Favourite K. Chisi

The Ministry of Agriculture has called on the private sector and citizens to take advantage of investment opportunities in the agricultural sector, particularly storage infrastructure, to enhance productivity and reduce post-harvest losses. Ministry Principal Public Relations Officer Balewa Zyuulu says government has set ambitious production targets under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema, with the country aiming to produce 10 million metric tonnes of maize and one million metric tonnes each of wheat and soybeans annually by 2031. Mr. Zyuulu said achieving the targets requires a coordinated approach involving all stakeholders, including increased investment in storage facilities to safeguard harvests and minimise losses. He emphasised that while efforts to increase production are being scaled up, inadequate storage capacity remains a critical gap that must be addressed alongside production to strengthen food security and preserve the value of agricultural produce. ...

Some small-scale miners under the Federation of Small-Scale Mining Associations of Zambia have expressed frustration over recent developments in the mining sector, particularly the announcement of 3,000 exploration small-scale mining (ESM) licences and fees imposed by the Minerals Regulation Commission, which they describe as punitive. Luapula Small-Scale Miners Association (LUSMA) Secretary and federation committee member Nathan Ngandwe says the developments have unsettled operators and risk damaging Zambia’s image as a mining destination. Mr. Ngandwe says the matter could have been handled administratively instead of being publicised in a manner that portrays small-scale miners as defaulters. He has warned that such actions could undermine investor confidence and the credibility of the mining sector. Mr. Ngandwe says the federation is seeking to resolve the impasse with the Minerals Regulation Commission and has reiterated calls for a meeting with President Hakainde Hichilema...

The National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) has donated reusable menstrual hygiene materials valued at K110,000 to more than 400 girls at Mulalika Primary and Secondary School in Chongwe District, Lusaka Province. NWASCO Secretary Andrew Mwansa says the council is committed to creating an enabling environment that promotes the health and well-being of girls, allowing them to pursue their education with dignity and without unnecessary barriers. Speaking at the handover ceremony on behalf of NWASCO Director Kelvin Chitumbo, Mr. Mwansa said challenges in managing menstruation with dignity contribute significantly to school absenteeism among girls. He said studies indicate that some girls miss as many as 36 school days annually due to menstrual health-related challenges. Mr. Mwansa described the situation as more than a personal challenge, saying it is a barrier to national development and can negatively affect the educational and career prospects of the girl child. ...

Western Province Minister Kapelwa Mbangweta has disclosed that government has paid all farmers in the province for their produce. Mr. Mbangweta explained that government had initially planned to purchase 500,000 metric tonnes of produce from farmers, but increased production following its call for farmers to grow more food resulted in government purchasing about 1.7 million metric tonnes. He said the significant increase in the volume of produce meant government had to mobilise additional resources to settle outstanding payments to farmers. Mr. Mbangweta said once the funds were secured and made available in Kaoma, government worked with Access Bank, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and the Ministry of Agriculture to ease the payment process. He explained that Kaoma, Nkeyema, Luampa and surrounding areas have traditionally relied on a single bank to facilitate payments to farmers, but the more-than-threefold increase in the number of farmers requiring payment created additional pr...

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has disclosed that, as a measure to curb the proliferation of fake professors and safeguard the quality of higher education, the Authority intends to propose amendments to the Higher Education Act to introduce a mandatory recognition system for professors. HEA Director General, Professor Kazhila Chinsembu , says the idea is to establish a national register of HEA-accredited professors. Speaking at the official opening of the first Summer School on Media Training, Prof. Chins said the presence of a number of bogus and fake professors in Zambia, saying these individuals have neither conducted credible research nor published a single peer-reviewed journal article. “We have also observed the proliferation of fake professors whose publications are limited to predatory journals,” he said. Prof. Chinsembu explained that predatory journals are deceptive academic publications that masquerade as legitimate scholarly outlets but exist primarily to extract mone...

The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has defended the K700 salary increment agreed between government and public sector unions, describing the outcome of negotiations as a good deal considering the economic challenges faced by the country. ZCTU Secretary General Joy Beene says the 27 public sector unions commenced negotiations with government last year, ahead of the expiry of their collective agreement in December. Mr. Beene said the negotiations were difficult and at one point reached a deadlock, prompting government to request a recess to allow it to undertake consultations and seek a further mandate. He said the recess also gave the unions an opportunity to consult their members and economic advisers before resuming negotiations. Mr. Beene explained that the unions employ qualified researchers from the University of Zambia to provide economic advice during collective bargaining. He said union leaders do not simply arrive at salary demands based on figures proposed by...

The Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR) has called for greater predictability in the management of agricultural markets, citing delays in farmer payments during the 2025 crop marketing season. ZIPAR Executive Director Zali Chikuli says the delays exposed deeper structural challenges in Zambia's agricultural marketing system beyond the issue of financial transactions. Mr. Chikuli said Zambia has policies that strongly support agricultural production, as demonstrated by the positive response from farmers and the bumper harvest recorded during the 2025 farming season. However, he said challenges emerge at the marketing stage, where existing mechanisms are not adequately designed to handle large-scale crop purchases. Mr. Chikuli explained that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) was originally established to purchase limited quantities of maize, estimated at about 500,000 metric tonnes, for strategic national reserves rather than to purchase the entire crop prod...