Metro

US earmarks $10m concessional loan to Zambian enterprises

Published

1 month ago

March 27, 2024

About 260 Small and Medium Scale enterprises in Zambia will benefit from $10 million concessional loans by the United States government.

This was revealed by some US Senators who met with President Hakainde Hichilema in Lusaka on Tuesday on the sidelines of a meeting to learn more about the impact of US government investments and programmes in the country.

US Senator Patty Murray who led the delegation that met with Hichilema said the funds would be made available by the International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) and would be used as concessional loans for the enterprises to expand their storage and production capacity for maize and soya beans.

Murray added that the loan would also improve production of other nutritious and affordable consumer food products, thereby strengthening food security in the country which is currently being ravaged by devastating drought.

“The loan facility was a follow up to the earlier support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, last month at the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment Lobito Corridor Private Sector Investment Forum in Zambia,” Murray said.

The delegation, which had Senators Christopher Coons, Gary Peters, Catherine Cortez Masto and Peter Welch in tow, also met with key government ministers and officials over the two days they spent in the country.

As part of the meeting, the US delegation said they would explore how the US government can support reforms to the business enabling environment to attract greater investment and better spur economic growth.

The delegation also discussed decades-long US support for the health and agriculture sectors and strategies for systematically expanding agricultural productivity and sustaining Zambia’s improvements in public health, as well as emphasizing the central roles of the rule of law and fundamental freedoms to accountable and responsive democratic governance.

After the meeting, President Hichilema took to his Facebook page to post about the positive outcome of the dialogue.

“This morning at State House, we held a meeting with the U.S. congressional delegation led by Senator Patty Murray.

“The other senators included Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, Senator Gary Peters from Michigan, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada and Senator Peter Welch from Vernmont.

“During the meeting, a wide range of issues were discussed including the friendship that Zambia shares with the United States.

“We briefed the delegation on how Zambia is repositioning its social, economic and political journey, with the national development plan as the blue print

“We also discussed other issues including the drought, food security and jobs for the women and youth.

“We also thanked them for the support in the recently concluded debt restructuring process. We shall continue to engage with partners for the betterment of our country.”

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Metro

‘Cyber Act fails to protect the vulnerable,’ Student demands media inclusivity for persons with disabilities

Published

18 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Peter Libila, a student at Icof University’s Chipata campus, highlights the lack of awareness among individuals with disabilities and those residing in rural areas about their digital rights, resulting in limited access to media platforms for free expression.

Libila underscored the marginalization of people with disabilities in discussions on community development, leading to their exclusion from voicing their perspectives.

In an interview with Zambia Monitor in Eastern Province, Libila discussed the discrimination and stigma faced by individuals with disabilities in the media landscape.

Read More: Differently-abled person speaks on challenges impacting freedom of expression in rural areas

“Persons with disabilities are often overlooked when it comes to community developments,” he emphasized.

Moreover, as someone with a physical disability, Libala pointed out shortcomings in the Cybersecurity Act which failed to adequately address online barriers to freedom of expression.

“The act fails to ensure online safety for all; it only offers protection to certain groups while neglecting others,” he asserted.

He stressed the importance of bridging these gaps to foster inclusivity within the media.

“There’s a lack of sign language interpreters in most media outlets, which poses challenges for the deaf community,” he observed.

Libila also emphasized the necessity of providing braille reading materials and writing tools for individuals who are blind.

“Even basic resources like braille books are often unavailable for the blind,” he lamented.

This story is sponsored content from Zambia Monitor’s Project Aliyense.

Metro

All my tough policy decisions are in Nigerians’ interest— Tinubu

Published

22 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has insisted that all his tough policy decisions and reforms have been taken with the interest of Nigerians at heart.

Tinubu, who made the assertion in Hague, The Netherlands, during the business session of the bilateral meeting with the Dutch team led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, insisted that though some of the policies had brought hardship on Nigerian masses, he was not afraid to implement more of such policies as they would yield positive results in the end.

“I am a determined leader of my people. I am ever ready to take tough decisions in the best interest of the people, even if with initial pains,” Tinubu said.

“I have and will continue to take the difficult decisions that will benefit our people, even if there is short-term pain.

“We have gone through the worst of the storms. I am unafraid of the consequences once I know that my actions are in the best long-term interests of all Nigerians.

“The Nigerian naira is one of the world’s best-performing currencies today.

“We took the necessary risk, and all resilient Nigerians kept faith with us.

“They will be rewarded, and the reward will only be greater as we partner effectively with you on new opportunities for development.

“As leaders, we must make decisions for the benefit of our nations, and we cannot shy away from that.”

The President also noted that symbiotic economic ties remain the best long-term path to sustainable and mutual prosperity rather than one-sided relationships in which bilateral trade is skewed too much in one direction.