid-19 restriction did not allow farmers to do field operations in big numbers which is the usual trend, this is what caused the reduction in production.

He also said that farmers face many challenges such as unavailability of title deeds for the area under production thereby incapacitating them when it comes to access to finances, pests such as aphids in the cane fields and increasing pricing of basal and top dressing blended fertiliser.

Mwiinga said farmers can increase production if they can have a guaranteed and sufficient irrigation water supply and normal cane field replanting intervals of atleast every 5 years. He said one of the mechanisms put in place to increase production is to plant new sugarcanes every after the already planted canes get old and once that is followed, production will increase adding that the application of fertilizer also needs to be consistent.

Mwiinga told ZBT that in instances where water supply is inadequate, it becomes a challenge as the sugarcane requires a lot of water and the farmers get their water from Kafue River through Zambia Sugar Company.

The need for monitoring out-growers conditions by the ministry of Agriculture have been echoed across the Agriculture value chain owing to some anchors who set exploitative prices that leave the local farmers with tight profit margins which make their expansion plans impossible.

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Sugarcane out-grower farmers in Mazabuka have accused

Tech

Infratel Corporation Limited and Zambia’s leading telecoms company – Airtel Networks Zambia Plc have signed a long-term tower co-location agreement that will allow Airtel to lease multiple installation ready towers across Zambia’s ten provinces.

According to a statement made available to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, by  Airtel Corporate Communications Manager Yuyo Kambikambi, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in Lusaka on 22 March 2021 with Infratel assuring Airtel of its continued service to avail telecommunication tower infrastructure in order to also expand capacities in already covered areas.

Infratel’s Chief Executive Officer Freelance Bwalya said that as Mobile Network Operators (MNO’s) continue to transform from being communication service providers to digital service providers, the need to leverage telecom infrastructure sharing was becoming stronger.

Bwalya expressed delight to have this MOU in place with Airtel as telecom infrastructure sharing always significantly reduces the time and capital requirement for MNOs to quickly setup and expand their coverage.

He said the signing is significant because this cements an already existing and growing relationship that the company has with Airtel, and it is pleasing to note that the partnership is anchored on shared values such as the promotion of use of Green Energy at tower sites and reduced environmental impact of tower structures.

And speaking on behalf of Airtel Zambia, Supply Chain Director Martin Jowi welcomed the partnership and said this would enable the Company to focus its energy and resources on product and service innovation to enhance the customer experience for all Zambians.

He said he was delighted to be signing this MOU with Infratel and like his counterpart had said, this is a long-term agreement between the two institutions as they continue to reach out to every corner of Zambia expanding the 4G reach.

Co-location of towers is considered as an efficient model as network operators’ capital investments which institutes a large share of their operating costs is freed up. Mobile network operators are then able to use the freed up investment capital or cash that would have been used in tower construction and maintenance to invest in enhancing their network capacity and coverage especially to rural areas.

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Infratel Corporation Limited and Zambia’s leading telecoms

Companies

It had emerged that its actually ZSIC life and not ZSIC general that has mounting complaints which have led to the collapse of its customer service.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) had confirmed last week that it has received 316 complaints from clients who claim they have not received their payout from ZSIC General Insurance.

CCPC Public Relations Officer Rainford Mutabi said these cases are still under active investigations. Mutabi said the commission was able to resolve 323 cases of people claiming not to have received their pay out from ZSIC General Insurance after the maturity of their policies.   .

According to information made available to the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Mutabi stated that the commission has continued to promote consumer welfare in Zambia by ensuring that respective insurance companies accord the affected individuals their pay out on time. Mutabi said this happens only after the commission has conducted thorough investigations on the matter that prove that the complainant’s claims are true.

He has advised that whenever consumers face challenges relating to unfair contract terms, the first step one should take is following the normal redress mechanism that requires the complainant to resolve the matter with their respective service provider before reporting to the commission. Mutabi noted that ZISC General Insurance has been very responsive to helping resolve the complaints received.

However, a check by ZBT with the affected policy holders revealed that the actual company facing challenges is ZSIC Life and not ZSIC general as per CCPC confirmations.

In an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, one of the affected complainants, Felix Mulenga claimed that he had an investment policy that matured in August 2019 with ZSIC Life but has not received his pay out until now.

Mulenga said he signed up for a 5-year policy in 2014 and described the response he gets from ZSIC Life as pathetic each time he visits their offices to claim for his money which they have not given him until now.

Lundumuna Langson, another complainant told ZBT that he signed up for an endowment policy with ZSIC Life in 2014, which matured in 2019 but has not received his money until now, questioning why ZSIC life is failing to pay out their dues.

And another person who agreed to speak to ZBT among the over 300 unresolved pay outs Mpelepete Merine, also said she had a swift save policy with ZSIC Life and has been making claims since 2017 but has not received her money to-date. She has even stopped pushing for her money as she has simply gotten frustrated.

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It had emerged that its actually ZSIC

Markets

The Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC) Executive Director Philip Chitalu has disclosed that the commission is working on crowdfunding initiatives that will enable Small and Medium size Enterprises – SMEs and local enterprises to be funded.

Chitalu explained that crowdfunding can be facilitated through online platforms that list businesses that need funding and then these entities get funded by the crowd. “So basically a company or business venture gets funding from strangers, and SECs role is to provide a regulatory framework that would help or facilitate on providing a guarantee that the fundraisers pays back these strangers (the crowd) their money.

Speaking during the launch of the financial literacy week #financialLiteracyWeek2021 that runs from 22 to 28 March 2021 attended by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Chitalu explained that “We have launched what is called a sand box where we are going to look at case by case opportunities of innovative ways of raising funds from the public and channeling the same funds to the SMEs that need funding”.

The SEC Director further stated that “Remember our youths and children who are completing school require jobs and can only finds jobs if we make sure that SMEs in Zambia thrive and are funded so that they can grow into [large] companies,” he said.

And BOZ deputy governor operations, Dr Francis Chipimo said the central bank was working on this and are continuing with the outreach programmes and finding innovative ways of funding the SMEs.

Chipimo said BoZ is currently pushing financial service providers to develop products that are suited for people who do not have a lot of money to save. “When we look at the Finscope Survey for 2020, it reveals that uptake for financial products is still low, so we still have a lot of work to do to ensure that we increase the uptake.

“I would also like to mention that it is never to early or too late to start saving and any saving is not too small, you can start from any amount,” Chipimo said. The Bank of Zambia (BOZ) has said there is still a lot that needs to be done to ensure increased uptake of financial products through financial education. The theme of this year of the #FinancialLiteracyWeek2021 is “Take Care of your Health, Take Care of your money”.

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The Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC) Executive

Companies

Zambia Airport Corporation Limited – ZACL has signed a 15 year deal with the Urban Hotel Group (UHG) to operate and manage the newly built hotel at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport – SMKIA that will Service the Copperbelt region.

Speaking during the signing ceremony attended by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, ZACL managing director Fumu Mondoloka said the development is in line with the vision to make Zambia a regional transport hub.

Mondoloka said the corporation’s strategic plan to grow its non-aeronautical revenue streams and revenue diversification program that consist of implementation unit – the commercial directorate, that will leverage the land use plans in Lusaka, drive hotel development at major airports and handle cargo.

The ZACL MD stated that the new airport will handle big planes such as the boeing 747-400 aircraft and is equipped with state of the art and modern airport equipment, three aerobridges, a new fuel farm, a commercial centre block and the cargo terminal facility.

ZACL Commercial Director Brian Chintu told ZBT that the selection of Urban Hotel was arrived at through a rigorous process that involved a Cape Town based consultant. There was an initial shortlist of suitable hotels that included brands such as Born Hotel, Protea Hotel, Tsogo Sun’s Stay Easy and urban Hotel who submitted bids from which Urban Hotel was selected as the ideal hotel.

“The selection of Urban hotel marks an endorsement to local hotel brands as Urban started their hotels at Kalumbila (impala suites), then expanded to Ndola and are now building a hotel in Lusaka”, Chintu stated.

And Urban Hotels Group Chairman Chisha Mwanakatwe said the new Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International airport Urban Hotel comes with 50 hotel rooms, will contribute to increasing hotel rooms capacity on the Copperbelt. He said the Urban hotel has been rated as the best hotel on the Copperbelt and will ensure that they aid the Copperbelt’s diversification from Copper to tourism and trade.

The Zambian government has invested over US$1 billion in airport infrastructure which has seen the country have three international standard terminals. The Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport at Zambia’s tourism capital of Livingstone is already completed and operational.

The other two are the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport extension at Zambia’s administrative capital of Lusaka is at over 90% completion while the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport is expected to service Zambia’s mining and industrial hub on the Copperbelt.

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Zambia Airport Corporation Limited - ZACL has

Tech

By Pacifique Ishimwe

In 2020, ENGIE Energy Access (EEA) Zambia, formerly Fenix International, successfully partnered with BURN to bring to the Zambian market the Fenix Mbaula, an efficient charcoal cookstove also known as the BURN Jikokoa. With over 1,500 Fenix Mbaulas sold since commercially launching in the first quarter of 2020, the cookstove has quickly become a household favorite.

Globally, more than 2.4 billion people continue to use inefficient open fires or simple clay and metal cook-stoves for cooking, of them, 848 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan African has total consumption of wood fuels 2-3 times higher per capita consumption than in any other region, (AFWC, 2020).

Zambia has a population of over 17 million people, and about 88% of households depend on forest resources such as firewood and charcoal to meet their basic cooking needs. This population relies on cooking solutions that range from charcoal braziers to makeshift woodfire burners made of stone, brick, or clay. These methods are sometimes dangerous, very inefficient, and environmentally costly.

These cooking methods also result in health challenges that come from smoke inhalation and vast negative environmental impacts like deforestation and high carbon emissions rate. The World Health Organization estimates that close to 4 million people worldwide (about twice the population of Lesotho) die prematurely each year from illnesses attributable to household air pollution caused by inefficient cooking practices that use stoves paired with solid fuel. (WHO,2018)

For EEA, the underlying challenge was to give its 150,000 customers a cost-effective clean cooking solution that would mitigate these challenges both at household and community level. The Fenix Mbaula is now offered to customers on a loan basis, and this eliminates the barrier of a high upfront cost. This makes it more affordable and has made the product accessible for lower-income customers.

Kevin Diau, EEA Zambia’s Head of Product & Strategy says the BURN Jikokoa cookstoves are a great complement to the existing solar home system product lineup, providing EEA customers with a cleaner, safer alternative to their traditional charcoal Mbaulas. “We’re excited to partner with BURN to offer a product that represents the first step in our customers’ journeys towards a clean cooking future.”

The Fenix Mbaula consumes 39% less fuel and emits about 45% less carbon compared to a traditional charcoal brazier. Since launching in Zambia, it is projected that over the products already sold five-year lifespans, about 6,500 tons of CO2 will be kept from the environment, and 11,828 tons of wood saved from deforestation. The Fenix Mbaula also offers users greater health benefits and convenience by allowing them to cook inside the house without the fear of excessive smoke inhalation.

In the field, customers have also happily pointed out the efficiency of the cookstove as an advantage. The cookstove’s design allows for more efficient heat distribution, resulting in cooking times half that of a traditional brazier. “I love the Fenix Mbaula because it looks nice and works very well, I also love it because of how fast it cooks. I have more time to spend with my family and on my business, because I am not spending as much time on cooking as I did before” explained Mary Hampyongo, a Fenix Mbaula customer.


As a result of this efficient design, customers have also reported spending about half of what they would typically spend on charcoal. A satisfied Fenix Mbaula customer said that they had used the money saved from spending on charcoal on school supplies for their child. Another customer said that they were using the saved money to buy groceries.

The highest demand and sales for the Fenix Mbaula have been in peri-urban areas, particularly in Copperbelt and Central Provinces. The cookstoves have also been popular in urban areas that often experience power cuts and have a high usage of traditional braziers as alternative cooking solutions to electric stoves.

Other customer segments have been rural customers from areas where they originally used firewood for cooking. These customers bought the stove to make a more efficient switch. The interviewed customers said that they were happy to buy their Fenix Mbaula because the financing that EEA offers makes it affordable to own a cookstove.

Mark Connor, BURN’s New Markets Expansion Manager says “BURN is extremely excited to work with ENGIE in Zambia to offer its life-changing charcoal stoves to ENGIE’s growing customer base in Zambia. Moreover, BURN looks forward to developing a long-term partnership with ENGIE, whereby it offers its new and growing product offering of biomass, electric, hybrid and liquid-fuel stoves, to all ENGIE markets across Africa.”

The success of the Fenix Mbaula in Zambia has shown that it is possible to give customers a clean, environmentally sustainable, and affordable cooking solution, which can be replicated in markets with similar demographics and demand. The Fenix Mbaula innovation has given access to affordable and clean energy to Zambian customers.

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By Pacifique Ishimwe In 2020, ENGIE Energy