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Zambia, Arab Bank sign $50m construction deal for Kalabo-Sikongo-Angola road project

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The Zambian government has signed a $50 million cooperation agreement with the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for the construction of the Kalabo-Sikongo-Angola Road Project in the country’s Western Province.

The agreement was signed on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by Zambia’s Finance and National Planning Minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, and Sidi Ould Tah, the President of BADEA.

The two parties also signed a capacity-building agreement worth $500,000 aimed at training public officials in finance, trade and energy development.

Speaking on the agreements, Musokotwane said the concessional agreement was designed to support sustainable development goals, focusing on industrial development, infrastructure and economic growth, highlighting that the project would improve the standard of living and foster business ventures in the Kalabo-Sikongo-Angola border areas.

“This road network will create more job opportunities, boost cross-border trade, and lift many in the region above the poverty line,” Musokotwane said in a statement.

He further noted that the road would improve connectivity in remote areas of Western Province, especially during the rainy season, when communities are often cut off and will ultimately enhance trade between Zambia and Angola, thereby supporting regional integration.

Also speaking on the agreement, Ould Tah emphasized that the road project was a key part of Zambia’s development strategy.

“These agreements reflect our shared vision and belief in Zambia’s potential as a regional leader in Africa,” Tah said, while stressing the importance of investing in both infrastructure and human capital.

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Zambia: PF crisis deepens as factional leader expels ex-President Lungu, Sampa, others

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The internal crisis rocking Zambia’s main opposition party, the Patriotic Front (PF), reached a crescendo on Sunday when another factional leader, Robert Chabinga, announced the expulsion of former President, Edgar Lungu, and other prominent members, including another factional president, Miles Sampa, and Given Lubinda.

Chabinga, who is the MP representing Mafinga Province and who was reportedly elected as acting president of the PF following the alleged expulsion of Sampa from the party in July, also announced the expulsion of former Deputy Secretary General, Mumbi Phiri, former Munali MP, Professor Nkandu Luo, and faction Chairperson for Information and Publicity, Emmanuel Mwamba, as well as the removal of party Secretary-General, Raphael Nakacinda, and several MPs, including Mwansabombwe MP, Kabaso Kapampi, citing gross indiscipline.

Chabinga who made the announcement during a media briefing held at Lusaka’s Radisson Blu Hotel, accused Lungu of attempting a deceptive political comeback, stating that his true intentions had been exposed.

He also issued a warning against individuals allegedly impersonating the party leadership and engaging in unauthorized partnerships representing the PF.

He further stressed that the PF’s legitimate leadership does not recognize Lungu’s claims to the presidency, as his name does not appear in the Registrar of Societies and condemned Lungu’s actions as indicative of his political irrelevance.

He directed the PF Secretary-General, Morgan Ng’ona, to inform the Inspector General of Police, the Registrar of Societies, and the National Assembly of the leadership changes, while revealing plans for a constitutional amendment convention, aimed at selecting a candidate for the 2026 elections and restructuring the party’s leadership.

Furthermore, Chipangali MP, Andrew Lubusha, was appointed as the new party Vice President for Politics and Administration, replacing John Kufuna.

Chabinga also declared PF’s membership in the Tonse Alliance null and void, citing it as a factor in the decision to expel Lungu and others.

Sampa had earlier sought a court injunction to stop Chabinga from holding the press briefing and from claiming leadership of the PF but the factional leader and his legal team proceeded with the briefing, clarifying that they had not been served with the injunction.

Chabinga was announced as acting factional leader of the PF in July following the expulsion of Sampa and other members in a dispute over Lungu’s involvement in the party.

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Nigerian troops launch manhunt for new jihadist group Lukarawa as COAS vows annihilation

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Nigeria’s acting Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Olufemi Oluyede, has vowed to dislodge the new Islamist jihadist group, Lukarawa, which has been causing havoc in Sokoto and Kebbi States in the northern region of the country.

Oluyede, who made the vow when he visited the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army in Sokoto on Sunday, assured that the military had launched a manhunt for members of the sect and in no time, they would be decimated.

Oluyede, who spoke with journalists at a press conference,
called on residents of the affected states to always give accurate and timely information to the troops to help them in the fight against insecurity.

“I am here to assess my troops. You see, there will always be challenges. The issue is how we react to these challenges. One of the reasons I am here is to charge up my soldiers to rise to the challenge, and that we shall do,” the army chief said.

“My charge to the community people is for them to support us. If we don’t get their support we can’t succeed. And if we don’t succeed that means the country won’t be secured. We need the support of Nigerians so that we can have economic prosperity in the country.

“I am here to see my soldiers to assess their state of readiness and to charge them to continue to do what they have been doing best to secure the country in general.”

While also speaking with the troops, Oluyede ordered them to crush the new terror group to send a warning to other such groups that may spring up in future.

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had last week, confirmed the emergence of the Lukarawa sect as a new terror group operating in Kebbi and Sokoto States.

The DHQ spokesman, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, in a statement, had said the terror group is affiliated with the IS and other jihadist factions in Mali and Niger.

“The emergence of the group is linked to political instability in Mali and Niger, which has fuelled the spread of extremist elements into Nigeria. He explained that this group is a direct fallout of the political instability in these neighbouring countries,” the DHQ spokesman said.

But later information claim the group allegedly comprises renegades from the Sahel region including Mali, Chad, Libya, Niger and Burkina Faso and have been actively recruiting local youths in Sokoto and Kebbi through financial inducement running into millions of naira.

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