William Chilufya, the Regional Advocacy Manager, Sustainable Foods at Hivos
Social Cash Transfer
1. 600000 targeted for social cash (27th June, Daily Mail)
MINISTER of Community Development and Social Services Emerine Kabanshi says 600,000 households in 109 districts will benefit from the social cash transfer programme this year.
Ms Kabanshi said this will help reduce poverty levels in most parts of the country.
2. Government pays K4.8BN for pensioners fuel costs (28th June, Times of Zambia)
THE Government has this week paid K4.8 billion from the K17 billion owed to pensioners, infrastructure, fuel and electricity payments. Finance Minister Felix Mutati said the Government had so far paid the K4.8 billion and would give other payment details in Parliament soon. Read Full Story
3. WCFCB acts to cushion Kalumbila housing deficit (20th June, Daily Mail)
IN an effort to grow the fund further, the Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board (WCFCB) has embarked on robust project of constructing 50 housing units in Kalumbila district. Read Full Story
4. Compensation fund investigates Chat Breweries blast (22nd June, Daily Mail)
THE Workers’ Compensation Fund Board (WCFCB) has instituted investigations into the cause of a blast at Chat Breweries in Luanshya in which eight workers were severely injured. And the board has warned private firms of prosecution for not registering with the board. WCFCB spokesperson Maybin Nkholomba said in an interview in Ndola that preliminary investigations were almost concluded to establish the cause of the accident and provide technical advice on the prevention of such occurrences in future. Read full story
5. Columnist: Plan for retirement on first day at work (23rd June, Daily Mail)
Issues of pension schemes in Africa are rarely discussed in economic development or politics as avenues for employment creation in Africa in general and Zambia in particular. We have to carry out a pensions audit and ascertain how many people who have reached the retirement period are still in formal employment. Read Full Story
6. OECD: There’s need for efficient pension arrangements in the region (30th June, Daily Mail)
Africa is not only the need to introduce social protection systems – to help alleviate demographic pressures, poverty amongst the elderly and provide support for households headed by grandparents following the HIV/AIDS pandemic and regional conflicts, but also a vital need for reform of existing pension systems in the region, the cost of which is often crowding out spending on other key areas (such as health and education). Read Full Story
World Food Programme (WFP) Representative and Country Director Simon Cammelbeeck with Jessie Zimba picture by Derrick Sinjela -Zambian Developmental Media Alliance (ZADEMA)
Dr. Solomon Asfaw-Economist at Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (Rome)
Social Protection and Agriculture
7. Zambia should improve spending on agriculture (30th June, Daily Mail)
WORLD Bank country manager Ina-Marlene Ruthenberg says Zambia should improve its public spending in agriculture if the country is to promote a non-copper economy to improve rural livelihoods. And Minister of Agriculture Dora Siliya says Government has started taking specific policy directions to ensure that agriculture becomes the key driver for exports and economic diversification aimed at reducing poverty and the huge inequalities prevailing in society. Read Full Story
8. Harnessing agriculture to end poverty (30th June, Daily Mail)
Water Development Sanitation and Environmental Protection Minister Lloyd Kaziya with World Wide Fund for Nature Zambia (WWF) Head of Communications and Marketing Eneya Phiri and Ms. Nyirenda from Food Lovers Market – at Lusaka’s Holiday Inn Hotel Picture by Derrick Sinjela
‘THE momentum to change farming into a business is there, as can be seen by an increase in the number of us small-scale farmers venturing into agriculture sector. “But we cannot overlook the challenges that comes with it, to realize the country’s dream of become food secure as well as to contribute to job creation and also improving our livelihoods,” says Kenneth Chiquita of Chishamba. Read Full Story
Empowerment and Livelihood
9. Zambia: Graça Machel Visiting Zambia (22nd June, AllAfrica.com)
Lusaka — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Zambia announces the visit of one of the world’s leading advocates for women and children’s rights, Mrs Graça Machel, to Zambia from the 20th to the 22nd June, 2017. Read Full Story
10. Lungu Launches 7th National Development Plan (21st June, IMF)
President Edgar Lungu has launched the 7th National Development Plan running from 2017 to 2021, with a pledge to build a resilient and diversified economy. President Lungu said that the plan indicates government’s commitment to planning, as the gateway to the Vision 2030 target, which is a long term national aspiration The President said that there was a need to implement the five-year development plan within the principle of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, where no one should be left behind. Read Full Story
11. Mutati upbeat about IMF bailout (17th June, Times of Zambia)
FINANCE Minister Felix Mutati has said Zambia is making tremendous social and economic progress to engage the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and that the risk remaining is on the external side. Mr Mutati also said the Government had designed a time-specific arrears-dismantling strategy which included measures that would stop accumulation of new arrears. Meanwhile, the minister said the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was this year projected to rise to 4.3 per cent against the initial forecast of 3.4 per cent. Read Full Story
12. 7NDP: What’s in it for the poor? (26th June, Daily Mail)
ONE of the catchy stakeholder yardsticks for the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP), is the need for it to create a Zambia where no one will be left behind as the economy continues to grow. After many years of enjoying economic development averaging 6.5 percent, the aim for Zambia in the next five years is to let the growth trickle down to the people. One million jobs must be created; livelihoods must improve; inequalities should decli
Food systems and diets
ne; the general population must be well nourished; and standards of living among the poor must improve. Read Full Story
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