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Image Civil Engineering Limited has scooped two awards at the recently held National Construction Council (NCC) Build Zambia Expo and Conference 2026 , including recognition for its contribution to the construction of Constituency Development Fund projects across the country . The recognition adds to the company’s growing list of accolades, with Image Civil Engineering also recently receiving an award at the Ndola and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry 7th Annual Awards Gala Night . Image Civil Engineering Managing Director Jonathan Mwendabai has described the NCC recognition as a significant achievement and an affirmation of the company’s commitment to quality infrastructure. “ The award is a significant achievement for Image Civil Engineering Limited and a strong affirmation of our commitment to delivering quality infrastructure that meets the required standards, ” Eng. Mwendabai said. He said the recognition would motivate the company to uphold professionalism, exce...

The Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) and the Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) have called for the appointment of an Education Minister with a strong understanding of the sector and the ability to engage all key stakeholders. The unions say the next minister should prioritise quality education, teacher welfare, infrastructure development and improved learning outcomes. ZNUT General Secretary Muvwanjilanji Siwila says the minister should be able to implement Government policies while ensuring that teachers, learners, parents, unions and other stakeholders are involved in decisions affecting the education sector. Mr Siwila says the minister should also address challenges affecting teachers, particularly accommodation in rural and urban areas, and improve school infrastructure. He says the ministry should urgently address overcrowding in schools and the high teacher-pupil ratio, noting that some classrooms have more than 100 learners. Mr Siwila says the mi...

The Lusaka Securities Exchange (LuSE) says village banks have the potential to become an important source of capital for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while helping channel community savings into productive sectors of the economy. Village banking is a community-based savings and lending model in which members pool their money, provide loans to one another and earn interest on their savings. LuSE Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Kabaso says village banks should consider investing their pooled resources through the capital market to grow their savings and strengthen their financial sustainability. Mr Kabaso says the funds held by village banks, if properly managed and invested, could play a greater role in supporting economic activity. “From the exchange point of view, we are seeing village banks to be a very instrumental piece of pooled funds that we can use to be able to redeploy into more productive sectors,” he says. He says the growing appetite among SMEs to r...

The Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) has called on President Hichilema to appoint a competent and decisive Minister of Health capable of driving reforms and delivering measurable improvements in patient care. Organisation Director General Quince Mwabu says the incoming minister should possess the leadership capacity to provide both strategic and operational direction to the health sector. “Zambia needs a Minister who will provide strong strategic and operational leadership, understand the realities of the health system and ensure that Government policies, programmes and investments translate into actual services for patients,” he said. He says the minister should be implementation-focused and demand results at health-facility level rather than being satisfied with policies and plans on paper. Dr Mwabu says the new minister will inherit a health system facing challenges including gaps in medicines and medical supplies, equipment requiring maintenance, human-resour...

President Hakainde Hichilema has been urged to use his second term to consolidate gains made in the health sector while addressing persistent gaps in access, quality and equity. Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) Director General Dr Quince Mwabu says the ultimate measure of progress should be sustained improvements in healthcare delivery and health outcomes, particularly among underserved communities. Dr Mwabu says the re-election of President Hichilema provides an opportunity for government to build on investments made in the health sector over the past five years. He says government has increased investment in healthcare, expanded health infrastructure, recruited additional health personnel and strengthened the availability of essential medicines and medical supplies. Dr Mwabu says there has also been increased investment in diagnostic capacity and specialised health services, which he says has strengthened the health system and provided a foundation for improvin...

Chikondi Foundation President Bishop John Mambo has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to appoint a Cabinet that will serve the people and support his administration in delivering national development. Bishop Mambo says Cabinet ministers must understand that they are servants of the people and should remain accessible and responsive to citizens. Bishop Mambo says is prayer with those who are elected is that he picks a Cabinet that will run with him, where they will answer phone calls, where they will know that they are not masters, they are servants. Bishop Mambo says President Hichilema’s electoral victory should be attributed largely to his administration’s policies and programmes, including the increased Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation. He says the CDF has increased significantly from 1.6 million kwacha to 40 million kwacha per constituency, although he notes that some rural communities may not fully appreciate the impact of the intervention. Bishop Mambo sa...

The Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) has welcomed President Hakainde Hichilema’s re-election, saying his second term should focus on consolidating reforms and investments made in the education sector. BETUZ Secretary General Henry Sinkala says the union is particularly pleased with the expansion of the school feeding programme, which he says is benefiting more than five million children from Monday to Friday. “The feeding programme, which has seen more than five million children being fed from Monday to Friday, is a good policy. With him being there, it means our children across the country are assured of being fed,” Mr Sinkala said. He said the union also wants government to sustain the implementation of free education, which is now backed by law. Mr Sinkala said the removal of user fees, including tuition, examination, Parent-Teacher Association, broom and other charges, would provide financial relief to parents. “Parents who have an opportunity to save from...