Reduce Communication Costs Minister Urges Players

Players in the telecommunication sector has been challenged to reduce on the high cost of communication in Zambia.
The challenge has been made by communications, transport, works and supply minister yamfwa Mukanga.
This follows a conducted tour at the Airtel Headquarters in the Zambian capital Lusaka who was invited to visit among other facilities the call center, network site and corporate center.
The minister in his address at the close of the tour affirmed the importance of Information Communication Technologies’s in development.
He has emphasized on the need to make communication more affordable and available for more Zambians.
And Airtel Managing Director Fayaz King pledged commitment to providing communication services to all Zambians with a target of reaching at least 80 percent of the population.
He indicated that necessary infrastructure improvements are being worked on to address impending challenges in the sector.
The company recently invested in a 3.75G network roll-out to improve its connectivity and service provision in its entirety. According to the company, the investment was expected to contribute to economic development through increased productivity, efficiency and reducing the cost of doing business.

ELECTIONS DERAIL EUROBOND ACQUISITION PLAN

Zambia, Africa’s biggest copper producer, will probably delay the sale of its planned $500 million Eurobond until after elections in September, central bank Governor Caleb Fundanga said.
The debt “can only be handled when there is a Cabinet in place,” Fundanga said in a telephone interview from Lusaka, the capital, today. “The matter has to be put on hold. It requires a Cabinet process to move it forward.”
Zambia is looking to raise funds to build new transport links and generate and transmit more electricity to the copper mines that drive the economy. The Eurobond was to be sold by the end this month, according to Situmbeko Musokotwane, who was finance minister before the Cabinet was dissolved last week ahead of the Sept. 20 vote.
On March 22, Standard & Poor’s assigned the southern African nation a B+ credit rating, its fourth-highest junk grade, with a “stable” outlook. Zambia’s assessment is the same as that for Kenya, Nigeria and Paraguay. Fitch Ratings assigned it B+, also four steps below investment grade, on March 2.
Zambia’s economy remains “robust,” with mining and agriculture showing expansion, and is unlikely to be disrupted by the election, Fundanga said. He warned there may be a “slight delay” in the 2012 budget presentation that was scheduled for October.
President Rupiah Banda, the 74-year-old leader of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, will run for a second term next month against Michael Sata, head of the Patriotic Front, the largest opposition party. Sata narrowly lost in the previous ballot in 2008, winning 38.1 percent of the vote to Banda’s 40.1 percent.

AFRICAN STORIES

The image of Africa painted by the west has been more negative than positive as has been the trend in most media organizations talking about this rich continent.

In an effort to reverse this unfortunate scenario, the Deutsche Welle Akademie brought together African journalists from across the southern African region to tell the African story as it should be.

The participating countries included Namibia, Malawi, Zambia and the hosts South Africa.

As a Zambian representative for our participating station, MUVI TV, we had a challenging but worthwhile task of highlighting a positive aspect about Africa from the diverse opportunities people in Cape Town have identified.

The stories were mainly centered on individuals making a difference in their various traits despite the challenges they are encountering.

Team Zambia represented by Alister Sibbuku, Matthew Nthala and Pennipher Sikainda did a piece on a visually impaired Cape Town resident who is using his disability to change public perception especially among the young people in schools.

Its expected that more media institutions take up the role of painting a more positive picture about the continent to highlight the achievements by individuals and certain government strides leading to better welfare of the people.

DESTINED FOR THE CAPE!!! AFRICA ON THE MOVE.......

Well, well, well am in love with the word WELL!!!
I now have a date with South Africa!
Muvi TV has nominated me and two colleagues to represent
the station for a series of training under the Deutshe Welle TV based in Germany.
This is in line with the theme: Africa on the Move.....

The selected teams will compete on the best stories telling good about Africa.
am working with Allistair Sibbuku and Matthews Nthala.....

Let the fun begin, Victory is my PORTION in Jesus Name!

SECOND FATALITY AT ONE OF ZAMBIA'S LARGE MINES

Another miner has died at the Konkola Copper Mines Nchanga underground mine.

27 year old Nelson Kalima who was working for one of contractor companies engaged at the Nchanga underground mine died in an incident during secondary blasting.

KCM Communications Manager Shapi Shachinda has told Muvi TV news that the incident occurred on Monday afternoon.

Mr Shachinda says investigations have since been launched to ascertain the cause of the regrettable accident and to reinforce measures for preventing similar incidents in future.

On the 5^th of July, Enock Siame a 44 year old miner died on duty at the KCM concentrator in an accident.

LAGARDE IN OFFICE

well I have been silent not updating this forum regularly. Nonetheless, all is well and i have been on the top of things news wise in different aspects covering news beyond business.

IMF SELECTS 2 CONTENDERS

FRANKFURT — The long-shot bid by Stanley Fischer, the governor of the Bank of Israel, to become managing director of the International Monetary Fund appeared to already be over after the international lender’s executive board said late Monday that it would only consider two other candidates.

The board said in a statement that it would consider the candidacies of Christine Lagarde, the finance minister of France who is seen as the front-runner, and Agustín G. Carstens, the governor of the Mexican central bank.

Without mentioning Mr. Fischer by name, the board statement suggested that he had missed the deadline for submitting his application. “The period for submitting nominations for the position of the next managing director closed on Friday, June 10,” the board said.

Mr. Fischer, a former deputy director of the I.M.F. and influential economist, announced his candidacy on Saturday.

However, Mr. Fischer said that he had been eliminated because, at 67, he exceeds the age limit of 65 for candidates for managing director.

He criticized the I.M.F. for refusing to change its rules.

“I think that the age restriction, which was set in the past at 65, is not relevant today,” Mr. Fischer said in a statement Tuesday. “I was hoping that the I.M.F. board of directors would change its regulations, not only for the sake of my candidacy, but also for the sake of future candidates for the position of managing director.

“I have no regrets for having submitted my candidacy,” Mr. Fischer said.

He said he would remain as governor of the Bank of Israel.

A former vice chairman of Citigroup who is credited with stabilizing the Israeli currency and steering the country through the global financial crisis, Mr. Fischer probably would have also faced opposition from Arab countries. He is a citizen of the United States and Israel.

The I.M.F. board’s decision seems to clear the way for Ms. Lagarde to assume the post, which became vacant after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned last month to fight charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid in New York.

Ms. Lagarde has been on a worldwide tour of countries including Brazil, India and China in what appears to be a successful campaign to win support from developing nations.

Russia has also nominated Grigori A. Martchenko, Kazakhstan’s central bank president. He also appeared to have been ruled out by the I.M.F. board.

HITACHI INJECTS $15M IN ZAMBIA PLANT

Hitachi, a leading manufacturer of construction, mining and other earthmoving equipment has commenced phase one construction of a re-manufacturing plant valued at 15 million US dollars.
The Plant located at the Lusaka International Multi Facility Economic Zone along the Lusaka International Airport Road.
About 200 people are expected to be employed in the first phase of the construction of the plant.
Japanese Ambassador to Zambia, Akio Egawa has said the investment is part of his country’s trade commitments to Africa made under the Tokyo International Cooperation for African Development-TICAD- process.
He has stated that Japan has already exceeded its commitments to Africa for the period 2008 to 2012 as evidenced in the 2.05 billion provided to Africa in 2010.
Hitachi’s Vice President in charge of Construction Machinery Yokio Arima has said the company believes in Zambia and her economy.
Mr Arima says the company is targeting to rehabilitate earth moving equipment for the mining companies and assemble equipment that will be supplied both locally and the rest of the central and southern African region.
And Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda is pleased with the investment noting that the investment will benefit Zambia through its technology transfer.

PENNIPHER SELECTED AS AN INFLUENTIAL YOUNG PERSON BY THE US EMBASSY

I was honored to be selected as one of the influential young Zambians who have the ability to drive change in the community

Having worked in the media over the last five years(as at March 2011), it is an elating gesture to be selected by the US government, which is a powerhouse in the whole world; among people they can work with in influencing change in the nation and the world at large.

 

more interesting enough, of the ten selected people I am among three females that will be speaking to different "young people" from different sectors of society that are trying to venture in to different careers.

 

on the other hand, because of being in this privileged selection, I will have the rare honor of being among those covering the US secretary of state Hilary Clinton when she come to Zambia for the African Growth and Opportunity Act-AGOA-.

Looking forward to so much more!

SUDAN: 4 ZAMBIANS SHOT AND WOUNDED

Four United Nations peacekeepers in Sudan from the Zambia Army have been wounded after their patrol was attacked.

This was in the oil rich region of Abyei region along the north-south border.

One of the four peacekeepers is reportedly in critical condition.

Reports reaching Zambia indicate that Kouider Zerrouk, a spokesperson for the UN Mission in Sudan confirmed that unidentified assailants shot and wounded four United Nations peacekeepers while they were on patrol in the disputed Abyei area of Sudan on Tuesday.

The mission has disclosed that the four blue helmets, all from Zambia, were shot around 4:40 p.m. as they returned from a regular patrol to the north of the town of Abyei.

Abyei is disputed by the Dinka Ngok, a southern ethnic group who are the permanent residents of the region, and the Misseriya, northern nomads who spend part of every year there seeking pastures for their cattle.

On Sunday the north and south agreed to remove any unauthorized troops from Abyei, claimed by both sides, which was seen as a positive development. However, Since January there have been a series of bloody clashes between the groups.

They have accused each other of using security forces in the fighting, and of a build-up of troops near Abyei.

Last month, President Omar al-Bashir threatened not to recognise the new state if it tried to claim Abyei.

The Abyei region was meant to have its own referendum on whether to join the north or the south in January, but agreement could not be reached on whether the Misseriya could vote.