The annual rate of inflation, as measured by the all items Consumer Price Index (CPI), increased to 9.0 percent in January, from 7.9 percent in December. The rise is attributed to the "increases in the cost of both food and non-food items". More detail via the CSO Monthly Bulletin embedded below.
Zambia Statistics - January 2011
Monday, 31 January 2011
Inflation Statistics - January 2011
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Child Labour And Poverty In Zambia
I was struck by this Children International video that tells the story of Loveness an extraordinary young girl, who at the tender age of seven, has been sentenced to a life of hard physical labour. Admittedly it is captured to highlight the need for financial support, but this an issue we have previously touched on e.g. Children As Bread Winners (HT: Zambian Watchdog).
Friday, 28 January 2011
Book Reading Goal : Week 4
I have now finished one of the most fascinating books I have read for some time. The book in question is To
Change The World : The Irony, Tragedy and Possibility of Christianity In The Late Modern World
by James Davidson Hunter. He is the LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory at the University of Virginia and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. In short, a man who knows something about something!
The book seeks to address how Christians should engage themselves in the modern world. But it is more than that because within this book he explains to us how cultural change comes about. I was particularly struck by the simple but not so obvious idea that cultural change is not democratic but comes largely from overlapping networks. We certainly see this in both Amerindian and African independence struggles. We also see it today why many Zambians have failed to bring about a paradigm shift in thinking. The majority may want a different Zambia but the majority don't run the country. Equally vital are Hunter's perspectives on the nature of leadership, in particular how all of us are leaders in different spheres of influence and therefore inherently accountable for how we exercise those gifts and areas given to us by the Lord God.
The best compliment I can pay this book is that it has helped me define both the reason why I should keep this website (many a times I have considered abandoning it), but also the purpose for this website - which is first and foremost to honour God and by extension to ensure that it contributes towards shalom for our poorest. For there's no greater cause in this world than to ensure that the research and economic analysis all make a huge difference to the "least of these". By extension it has also helped me define how best to contribute to meaningful positive change. In seeking to change our country, we must be strategic. It is more important to be heard than to shout. As I said, the point is not to feed our egos but to feed the poor. There's a faithfulness needed in ensuring the blogging is of high standard (poor and unresearched pieces dishonours one who made us and those around us). It is also vital to have positive relationship with those who may be at the opposite end of our views. I am more interested to see some of our biggest issues addressed than score political points. So we gotta be passionate, objective and loving at the same time.
This may just be a life changing book. I am hugely thank to a good friend who recommended. I like wise recommend it strongly.
Book Reading Goal Review
Books Read So Far : 3 book
Remaining Books to Achieve Target : 47 books
Weeks Remaining to Achieve Annual Target : 48 weeks
Help Re-Brand Zambia
We have been asked by World Bank - Zambia to advertise the item below. Please spread the word. Typical GRZ though this request has to come from a non-Zambian source :
We invite you to enter this amazing competition.
Zambia as a tourist destination is looking for a new brand!
You could win a 15 day safari for two – worth up to US$ 30,000.
Zambia is a stunning country to visit with unbeatable safaris and adventure, great culture and friendly people and of course the iconic Victoria Falls!
It is still relatively undiscovered, with much potential. And tourism is key to Zambia and it’s people.
Increased tourism means more jobs in rural areas, more funds for conservation and a healthier economy in a developing country.
So play your part – share your ideas with us and enter the competition. Help Zambia and have the chance to explore the country yourself...
To find out more, open the attachment…or go to www.zambiatourism.com/competition
And please, “pass it on”, spread the word by sending this email to your friends, clients, colleagues, everyone!
Another way would be to copy the icon below and put it on your email signature, or copy the icon off the website and put on your website with a link.
We look forward to seeing your creative ideas.
www.zambiatourism.com
Follow the competition…on Facebook (Zambia Tourism) and on Twitter @Zambia_Tourism
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Zambia 2010 Census - Preliminary Results (Presentation)
Why do things fall apart in Africa?
Things have fallen apart in Africa for a long time because of colonialism, capitalism, socialism, Marxism, communism, tribalism, ethnic chauvinism… neoliberalism, globalism and what have you. Things are in total free fall in Africa today because Africa has become a collection of vampiric states ruled by kleptocrats who have sucked it dry of its natural and human resources. It is easy to blame the white man and his colonialism, capitalism and all the other “isms” for Africa’s ailments, but as Cassius said to Brutus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” The fault is not in the African people, the African landscape or skyscape. Africa is rich and blessed with natural and human resources. The fault is in the African brutes and their vampiric regimes.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
The Status of Zambian Privatisation
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Namibia's Nuclear Ambitions, 2nd Edition
We have previously touched on Namibia's nuclear pursuit here.It appears the plans are very real indeed. Our uranium rich neighbour is pressing on with its plans to develop its rich uranium resources and intends to pursue uranium enrichment locally. It also plans to build its own nuclear electricity plant. Nuclear energy experts from Finland’s Nuclear and Radiation Authority are currently helping the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) to draft Namibia’s first ever nuclear policy, which is to be completed mid-2011, together with relevant laws. The plan is to generate electricity from the nuclear reactor by 2018. More details via IPS News.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
The Planned Stem Cell Bank in Zambia (Guest Blog)
Monday, 24 January 2011
Capital Expenditure Provision for Western Province
2011 Budget: K586.5 Billion Capital Expenditure Provision for Western Province
In response to some queries from stakeholders regarding development programmes planned for Western Province in 2011, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning is pleased to notify the public that an amount of K586.5 Billion, approved by Parliament during its last sitting, has been provided in the 2011 Budget for capital projects, infrastructure rehabilitation, maintenance and development in the Western Province.
It should clearly be understood that the K586.5 Billion budget provision excludes funds already committed under different capital programmes financed by development partners. The 2011 capital expenditure allocation also excludes funds meant for operations, salaries and other non-capital expenditure in the Western Province.
Debt Watch (China)
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Measuring the Unmeasurable, 2nd Edition
I just returned from India, where I was lecturing to the Indian Parliament in the same hall where US President Barack Obama had recently spoken. The country was racked by scandal. A gigantic, ministerial-level scam in the mobile-telephone sector had siphoned off many billions of dollars to a corrupt politician.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
The Daily Mail
“The Government of the day expects the Zambia Daily Mail to serve the people. Your support and activities should be within the public mandate, not aligning yourself with a particular political party or organisation. So in pursuit of public service, you must know that you are serving the public..."
“To get the company out of its financial quagmire, we request shareholders to help with recapitalisation by injecting K10 billion in the paid up share capital to enable the company buy more delivery vans, computer to plate machine, replace old computers and refurbish institutional infrastructure. We also appeal to government to write off statutory debt which stands at K40.2 billion. Most of this debt is historical.”
Corruption Watch (Lusaka City Council), 3rd Edition
Economic Growth, Poverty and Inequality (Guest Blog)
Friday, 21 January 2011
The Growth Debate (A Response to Simumba & Shenton) (Guest Blog)
Zambia is a rich but poor country. I mean, Zambia is greatly endowed with minerals, fertile land and fresh water yet it is gifted with bad culture. Zambia in the pre-colonial days experienced mining activities at minimal scale, subsistence farming and fruit gathering. My interest is fruit gathering which inculcated a lazy culture because things come on a silver place. Adverse conditions are what shake people out of their comfort zone.
As fate would have it then come colonialization that taught Zambians to get educated for white-collar jobs. There was no deliberate policy to insure self-employment for school leavers. This developed unhealthy culture of job seekers. As a matter of fact stigmatization of people who wanted to venture into business upon finishing school was such that these people were viewed as school failures. From psychology of deindividuation in the mines where leadership was dominated by whites, we also learn that Africans believed that big businesses could only be run by whites. To date the inferiority complex still lingers in many citizens. Little wonder that entrepreneurship is not proficient in such an environment where individuals deindividualise themselves?
The PACT Presidential Candidate (Press Release)
Press Release by UPND (20 January 2010) :
UPND CLARIFICATON ON THE PACT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
The Limits of Institutions
The fact is that we realise that even the best structures and the most idealised systems quickly become inhuman if human inclinations are not improved, if there is no conversion of heart and mind on the part of those who are living in those structures or controlling them.
Parastatal Madness, 11th Edition
Related Posts :
Parastatal Madness, 10th Edition
Parastatal Madness, 9th Edition
Parastatal Madness, 8th Edition
Parastatal Madness, 7th Edition
Parastatal Madness, 6th Edition
Parastatal Madness, 5th Edition
Parastatal Madness, 4th Edition
Parastatal Madness, 3rd Edition
Parastatal Madness, 2nd Edition
Parastatal Madness
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Growth Debate (A Response to Trevor Simumba) (Guest Blog)
Mine Watch (Various)
Zambia Development Agency approved the construction of the Mulyashi ‘Greenfield’ open pit mine in Luanshya in northern Zambia estimated to cost USD 400 million. The China Non Ferrous Metals Africa Corporation owned open cast mine is expected to be
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
The Elusive Quest for Free Elections
Simply permitting the opposition access to the ballot box is not enough for us to have elections we can say are free and fair. Elections in which the ruling party has almost unlimited access to and use of state resources to the exclusion of the opposition cannot be said to be free and fair.
Monday, 17 January 2011
Sata writes Banda writes Sata
A bit of positive reporting from the Daily Mail. Transcript of correspondence from Mr Michael Sata to President Banda and vice versa. As general point I have previously touched on one of the issues raised by Mr Sata - see Are Some Lives More Valuable Than Others?
3rd January 2011
His Excellency Mr. Rupiah B. Banda
President of the Republic of Zambia
State of House
Independence Avenue
Lusaka
Dear Sir,
RE: DR. CHRISTINE KASEBA’S TREATMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA
We returned home from South Africa on Friday 31st December 2010 after my wife’s medical review on 30th December 2010.
My wife and I would like to take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude to you Your Excellency and the government including the staff at the Zambian High Commission in South Africa for the consideration, compassion and care extended to my wife during the period of her illness and stay at Milpark Hospital. 1 am indeed pleased to see that my wife’s life was saved due to the government’s prompt action to evacuate her.
The Return of Mining Development Agreements?
A good tax system is one which is predictable and which provides stability to investors. It has therefore been agreed that a fiscal stability for a period of ten (10 years) be given to companies that will accede to the new tax regime. The stability will apply to corporate income tax, capital tax allowance, mineral royal and profit variable tax.
ZIPPA on "Taxing the Mines"
The latest ZIPPA report focuses on the controversial issue of mining taxation. It seems to capture a diverse range of opinions, a practice in much demand in other forums. I will try and extract one or two for broader discussions.
ZIPPA Journal Jan-March 2011 - Taxing the Mines
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill 2010: Part IV
(1) Unless disqualified under clauses (2) and (3), a person shall be eligible to be elected as a member of the National Assembly if that person—(a) is a citizen of Zambia;(b) is not less than twenty-one years;(c) is registered as a voter;(d) has obtained, as a minimum academic qualification, a grade twelve school certificate of education or its equivalent; and(e) declares that person’s assets and liabilities as provided under this Constitution and by, or under, an Act of Parliament.
Quiet Victims
This news item which appeared on the first of the new year appears not to have stirred any emotions, but it should :
Five lines, only five lines, that is how much value we place on this on-going problem of poor safety record in the mines. After the Chile disaster there was much talk about safety with the President even saying, "We all witnessed what happened in Chile, it was so touching to see the last person come out. We have to take care of our mines so that we do not go through what our brothers have gone through". Except your brothers have been dying from poor records and continue to do so without a word of condolence from your government!Another miner has died on the Copperbelt after a rock fall at the Baluba Mine in Luanshya. This is the second miner to die in an underground accident within a week. Copperbelt Province Police Commanding Officer Martin Malama has confirmed the mine accident to ZNBC News in Kitwe. Dr Malama has named the victim as Fanwell Simwinga aged 57. Dr. Malama says the miner died after rocks fell on him, 460 metres below the surface.
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Angela's Wisdom
Manda Hill in Lusaka |
Unequal income distribution is one of the major causes of high poverty levels in our nation. The ratio between the rich and the poor is abnormal. The economy could be
Book Reading Goal : Week 2
I have recently began reading the four volume series on church history written by the excellent Nicholas R.
Needham. I hold 3 volumes in my hand that is because the last one is not out yet, to my knowledge anyway. I have just completed volume one - 2000 Years of Christ's Power - Part One : The Age of The Early Church Fathers
, released in 1998 covering the first 600 years or so. It is quite long (400 pages) but I enjoyed it thoroughly. The Needham volumes are not aimed at scholars but rather ordinary Christians who want to more about the history of the faith and get acquainted with some of Christendom's brilliant thinkers like Justin Martyr, Ambrose of Milan, the Cappadocian Fathers and of course Augustine. Very easy to read. As I read this book, I stood amazed at how little I knew! I am already now gripped with volume two, which I will report when I finish!
Book Reading Goal Review
Books Read So Far : 2 book
Remaining Books to Achieve Target : 48 books
Weeks Remaining to Achieve Annual Target : 50 weeks
Friday, 14 January 2011
Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill 2010 : Part IV
(1) The National Assembly shall consist of—
- (a) two hundred and twenty-five members (225) directly elected on the basis of a simple majority under the first past the post segment of the mixed member representation system provided for by this Constitution and as may be provided by, or under, an Act of Parliament;
- (b) thirty seats (30) on the basis of the proportional representation segment of the mixed member representation system from a list of candidates submitted to the Electoral Commission by each political party contesting the elections, as provided by this Constitution and by, or under, an Act of Parliament;
- (c) not more than ten members (10) nominated by the President under Article 68;
- (d) the Speaker.
(2) Clause (1) (a) and (b) shall be subject to clause (3) of Article 184.(3) Clause (1) (b) shall come into operation on the date prescribed by, or under, an Act of Parliament.
That aside, there are two key problems I have with these provisions.
A Pro-Corruption President?
"For those (candidates) offering you bribes in form of money to vote for them, take the money, use it but vote (with) your conscience"
Zambia As A Fast Growing Economy (Guest Blog)
Mining Taxation In Zambia (A Response to Trevor Simumba) (Guest Blog)
If this reflects the total of what Australia extracts as tax revenue from mining operations in the country, then Zambia extracts more in tax revenues than Australia. Currently, mining companies operating in Zambia are taxed as follows:
Why access to clean water is important
Thursday, 13 January 2011
A Broken Campaign Tool
Acting President Rupiah Banda has promised to increase the Constituency Development Fund (CDF, from the current K400 million to K1 billion once elected as President of Zambia. The Acting President said this when he arrived at Chibefwe Basic School grounds in Mkushi district Saturday afternoon. The Acting President was in the district to drum up support for his presidential campaign election scheduled for 30 October 2008.
Government has increased the Constituency Development Fund -CDF from 665 million to 720 million kwacha for the year 2011. Local Government and Housing Minister Brian Chituwo says this is because the fund has been appreciated by people at constituency level.
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
A uranium world out of control?
In case you missed this important news item you can read it all here. The issue of uranium safety and security is something we have kept our eyes on since various discoveries (e.g. Kariba, Gwabe) - we recently flagged up concerns from NGOs on Is Zambia Ready for Uranium?Wikileaks cables have revealed a disturbing development in the African uranium mining industry: abysmal safety and security standards in the mines, nuclear research centres, and border customs are enabling international companies to exploit the mines and smuggle dangerous radioactive material across continents.
Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill 2010: Part IV
(1) The President shall appoint not more than twenty-one persons as Ministers, or such number of Ministers as the National Assembly may approve, from amongst members of the National Assembly.
(1) The President shall appoint a Provincial Minister for each province from persons who are members of the National Assembly.
There shall be a Cabinet consisting of the —(a) President and the Vice President;(b) Ministers; and(c) Provincial Ministers.
Does Zambia need more bye-elections?
Yes. According to this rather strange article via Lusaka Times. I have to say I disagree with nearly every point but thought it was worth sharing so that others see what Zambians are reading / writing elsewhere. If I am pressed I can debunk each and every point raised but I will leave it to the readers to reach their own conclusion :
Just this year Zambia has had several by-elections. Some came as a result of death of incumbents while some were necessitated by expulsions or resignations. In a few months’ time, another by-election will take place in Mporokoso, after the resignation of its MP, Maynard Misapa.
Several NGOs, some politicians, and a good number of candid citizens have condemned the number of by-elections that Zambia conducts each year. By-elections are condemned as expensive and in some cases as unnecessary. Most recently a prominent Zambian political party said the money used for by-elections, which runs in billions of kwacha, could be well used for other developmental projects. However, I wish to argue in this article that Zambia needs more by-elections as they have more benefits for our growing democracy.
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill 2010: Part IV
- There shall be an office of Vice-President of the Republic.
- The Vice-President shall be appointed by the President from amongst the members of the National Assembly.
- A member of the National Assembly shall not be appointed as Vice-President if the member has dual citizenship.
- Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Vice-President shall vacate that office upon the assumption by any person of the office of President.
Broke institutions (ECZ), 4th Edition
“It is ironic to see that government hastily sourced money to sustain the operations at Finance Bank but is failing to mobilise enough resources to fund the Electoral Commission. It goes without saying that the excuse of having no funds from government cannot be acceptable by right-thinking Zambians but that government lacks political will to both fund the Commission and to conduct a voter registration exercise that is comprehensive....Further, it is mystifying to note that this is happening when most government leaders were calling for the extension of the exercise in their constituencies despite their knowledge that government owes the Commission huge sums of money in the previous two exercises and no attempts are made to either pay the Commission the outstanding amounts or allocate enough resources to its operations"
Monday, 10 January 2011
The Treason of Nawakwi
Nawakwi said when the government sold the mines; the price of copper was hovering around US$2,900. She said when she argued that the price was too low; the buyers said it was uneconomical for anyone at that time to invest into the Zambian economy, saying that was why the mines were sold for a song. Nawakwi said the buyers projected that in their lifetime of 15-20 years, the price of copper would not go beyond US$3,000.
“That is how the story of windfall tax came in, ‘what would happen if their theory was proved to be wrong’? And all concerned said ‘let’s exploit the concept of sharing the profit unexpected at the time of the sale’,” Nawakwi said. “Truly it has come to pass that the dip in copper prices was temporary. The price of copper has grown by over 100 per cent. What is in it now is not the royalty because the royalty was fixed. You can increase it by 10 per cent, it is nothing compared to the opportunity cost of a Zambian not owning a mine.”
Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill 2010 : Part IV
(1) Where any appointment to be made by the President is expressed by this Constitution to be subject to ratification by the National Assembly, the National Assembly shall not unreasonably refuse or delay the ratification.(2) Where the ratification is refused, the President shall appoint another person to that office and shall submit the appointment for ratification by the National Assembly.(3) Where the National Assembly refuses to ratify the second appointment, the President shall invite the National Assembly to ratify another appointment for the third time, but the thirdappointment shall take effect irrespective of whether the National Assembly refuses the ratification, or delays it for a period of more than fourteen days.(4) Subject to the other provisions of this Constitution and any other law, any person appointed by the President under this Constitution or that other law may be removed by the President.(5) Nothing in this Article shall prevent Parliament from conferring functions on persons or authorities other than the President.
The important point to note here is that this is not an academic exercise. If your ratification process is flawed then you will have weak separation of powers. The power of the Legislature does not just reside in making laws but also in its ability to check the Executive. The above provision is weak and should be replaced with what I have suggested.
Formal Sector Employment, 2009
A report from the Central Statistics Office reveals a top heavy employment scenario - 1 in 3 employees work for the government. 1 in 5 are civil servants in central government department :
Formal Sector Employment, 2009
The 2009 Employment and Earnings Inquiry Report reveals that the estimated number of workers in the formal sector increased slightly between first and second quarter 2009. In the first quarter, the number of workers was estimated at 659,582 while in the second quarter, the number of workers increased by 1.8 percent to 671,246. The increase in the overall number of workers is largely attributed to the Financial and Insurance activities and Construction industry, which registered growths of 21 percent and 20.8 percent, respectively.
Sunday, 9 January 2011
An indictment of a diminished culture
From Kondwani Munthali's fascinating post on Reflecting Africa's Diminishing Values.The belief that everything foreign is better than locally produced has affected all parts of [African] society. Some studies suggest that Africans are the largest absorbers of all foreign materials, from beauty products to re-used products. Nigerian alone imports close to 500,000 containers of reused items including computers and radios according to CNN....African presidents today are known for their designer suits, than for their traditional attires like King Mswati of Swaziland who seems to have been the remaining one to stick to his traditional dress. Interestingly, this belief in foreign items and philosophy is firmly rooted even among the structures of Government. Apart from the Tanzanian parliament, the majority of African parliaments converse in a foreign language.
The clear mark of diminishing African value includes the barrier to African dress when one wants to attend a parliamentary session. This is in short the most ridiculous rule for a continent struggling to find a voice and place in global society. Equality cannot be in terms of how white or how much one has adopted the “so called civilization” but acceptance of human diversity in a global society that have similar moral and social obligations to one another. Lawyers still dress as if they are in London, children in school learn of the philosophies of the British and others, while there are very little details about African philosophy and way of life even in schools in rural Malawi or Uganda.
The thoughts of Nelson Mandela as he adopted and later abandoned armed struggle, the thinking of Mozambican Samora Machel, the political system of Julius Nyerere, the rise and fall of Mobutu Seseko, the birth of a democratic South Africa, the HIV/Aids conquest in Senegal, all these are African stories that are yet to be taught.
Saturday, 8 January 2011
GDP on the up!
Economy expected to grow by 7.1 Percent in 2010, Central Statistics Office Bulletin, December 2010, Report:
The preliminary estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), i.e., the total value of goods and services produced in the country, show that the economy is likely to grow by 7.1 percent in 2010 compared to the 6.4 percent recorded in 2009. The preliminary estimates of Gross Domestic Product are based mostly on data up to the second quarter of 2010.
Book Reading Goal : Week 1
This week I begun the annual book reading goal with an important classic as I prepared for a new release by
the same author. The title is Until Justice and Peace Embrace
by Nicholas Wolterstorff. The book was released in 1983 and is formed from the Kuyper lectures Wolterstorff gave in Amsterdam. In this classic Wolterstorff lays out the foundation on why we must agitate for justice and peace in our world. In particular the important of having a praxis oriented approach that actively moves us to side with the poor. Perhaps no philosopher has had a greater impact on my view of justice and poverty than Wolterstorff. I eagerly await his next volume on "love and justice" due out later this year even as I read a newly released compendium of essays by him.
Book Reading Goal Review
Books Read So Far : 1 book
Remaining Books to Achieve Target : 49 books
Weeks Remaining to Achieve Annual Target : 51 weeks