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By Derrick Sinjela published on Monday 11th July 2011 COMMUNITY markets have since independence acted as employment and income generation platforms for indigenous traders. Chimpwena Market is one of the biggest trading marketplaces in Mufulira on the Copperbelt Province, located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Commercial and domestic clientele heavily depend on Mufulira’s Chimpwena market for retail and wholesale groceries. However, a market stall trader, Catherine Kaoma complains of low incomes raised following poor hygienic standards and the growing street vending trend. “My business is going down due to other traders opting to vend...

By Derrick Sinjela published on Monday 11th July 2011 BUSINESS has become a one major source of income in Zambia which like late Aliya sung knows no aged limit as elderly and youthful citizens compete for a share of the national cake. With Finance Minister Alexander Bwalya Chikwanda presenting the National budget on Friday, 11th November 2011, traders are hoping that President Michael Chilufya Sata’s Letter of Intent to parliamentarians will take their collective concerns into consideration. A casual check on Zambian streets and market places unveils traders starting from senior-old age and children as young as five-year-olds. A case...

By Derrick Sinjela published on Monday 11th July 2011 AGRICULTUE is one of the major sources of income generation more especially in rural Zambia, as formal employment is not readily available. And many young people, who drop out of school resort to farming activities as access to education is not as easy as on the line of rail in Zambia. The Zambian community has for time immemorial relied on subsistence farming activities more especially among female citizens, who produce most of the food. A local subsistence farmer, Elias Ziwa of Twikatane Cooperatives in Mufulira narrated that farming was one of...

By Derrick Sinjela published on Monday 11th July 2011 RESEARCH and Marketing Manager at the Zambia Federation of Employers John Banda says there is need for Government through Labour, Sports and Youth Minister Fackson Shamenda to amend the Employment Act. Banda believes that amending the Employment Act will ultimately result in formulation of appropriate HIV and AIDS, a necessary safeguard from discrimination among workers. Banda explained that in its current form, the Employment Act did not adequately protect the plight of workers in relation to HIV and AIDS policies. Speaking during the Access Bank/ Friends Africa SME Workplace Policies Development...

By Derrick Sinjela published on Monday 11th July 2011 Only 25 percent of all adult women in Zambia have reached secondary or higher level of education compared to 44.2 percent of their male counterparts; and drop-outs rates are still very high, too high, for girls, says United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Kanni Wignaraja. Wignaraja called for increased number of girls completing secondary school, and eventually proceeding to higher levels of tertiary education. Speaking during the Gender and Business-view from the top Breakfast Meeting, convened at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka, Wignaraja called for increased investment in girls and women’s...

By Derrick Sinjela published on Monday 11th July 2011 YOUTH Vision Zambia (YVZ) Executive Director Amos Mwale has called on financial lending institutions to provide other innovative resources to cater for the young people. Youth Vision wants the Zambian Government to heed pleas seeking introduction of a Youth Bank. Mr. Mwale said that the move by lending institutions to reduce the lending conditions was a welcome which needed to be complimented by introduction of innovative resources  targeted at young people. “Young people want to venture in business but stiff scared to borrow from these lending institutions as collateral conditionalities make...