Thursday, 28^th September, 2023

The House met at 1430 hours

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM SPEAKER

PRESENCE OF PUPILS AND TEACHERS FROM BERTHA’S SCHOOL, AND ZEELA ARTS GALLERY AND HOMESTAY IN THE PUBLIC GALLERY

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to recognise the presence in the Public Gallery of pupils as well as teachers from Bertha’s School, and Zeela Arts Gallery and Homestay, both of Lusaka District.

The pupils and teachersrose.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: On behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, I warmly welcome our visitors into our midst.

Thank you very much. You may resume your seats.

THE EXPANDED PLANNING AND BUDGETING COMMITTEE

Madam Speaker:Hon. Members, I wish to inform the House that in accordance with Article 202(1) of the Constitution of Zambia, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning will, tomorrow, Friday, 29^th September, 2023, present to the Assembly the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for 2024. The estimates will, in consonance with Section 8(4) of the Public Debt Management Act, No. 15 of 2022, be accompanied by the Annual Borrowing Plan. In this regard, and in accordance with Standing Order 157(4), the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure will be referred to the Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee comprising members of the Planning and Budgeting Committee and chairpersons of all the general purpose and portfolio Committees. The Annual Borrowing Plan will, in accordance with Standing Order 195(7), be referred to the Planning and Budgeting Committee for examination. The Planning and Budgeting Committee will submit its report on the Annual Borrowing Plan to the House on Tuesday, 10^th October, 2023. 

I further wish to inform the House that the following Committees have been tasked to pilot sector analysis of the Budget for 2024:

1. Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources;

1. Committee on Education, Science and Communication Technologies;

1. Committee on Energy, Water Development and Tourism;

1. Committee on National Security and Foreign Affairs; and

1. Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Services.

These Committees will be required to submit their sector analysis reports to the Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee. The Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee will incorporate the sector reports into its report to the House. In this regard, since the chairpersons of the above five Committees are members of the Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee, they will not preside over the proceedings of their respective Committees. Instead, the vice-chairpersons will preside and submit reports to the Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee. The Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee will submit its report to the House by Tuesday, 31^st October, 2023. The chairperson of the Planning and Budgeting Committee will preside over the proceedings of the Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee. Both the Planning and Budgeting Committee and the Expanded Planning and Budgeting Committee will hold their first meetings on Monday, 2^nd October, 2023, to consider and adopt their respective programmes of work.

I thank you.

DELEGATION FROM THE PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA

Madam Speaker:Hon. Members, I wish to recognise the presence, in the Public Gallery, of the following staff from the Parliament of Uganda:

Mr Richard Ogwang               -                       Audio Visual Technician

Ms Rebecca Kamega             -                       Audio Visual Technician

MsEzama Job                        -                       Audio Visual Technician

Mr Timothy Ssekiziyivu          -                       Audio Visual Technician

I wish, on behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, to receive our guests and warmly welcome them into our midst.

You are welcome, our visitors.

I thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

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MATTER OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

MR KASANDWE, HON. MEMBER OF PARALIMENT FOR BANGWEULU CONSTITUENCY, ON THE HON. MINISTER OF HEALTH, MRS MASEBO, ON THE OUTBREAK OF A STRANGE DISEASE IN BANGWEULU

Mr Kasandwe (Bangweulu): On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Kasandwe: Madam Speaker, this matter is directed to the hon. Minister of Health. I cannot see her in the House but, I am sure, there is an acting hon. Minister of Health.

Madam Speaker, there is a strange disease that has broken out in Lumamya and Kapata Wards of Bangweulu Constituency and in one ward of Milenge Constituency. The disease is affecting under-five children. In the last few days, we have experienced fatalities. As of yesterday, we lost four children because of the same disease, with it presenting diarrhoea, body rush, low HB (heamoglobin) and swelling.

I need your guidance on this matter, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, maybe, it is best you bring that to the attention of the Ministry of Health through an urgent question.

Mr Kasandweinterjected.

Madam Speaker: Order!

I have already guided, hon. Member. Please, file in a question of urgent nature since there is no evidence that you have produced to show that the situation you have described exists. Furthermore, why have you not notified the Ministry of Health instead of waiting until we are in the House?

Mr Kasandweinterjected.

Madam Speaker: Order!

You have been guided, hon. Member. So, please, follow the guidance.

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MOTION

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS 25, 26, 27 AND 80

The Vice-President (Mrs Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that Orders 25, 26, 27 and 80 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2021, be suspended to enable the House to sit from 1415 hours until business is concluded on Friday, 29^thSeptember, 2023, and also to omit The Vice-President’s Question Time from the Order Paper.

Madam Speaker, it is a practice of the House to allow the hon. Minister responsible for finance to present the National Budget on a Friday afternoon. However, Orders No. 25, 26 and 27 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2021, stipulate that the House shall sit from 0900 hours to 1300 hours with a twenty minutes health break at 1040 hours on Fridays, while Standing Order No. 80 provides for The Vice-President’s Question Time on the same day. It is with this in mind that I move this Motion to suspend the mentioned Standing Orders so that the House can sit at 1415 hours tomorrow, Friday, 29^th September, 2023, until business is concluded, and to omit The Vice-President’s Question Time from the Order Paper. This is to enable the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to present the 2024 National Budget.

Madam Speaker, this is a procedural and non-controversial Motion. I, therefore, urge all hon. Members of this august House to support it.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Madam Speaker, I want to acknowledge that, indeed, this Motion is non-controversial. It is a procedural Motion inS which Her Honour the Vice-President is seeking the suspension of the four Standing Orders.

Madam Speaker, we reluctantly support this Motion because it robs us of yet another opportunity to engage Her Honour the Vice-President on pertinent issues that are affecting this nation. However, we are glad that the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning will come here to lay on the Table the Estimates of Expenditure for 2024.

Madam Speaker, we support this Motion, we would like the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to come and share with the hon. Members why it has been such a challenge to disburse the much publicised Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Kampyongo: This is because as I speak, less than a quarter of that fund has since been disbursed. A quarter of the CDF allocation per constituency is supposed to be more than K7 million. What all the constituencies have received is only about K6 million, yet we are in the final quarter of the year. This poses a challenge to the implementing agencies, which are the local authorities. We even wonder what is going to happen because we have heard lamentations that the fund will now be increased to something like K58 million.

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: The hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning will be coming to respond.

Madam Speaker, I want to commend you through the Standing Orders Committee, through you,  for announcing the five Committees that are going to pilot the sector analysis and approval of the Budget. What we would like to see is capacity building in those Sector Committees. Let our hon. Members be oriented thoroughly enough so that the work they are going to undertake is thoroughly done. Where possible, they should make recommendations on how best we should continue using these Committees in scrutinising the Budget estimates. We look forward to the successful rollout of the Sector Budget approval system.

Madam Speaker, finally, I would like to appeal to Her Honour the Vice-President that we look at the possibility of having both sessions. We can have a session in the morning to interact with Her Honour the Vice-President and then the hon. Minister presents the Budget estimates later.

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: It is doable. We are here to serve the people, and we must ensure that when we have challenges like we have now, Her Honour the Vice-President, who is the Leader of Government Business in the House, provides solutions because, indeed, our people are really struggling. We know that going into the weekend, we shall have increments in fuel products, which will further stress our citizens. These are matters that require solutions and concerted efforts for addressing them.

Madam Speaker, with these few remarks, I reluctantly support the Motion.

Interruptions

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, as hon. Members on this side of the House, we reluctantly support the Motion moved by Her Honour the Vice-President.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: I just hope that the hon. Member participated in the capacity building workshop that took place at the Ciêla Resort. That was one way of capacitating the hon. Members of Parliament to understand the analysis of the Budget.

The Vice-President: Madam Speaker, indeed, this Motion is non-controversial, although the hon. Member wants to be reluctant in supporting it. However, I do understand that the reluctance is actually the opposite because everybody is keenly waiting to get the Budget. I also wish to state that this will not be the last Friday; there are many Fridays to come, and all our hon. Ministers respond to the issues that the Government ought to respond to. So, we should not wait for Fridays as the only day to ask questions. It is just one of the days to interact with the Vice-President.

Madam Speaker, reluctant or not, you have seen the anxiety, as the hon. Member has already started debating the Budget. He should just hold his fire. The Budget is coming, and there is no need to create figures here to raise anxiety. The Budget is coming tomorrow. There will be a speech and then the actual Budget will be presented later.

Madam Speaker, whether with reluctance or not, I appreciate that the hon. Members have unanimously supported the Motion.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question put and agreed to.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

PROVISION OF MOBILE BANKING SERVICES IN KAPOCHE PARLIAMENTARY

CONSTITUENCY

55. Mr Lungu (Kapoche)asked the Minister of Finance and National Planning whether the Government has any plans to facilitate the provision of mobile banking services in Kapoche Parliamentary Constituency so as to provide easy access to payments from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

The Minister of Finance and National Planning (Dr Musokotwane):Madam Speaker, the House may wish to note that the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, in collaboration with other stakeholders, is implementing the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) and the National Strategy on Financial Education (NSFE), whose main objective, is to scale up financial inclusion in Zambia.

Madam Speaker, in the 2020 Financial Scope (Finscope) survey report, digital financial services, which encompass mobile banking services, are a key driver of financial inclusion. In that regard, the following activities have been undertaken to promote mobile banking services throughout the country, including in Kapoche Constituency:

1. Erecting of Communication Towers

Madam Speaker, mobile network connectivity is a key component of mobile banking. In order to increase network connectivity in the constituency, which stands at 60 per cent, in 2023, an additional tower will be erected at Kapungwe Primary School during the next phase of the tower project.

1. Mobile Money Agents and National Financial Switch

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report to this House that mobile money services are currently available in some areas within KapocheConstituency. Specifically, there are mobile money agents located within Nyanje, with Nyanje Mission being one of the notable locations. It is also worth noting that the introduction of the National Financial Switch (NFS) in April 2020 by the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) in collaboration with the commercial banks and other key stakeholders has made it possible for customers to conduct instant funds transfers and payments to banks and payment to service providers across the financial sector.

1. General Access Points Programme

Madam Speaker, to contribute towards the achievement of the NFIS targets, the BoZ, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, initiated an activity in June 2020 aimed at promoting the use of Government institutions, such as schools and health facilities, as access points for the delivery of financial services by financial service provide Twenty-eight facilities were assessed during the first phase in six provinces. The second phase will target all the poorlyserviced areas in all the ten provinces and will commence in the fourth quarter of 2023.

1. Financial Literacy

Madam Speaker, my ministry, in collaboration with various stakeholders and partners, has been carrying out financial literacy activities throughout the country. One of the focus areas of these activities has been the uptake and use of digital financial services, including mobile banking services. Further, the Ministry has plans of extending the services to underserved areas, such as Kapoche Constituency. It is expected that these efforts, among others, will contribute to the increase in the uptake of digital financial services in Kapoche and many other parts of the country. This will also help to promote financial inclusion in Kapoche Constituency and in other constituencies across the country.

Madam Speaker,I thank you.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Let us pay attention. There is a lot of talking. If you cannot avoid discussing, please, do that in low tones. I can hear all your discussions from here. There is a way that voices reach me here. So, be careful what you say.

Laughter 

Mr Lungu: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for the good answers.

Madam Speaker, Kapoche is in Sinda District, which was declared a district in 2012. Since then, we do not have banks. We have civil servants in Sinda District and Kapoche Constituency. We also have the business community and hardworking farmers who, after they produce their agro products, take them to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA). After they sell, they are serviced by mobile banks that come from Chipata and Petauke. When the farmers are getting their money, the mobile banking exercise goes on up to about 2000 hours or 2100 hours, and that this poses a huge risk to our farmers. We also have the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects. After our contractors execute their work, they expect to be paid. These people go to Chipata, Katete or Petauke. We also have our –

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

Ask a supplementary question. Do not debate.

Mr Lungu: Madam Speaker, I am well guided.

Madam Speaker, my question is: Why can the Government not open a bank there such as the National Savings and Credit Bank (NATSAVE), in which the Government has shares, so that our people can have access to banking services near them.

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, that was a long submission. If I understood the question, it: Why do we not encourage a bank, such as the National Savings and Credit Bank (NATSAVE), to have a branch in Kapoche Constituency so that members of the public can have a bank at their doorstep?

Madam Speaker, we always encourage banks to go close to customers. Certainly, this holds for NATSAVE, which is owned by the Zambian Government. However, as we do so, we also have to reflect on the viability of such an undertaking because it costs money to erect a bank and have employees deployed to such locations, and all that must be supported by available business in the area. If NATSAVE can percieve business opportunities, I am sure, it will gladly to go there. On the other hand, I think, the banking method that the hon. Member suggested this question,  mobile money, is proving to be the most cost-effective under the current environment. As I said in earlier answer, there will be an extra tower under construction and, beyond that, I believe, my colleague, the hon. Minister of Technology and Science, has a programme for encouraging the construction of more towers this year and in the coming year. So, I am sure, the people in Kapoche can take advantage of this more cost-effective way of transacting.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Lungu: Madam Speaker, at times, I wonder. When we travel to countries like Malawi, a country we consider to be one of the poorest in Southern Africa, we find that small places that cannot even be compared to Sinda have bank branches. Why is that so difficult to do in Zambia? It is not only in Kapoche. We have many places across the country where our Government is failing to provide these services that are needed in our communities.

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, I believe, my hon. Colleague has been observing what is happening in the financial industry. Ten years or fifteen years ago, if you went into Cairo Road, you would have seen so many bank branches. Today, most of them have closed, and this development is not just in Zambia, but also in many other places in the world. Banking as we knew it in the past, whereby a customer walked into a branch and asked for certain services has changed from that because most banking services can be done on a cellular phone without spending money going to a branch. This is the reality today, and to that we can not reverse history because, I think, it would be taking a step backwards. What the hon. Member should really be doing is lobbying harder for more network connectivity in his constituency because that is what is going to deliver a viable banking service rather than insisting on banking based in a building.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: This is a constituency-specific question, but I see many indications to speak. I will only allow the next one in the queue.

Hon. Member for Nkana, you may proceed.

Mr B. Mpundu (Nkana): Madam Speaker, the challenge with this question – I took time to interact with the hon. Member for Kapoche, and what the hon. Member is asking the hon. Minister is in relation to the establishment of a physical bank as opposed to mobile money services. There could have been an error in processing the question. From the submission of the hon. Member, it is clear that Kapoche being a farming community, the quantum of financial transactions could be high. Is it not in the best interest of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to go into Kapoche and many other districts to establish the quantum of financial transactions so that the Government can then push quasi-Government banks to go into those areas and service the people? Is it not in the best interest of the Government?

Mr Mundubile: naupya iwe ati “quantum”!

Dr Musokotwane: Madam Speaker, I was answering the question as it has been presented. However, if, indeed, the hon. Member for Kapoche did not state the question accurately and his desire is for a physical bank, I am delighted to make an appointment for him with the management of NATSAVE, who can go and make an assessment whether the volume of business is large enough to warrant a physical bank.

Hon. Opposition Members:E answer iyo!

Dr Musokotwane: That said, there is no possibility on my side to force a bank to go and establish operations where it will make losses because the end result is that the bank will close. However, as far as checking the volume of business, I do not believe that is a problem; we can encourage the bank to do so.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

CONSTRUCTION OF ZAMBIA NATIONAL BROADCASTING CORPORATION OFFICES IN KABWE

56. MsHalwiindi (Kabwe Central) asked the Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development:

1. when construction of Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) offices in Kabwe District will be completed;

1. what the cause of the delay in completing the project is;

1. who the contractor for the project is;

1. what the contract sum for the project is; and

1. how much money had been paid to the contractor, as of May, 2023.

The Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development (Eng. Milupi): Madam Speaker, the construction of ZNBC offices in Kabwe District will be completed once funds are secured by the Treasury.

Madam Speaker, the delay in completing the project is due to financial constraints.

Madam Speaker, the contractor for the project was Star Times Software Technology Company Limited.

Madam Speaker, the contract sum for the project is US$4.4 million and, as of May, 2023, US$3.5 million had been paid to the contractor.

Mr Kafwaya: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Sorry, hon. Minister. There is an indication from the hon. Member for Lunte for a point of order.

A point of order is raised.

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, thank you so much. My point of order is on the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning and the hon. Member for Kapoche.

The hon. Member asked a question to the hon. Minister concerning mobile banking services in his constituency. The hon. Minister brought a response talking about financial inclusion strategies and communication towers which, in fact, speaks to electronic banking, and no one – the hon. Minister did not talk about mobile banking, neither did the hon. Member who asked the question. Now, I have remained confused and, I think, even the people out there are confused. Are the hon. Minister and hon. Member in order to confuse the whole country about a concept that is clear, which is mobile banking? They explained electronic banking and other banking methods.

I seek your ruling, Madam Speaker.

Laughter

Mr B. Mpundu: Empower!

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, the only problem I see is that you were busy chatting with the hon. Member for Chinsali. So, as questions were being asked, especially the one asked by the hon. Member of Parliament for you may have missed something. So, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning is completely in order. Ican only urge the hon. Member for Lunte to go to Kapoche and open a bank.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: May the hon. Minister of Infrastructure and Urban Development.

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, in fact, I had just finished answering.

I thank you, Madam.

Ms Halwiindi: Madam Speaker, did the ministry consider submitting stalled projects that stalled when it was submitting its Budget for this year?

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, perhaps, I should give a little background on this project. The Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) corporate office in Kabwe was part of the contract for the renovation of two studios in Lusaka and one in Kitwe and the construction of the network corporation centre and six studios in Chinsali, Kasama, Mansa, Chipata and Mongu.

Madam Speaker, the contract included supply, delivery, installation and commissioning of a national digital terrestrial television broadcasting system in Zambia under phases two and three, under the civil works component of the contract. The contract was signed in September, 2015, between the Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, and Star-times Software Technology Company. The contract sum for the civil works was US$38.9 million exclusive of 16 per cent tax. The overall scope civil works included renovation of the ZNBC Kitwe and Lusaka studios, renovation of theZambia News and Information Services (ZANIS)Lusaka studios, and construction of national corporation centre and associated external works. That project also included the construction of Chinsali Provincial Studios and associated works as well as Kasama, Mansa, Chipata, Mongu and Kabwe offices. The project was one of those identified for cancellation due to constrained fiscal space. However, at the time of cancellation, construction of the Kabwe Provincial Studios and associated works was at 87 per cent.

Madam Speaker, regarding the substantive follow-up question by the hon. Member, which is on whether the ministry made provisions for stalled projects in the next Budget, it will be inappropriate for me to start revealing what is or is not in the Budget. We have to wait for tomorrow to see what is in the Budget and what is not in the Budget.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mushanga (Bwacha): Madam Speaker, two years ago, the project in question was almost 80 per cent complete. However the additional information given by the hon. Minister paints a complicated picture because he indicated that this project is one of those that the Government cancelled. Further, in responding to part (a) of the question, the hon. Minister indicated that the project will continue once resources are made available by the Government. How is it going to be possible for the Government to provide resources for a project that the Government has cancelled?

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, this question gives the Government an opportunity to clarify what we have always said. The cancellations refer to contracts. The Government cancels or defers contracts due to financial constraints. Sometimes, it is to save the Government from further expenditure. The projects are never cancelled.

Madam Speaker, throughout the country, where we have projects, because on these projects it is public money that is spent, when we cancel a contract it means that the project is still there. However, at an appropriate time, when the financial situation improves, we go back to completing them be they schools, roads or these studios. They projects remain on-going and just awaiting the availability of funds to be completed. So, what are cancelled are contracts and not projects.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Kafwaya put on headsets.

Madam Speaker: Before we proceed, hon. Member for Lunte, that aid that you have put in your ears. Kindly remove it because you are supposed to follow the proceedings.

PLANS TO CONSTRUCT A SUBORDINATE COURT BUILDING IN MILENGE DISTRICT

57. Mr Chonde (Milenge) asked the Minister of Justice:

1. whether the Government has any plans to construct a subordinate court building in Milenge District;

1. if so, when the plans will be implemented; and

1. if there are no such plans, why.

The Minister of Justice (Mr Haimbe, SC.): Madam Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the Judicially has in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for  2024-2026 made a provision for the construction and rehabilitationof subordinate and local court buildings countrywide.

Madam Speaker, Milenge District is one of the districts included in the infrastructure development plan for the said period.

Madam Speaker, construction of all capital projects under the 2024-2026 MTEF which include construction of a subordinate court in Milenge District, will commence in 2024.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chonde: Madam Speaker, the situation in Milenge Constituency requires immediate attention. I will give some background to it.

 Milenge has had no detention facility for years now. What happens is that the accused people are taken to Samfya, which is 180km away from Milenge and the next court hearings to come to Milenge depends on the financing of the ministry, which is quite erratic. Does the ministry have immediate intervention measures to save the people of Milenge from such atrocities?

Mr Haimbe, SC.: Madam Speaker, although the hon. Member has gone beyond the scope of the question that was asked, we do, of course, commiserate with the people of Milenge, who may find themselves in conflict with the law. The New Dawn Government, being a responsible Government, is addressing the challenge by putting in place a comprehensive plan to address the situation. It is unfortunate that over the years, we have had a situation in which this particular situation has been allowed to perpetuate itself. The most prudent thing that can be done is for us, as a responsible Government to address it, and that is exactly what we are doing. Unfortunately, for the time being, the people of Milenge will have to endure.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chonde: Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister is quite clear in his statement. However, I would have loved him to give the problem immediate attention. So, given the situation that is prevailing now, what message should I go and give the people of Milenge for the purpose of clarity?

Mr Haimbe, SC.: Madam Speaker, I think, the message was as I have stated it; the people of Milenge will just need to be a little more patient and to endure, but  and that they will be neglected no more. We are fixing the challenges that have existed in the past. So, they can rest assured that the New Dawn Government will address their plight.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chonde conversed with other hon. Members.

Madam Speaker: Thank you.

Hon Member for Milenge, you are joining the talking team. I thought that you would advise the youthful hon. Members of Parliament to maintain some form of discipline in the House.

Hon. Government Member: Ehe, mulibakalamba imwe baChonde.

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MOTION

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

The Minister of Labour and Social Security (Ms Tambatamba): Madam Speaker, on 8^th September, 2023, the Republican President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, addressed this august House during the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly. The President’s Speech comes against the backdrop of bold decisions, inspiring events and interactions both in-country and abroad. Amongst these are the debt restructuring agreement with official creditors and the reactivation of the Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) on the Copperbelt. As a chief marketer and meticulous negotiator, the President has created relief from the grip of a life-threatening python, as he puts it, which is the huge debt burden that we inherited from the previous Government and the job deficit that had been suffered and has be suffered by our people on the Copperbelt. It is clear from this and other medium-term interventions made to date that there are better things to come for the workers of Zambia.

Madam Speaker, my ministry’s mandate is to promote decent work and productivity for industry in order for us to achieve inclusive economic development. In this regard, the ministry consistent with, and inspired by the visionary and futuristic policy direction of the Republican President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND) Government and alliance partners has prioritised human and social development.

Madam Speaker, in line with the President’s Speech for this year, this Government focuses on one of these elements that contribute to the theme that accentuated the speech. The first element is on work upliftment and financial independence through a social security pipeline, which is on page 31, paragraph 103.

Madam Speaker, with regards to the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA), the lumpsum pre-retirement benefit to members has provided the financial lifeline to members of the scheme’s improved standard of living through investment in productive assets, such as land, houses and agricultural machinery, to mention but a few of the results of the famous partial withdraw. As of today, 28^th September, 2023, over K9 billion has been put into the economy, having been paid out directly to more than 400,000 members. Undoubtedly, this has added impetus to the economic growth agenda of the New Dawn Government, and we have demonstrated that growth can be anchored in domestic resources. too.

Madam Speaker, on job creation opportunities, through the reduction of the NAPSA penalty charges on defaulting employers from 20 per cent to 10 per cent only, recourses for re-investment in the businesses to broaden the job base have been freed. In addition, the Government has introduced skills development interventions through the enhanced Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to complement the Skills Development Fund.

Madam Speaker, broadenening social security coverage to the informal sector is another way of reducing vulnerability. The ministry has prioritised the extension of social security coverage to the informal sector because not doing so can lead to old age vulnerability, poverty and increased mortality.

Madam Speaker, through new initiatives, we have extended social security coverage to groups beyond the informal traders, but also with a new focus on the arts and culture sector by NAPSA. So far, NAPSA has registered over 25,000 new members from the informal sector while the National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA) has registered over 280,000 members.

Madam Speaker, job quality and motivation at work is another aspect that the New Dawn Government focuses on and has brought to the table to improve the workers lives. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has adopted an integrated approach to labour inspections to promote co-ordination and coherence of interventions to ensure compliance with labour laws and improved working conditions. This curtails a lot of the mischief that we inherited and ensures transparency among the stakeholders.This year, my ministry has conducted over 2,800 labour inspections covering more than 80,000 workers. Through such interventions, payments of over K26 million have been made to aggrieved workers.

Madam Speaker, enhanced social dialogue is the anchor of the mandate of the ministry. The Government has increased engagements with employers and workers to restore the real meaning of social dialogue as the basis for negotiations over economic, social and financial goals of the members of the tripartite triangle. This year, we have, so far, held three engagements. Unlike what we inherited, whereby one or only two meetings per year were to be held, we have already held three, and this is going to be enhanced by, perhaps, two or three more meetings. This is what His Excellency the President talked about; reducing vulnerabilities. This has also enabled the workers, the employers and the Government to increase the level of effort towards unlocking rigidities that obstruct constructive debate.

Madam Speaker, on protection of workers, an occupational safety and health policy has been put in place. The policy is the first ever in the fifty-eight years since Independence. There has never been a policy on occupational health and safety in the workplace since Independence. The ministry has even put in place a call centre, which was not there bore. It started operating in the past month, and we have seen a lot of interaction between the labour market and the Government. The call centre can be reached on 7010 on the Zambia Telecommunications (Zamtel) Company Limited network toll-free line.

Madam Speaker, to further improve the lot for our workers, the labour market and the investors, the Cabinet approved in principle the amendment of the Employment Code Act No. 3 of 2019 in line with the Republican President’s agenda of unlocking rigidities in a methodical manner. This provides an opportunity for driving the future of work in an ever-changing environment in a much more organised way and in a manner much more customised to the agenda of economic transformation. The Zambia Institute of Human Resource Management Act, which ensures the protection of both workers’ and employers’ interests by regulating the human resource profession, will contribute to the transformative agenda to grow our economy. This is what my President, your President, the people’s President, the visionary, caring and courageous Mr Hakainde Hichilema meant when he said, on page 24:

“Our Administration is also addressing vulnerability and inequality among our people.”

The Republican President was talking about the inherited vulnerabilities and inequities requiring refined strategic interventions. The interventions will, undoubtedly, in a nutshell, cause this Government to deliver on the theme of the President’s Speech, which was:

“Building on the Socio-Economic Gains and Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister of Defence (Mr Lufuma): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to comment on the address delivered by the President of the Republic of Zambia and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on the occasion of the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, on Friday, 8^th September, 2023. First and foremost, allow me to commend the President for his well-articulated and inspiring address, under the theme, “Building on the Socio- economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Madam Speaker, the President’s Address availed the citizenry an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made as a nation towards our development aspirations, and the achievements made so far in ensuring a brighter future for the citizenry.

Madam Speaker, in his address, the President called upon every Zambian citizen to unite and build upon our individual and collective achievements by forging a more productive and unified nation that future generations will proudly reflect upon. In this regard, my ministry will ensure that peace and security prevail in the country in order to aid the realisation of the President’s vision and aspirations of the citizens of our country because as we all know, without peace, it is literally impossible to attain any socio-economic gains for improved livelihoods and a better Zambia.

Madam Speaker, my ministry is guided by the following mission statement, “To Preserve the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity for National Peace and Security”. In this regard, the men and women in uniform have effectively discharged their responsibilities and will continue to do so.

Madam Speaker, in his address, the President reiterated the critical nature of the agriculture sector in driving economic transformation and job creation. In this regard, my ministry has acquired land for the three services to increase agricultural production in order to mitigate the immense pressure on the supply of maize in our country and the region as a whole. In order to contribute to the food security of the country, we have increased the crop hectarage under irrigation. We have also increased productivity through the practice of modern agricultural techniques as well as value addition.

Madam Speaker, to ensure food security and contribute to value addition, the Government procured and allocated three milling plants to the Zambia National Service (ZNS). In addition, my ministry will focus on the stocking and restocking of animals, which include beef and dairy cattle, pigs and small ruminants, such as goats and sheep, and poultry, in order to promote and increase livestock production.

Madam Speaker, in the quest to curb unemployment, the Government recruited 5,000 soldiers across the three services, namely the Zambia Army, the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) and the ZNS. The recruitment has been concluded and the recruited are about to start the training. The ministry also plans to increase the number of ZNS youth skills training centres in order to accommodate more youths. The youths will be trained in life-sustaining skills, such as carpentry, tailoring, plumbing, welding, cookery, auto mechanics as well as agriculture. Name it, we shall offer it. This will help to reduce unemployment among youths.

Madam Speaker, my ministry, through the Land Development Branch (LDB) under the ZNS, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, will continue to improve infrastructure by maintaining, rehabilitating and upgrading road infrastructure and water reticulation, and facilitating crop haulage, particularly in rural areas. This will help to improve access to rural communities.

Madam Speaker, in his address, the President emphasised the need to improve runways and airfield ground lighting systems at all provincial airports in order to enhance aviation safety and security. The President further stated that the Government has prioritised the construction and up-grading of aviation infrastructure in all provinces. It is worth noting that my ministry, through ZNS, and in collaboration with a contractor, successfully completed the construction of the 3 km runway apron and rehabilitated the terminal building at Kasama Airport.

Mr Mukosa: Question!

Mr Lufuma: Question!

Laughter

Mr Samakayi:Ema defenceaya

Mr Lufuma: Madam Speaker, I wish to assure the House that my ministry can be engaged in construction and rehabilitation works on bridges and roads, among other projects. We are available to basically assist in every sector that needs ours services.

Madam Speaker, my ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, will continue to improve the provision of quality healthcare services to defence personnel and citizens. The ministry has made sure that the number of people accessing defence healthcare services at Maina Soko Medical Centre, Northern Command Military Hospital and eighty, I will repeat: eighty first-level hospitals and clinics has increased. We have over eighty first-level hospitals that provide health services to our communities.

Mr Samakayi: Hear, hear!

Mr Lufuma: That is the contribution that the Defence Force is making to Zambia.

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, my ministry will continue to create a conducive environment for a diversified and all-encompassing economy by improving the delivery of defence services. We will also continue to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country through agriculture, health, infrastructure development and construction of roads. In addition, the ministry commits itself to ensuring sustainable peace and security in the country.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Minister of Education(Mr Syakalima): Madam Speaker, I wish to join my fellow hon. Members of Parliament who have already expressed gratitude for the speech delivered during the Official Opening of the Thirteenth Session of the National Assembly by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on 8^th September, 2023.

Madam Speaker, as Minister of Education, who is responsible for cultivating the human capital needed to spur national development as outlined in the 8^th National Development Plan (8NDP), I feel honoured to have this opportunity to add my voice to those appreciating the President’s Address.

Madam Speaker, I stand here, at the moment, not only as Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for Chirundu Constituency but, also as an educationalist who understands the vision of the President.

 I salute His Excellency for an elaborate speech anchored on “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and Better Zambia”. His Excellency the President has expressed his desire for a better Zambia whose population is educated because he believes that the gains we have made in education will continue to increase and create more opportunities for all citizens to access education at all levels, including higher education. Zambia is on the right track, I believe, to realising the human capital needed to support economic development. Zambia will also continue to record improvements in human development as measured by life expectancy, access to learning and knowledge, and the standard of living.

Madam Speaker, the President is right, and he needs our support to ensure that human development is given the attention it deserves, which entails having a well-educated, highly skilled and healthy labour force to turn Zambia into becoming a thriving and industrialised nation as espoused in the Vision 2030. To achieve that, His Excellency the President is aware that we must continue to create a conducive teaching and learning environment for our children by building on the gains we have recorded in the education sector; a historic growth for social justice. The Government will continue to increase classroom space, building on the gains of 149 completed secondary school projects by completing other remaining infrastructure, including projects that stalled as far back as 2013. To build further on the gains, the Government has earmarked for construction 120 secondary schools and 110 early childhood education (ECE) hub centres, bringing the total to 230 centres nationwide.

Madam Speaker, the Government has several interventions that are aimed at retaining learners, including the Keeping Girls in School (KGS) initiative, feeding programmes under School Health and Nutrition, menstrual hygiene management and a bursary scheme that includes Constituency Development Fund (CDF) bursaries. The Government is determined to build on the gains by providing desks through various forms of financing, including the CDF. I wish to encourage all hon. Members of Parliament to continue participating in the provision of education, not only through desk provision and classroom expansion, but also in other forms, including co-curricular activities, such as sport and competitions.

Madam Speaker, to avoid quality being compromised in the provision of education, the Government will add to the achievement recorded in relation to the teacher-pupil ratio by recruiting more teachers. Further, the Government has begun the process of equipping our teachers with lifelong and equitable quality education. The Government is placing equal emphasis on building practical skills, entrepreneurship and qualifications required by industry.

Madam Speaker, let me pause here and say something that people have been arguing about; the 149 classroom spaces.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: Schools.

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, schools are schools, whether secondary or primary, they are the same. I am talking about 149 schools whose construction the previous Government stalled for over fifteen years. If I were in their shoes, I would not even be talking here.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Syakalima: So, –

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Just deliver your statement without attacking the other side directly.

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, I am answering.

Mr Kampyongo: He is not being truthful

Madam Speaker: The hon. Minister has got the right to rebut what was said earlier.

Mr Syakalima: Absolutely, because they abused us.

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Shiwang’andu, please, resume your seat.

May the minister continue.

Mr Syakalima: Resume your seat. Soon, I will complete your school, which you left uncompleted for over eight years.

Mr Kampyongo: “Your school”?

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Speak through the Chair.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

We are constrained for time. I am trying to manage time here.

May the hon. Minister continue.

Mr Syakalima: I just want our colleagues to understand this. In any case, it was an understatement. How many classrooms have been built using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF)? Three thousand one hundred and thirty-two (3132) classrooms have been constructed. So, what is 149, which our colleagues are arguing about? Numbers do not lie. I am a statistician by profession. As a behavioural scientist, I believe in numbers. When we just took over the Government, and before the introduction of free education or education for all, there were only 4 million children in school. Today, as I stand here, there are 6 million children in school. Where did our colleagues take those children? Where did they want them to be? Those are not sweet potatoes; they are human beings, but our colleagues left them for dead.

Madam Speaker, I can tell you, if the President did not intervene, in the next twenty years, we were going to have so many vagabonds. The hon. Minister of Defence and the hon. Minster of Home Affairs and Internal Security were going to suffer, and the hon. Members on your left were going to complain about crime rising. It is because they never took their children into classrooms.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Syakalima: Schooling is part of social control.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Speak through the Chair. Do not address your hon. Colleague.

Interruptions

Mr Syakalima: I am actually looking at you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Syakalima: They must be told where we have come from. Two million children are now in school, and it is a better problem today if you say that there is no space. We are creating that space through the CDF.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Syakalima: Desks are being manufactured. How many desks have we manufactured so far? Our aim is to manufacture 1 million desks. There are more than 442,000 desks which are being manufactured using the CDF, and at the Zambia Education Project Implementation Unit (ZEPIU) Agricultural Science Centre. We are producing desks.

Mr Samakayi: Ko baambila mbuya.

Laughter

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, if we are not very careful, as a country, we will crash-land before we take off.

Mr Samakayi: Hear, hear!

Mr Syakalima: Our colleagues must own up. They messed up this country and the education system, and they have to be told that. Enough, already.

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Munsanje: Sit down!

Mr Syakalima: Just sit down. Let me tell you. You were happy when you were talking like that.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

We cannot proceed like this.

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order!

I have been guiding. Please! I do not know where the excitement is coming from. Is it because of the Budget?

Mr Kampyongo: The hon. Minister can tell us. He is the one on the Floor.

Madam Speaker: Please, when the other side was debating, there was also a tone of some emotion somewhere. So, it is time for the hon. Minister to rebut. Allow him to do that.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: May the hon. Minister continue.

Mr Syakalima: Actually, I am not charged. You would fear me if I were charged.

Hon. PF Members: Ah!

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Please, –

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, what we are trying to say is that we must call a spade a spade, not a long spoon. The past ten years, which I call wasted and a lost decade, must be talked about. If we do not do that, then, we, too, will make mistakes. We must remind ourselves that we are coming from a very bad past.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Amutike: The past of the Patriotic Front (PF).

Mr Syakalima: When I talk about children in school, 2 million of them, just imagine 2 million sweet potatoes but, this time, human beings countrywide.

Mr Amutike interjected.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Mongu Central!

You will debate from outside.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: May the hon. Minister continue.

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, when did our colleagues ever recruit more than 30,496 teachers to justparry the teacher-pupil ratio? This year, 4,500 teachers were recruited. I do not know what the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has for us for next year. So, our colleagues should not bury their heads and just focus on the one thing that they are trying to talk about today. They should talk about what we have done.

Mr Mabeta: Correct!

Mr Syakalima: How many students benefited from the School Feeding Programme? We are now feeding children in more than eight districts. Regarding meal allowances, we have spent more than K76 million on 27,623 students in all public universities.

Mr Nkandu: Where was that money going?

Mr Syakalima: Where was that money going? Why did they make people starve in the universities? They cancelled meal allowances. Today, we have made students in our public universities decent human beings rather than having them working as security guards in the night so that they can have food the next day.

Mr Samakayi: Baambile!

Mr Syakalima: Madam Speaker, our girl children used to find themselves on the streets looking for money but, now, we have cut that. Decency entails that we behave in a decent manner in order for our children to learn from us. It is our children who are now in school from early childhood. The Government will take these centres to all areas without discrimination because a child in Shiwang’andu is my child. A child in Mporokoso or Lunte is also my child.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Syakalima: This is our behaviour.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Please, be mindful of time. We are constrained for time, and we want all the hon. Ministers to debate. So, hon. Ministers, as you debate, you do not have to exhaust the ten minutes.

The Minister of Livestock and Fisheries (Mr Chikote): Madam Speaker, I wish to thank you for according me this opportunity to contribute to the debate in the House on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. Allow me to also thank His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, the President of the Republic of Zambia, for his resolve to transform the fisheries and livestock sub-sector, as highlighted in his inspiring speech delivered during the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

Madam Speaker, in his speech, whose theme was, “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia”, the President, once again, demonstrated that the New Dawn Administration means business as far as transforming the economy of Zambia is concerned. So, indeed, the speech of His Excellency the President means business for the people of Zambia.

Madam Speaker, the theme is an inspiration for every Zambian to take advantage of the supportive environment to make Zambia food secure and a net exporter of food in the region and beyond.

Madam Speaker, let me now focus my debate on the fisheries and livestock sub-sector and highlight some of the steps we are taking to improve fisheries and livestock production and productivity.

Recruitment of Extension Staff

Madam Speaker, the President pointed out that the Government was recruiting more frontline staff to support our farmers in the crop, livestock and fisheries sub-sectors. This sector was almost dead. The New Dawn Administration decided to recruit frontline staff to make sure that our farmers are given the services that they require.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote.: Madam Speaker, I wish to indicate that my ministry employed over 470 front-line staff in 2022. Further, the ministry has been restructured to improve operational efficiency and productivity. Additionally, Treasury authority has been granted for the recruitment of 364 frontline staff to add onto the numbers that were recruited in 2022. This Government is committed to overcoming the challenges that are associated with staffing levels, especially at the camp level. Most of the camps in this country did not have staff. This Government has embarked on the recruitment of staff to make sure that every farmer has an extension officer within the jurisdiction to assist him/her to improve on production.

Transport

Madam Speaker, the livestock and fisheries sector  was struggling. Farmers had to pay for services for our staff to attend to them. The New Dawn Administration has embarked on providing transport for our staff. To improve extension outreach services and enhance extension service delivery, mobility of our extension staff becomes very critical. To this end, the ministry procured ten motor vehicles for all our provincial headquarters.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, we are also in the process of procuring eighty-two more vehicles for our districts.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: Additionally, we have procured 332 motorcycles for our extension officers. We are also in the process of procuring 600 more.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: These are some of the things that were not happening in the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chikote: This sector was completely neglected. Now, we have a President who understands the sector, which can turn around the economic situation of this country and start answering to the challenges for enhancing production of the mealie meal we are talking about. I, therefore, want to encourage all the hon. Members of Parliament who are in this House that when they own livestock, they will start increasing production by having drought power.

Mr Mukosa interjected.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Chinsali!

Tomorrow, you may not listen to the Budget presentation if you continue like that.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: May the hon. Minister of Fisheries and Livestock continue.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, thank you.

Madam Speaker, that was in the direction of transport.

This Administration has gone ahead and provided answers to some of the challenges that this country was facing in the area of disease control.

Madam Speaker, during the review period, the New Dawn Administration realised that animal diseases continued to ravage the livestock industry. However, this time around, we have been equal to the task, and we have managed to reduce the incidence of Foot and Mouth Disease in the country.

Madam Speaker, there has been a significant reduction in the incidence of Foot and Mouth Disease in the first half of 2023, compared with 2022. The reduction is attributed to the vaccination campaigns that have been conducted in the affected areas. These interventions are on-going. Additionally, we have improved the lead time in the control of outbreaks of diseases such as the African Swine Fever.

Madam Speaker, for the first time ever, we controlled African Swine Fever within a month, reducing the locking down in the pork value chain. Further, we controlled Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) within two months in Chisamba. This never used to happen. This Government is serious about addressing the challenges our farmers were facing in the past.

Madam Speaker, disease control in this country is one of the issues that we have committed ourselves to. In order to improve the work environment for our staff by providing transport and employing more members, the ministry has introduced the Veterinary Council of Zambia to exercise oversight in the sector. This was also aimed at enhancing the regulatory functions.

Madam Speaker, in fisheries and aquaculture, the deficit of fish production in the country was growing, but the ministry has made tremendous progress in aquaculture. This has attracted neighbouring countries, which are coming to learn from us in the area of aquiculture. As I am speaking, most of our youths and women are taking up aquaculture. They have been given seed fund to go into fish production. These are some of the things that were very rare across the country. So, we are on the right trajectory to making sure that all potential areas of production have access to the seed fund.

Madam Speaker, if you went to Mpulungu today, you would see that the communities around Lake Tanganyika are very happy because of the good –

Madam Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member’s time expired.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Minister, your time is up. Please, wind up quickly.

Mr Chikote: Madam Speaker, as I conclude, let me say that the fisheries industry in this country is moving on the right trajectory, and I assure the people of this country that we are heading in the right direction to enhancing food security in the country.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister of Energy (Mr Kapala): Madam Speaker, I wish to thank you most sincerely for according me this opportunity to react to His Excellency the Presidentof the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s Speech delivered during the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

Madam Speaker, the President’s Speech unveiled numerous interventions that the Government is implementing to guarantee energy sufficiency, affordability and sustainability in Zambia under the Theme, “Building on the Social Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Energy is responsible for the development and management of the energy sector, which is a critical player in the socio-economic development of the country, as every productive sector in the economy relies on the availability of energy.

Madam Speaker, the implementation of universal access to clean, affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy has the potential to bring about significant positive impacts such as job creation and enhanced resilience to climate change.

Madam Speaker, under economic transformation and job creation, on Page 7 of the President’s Speech, I would like to outline and re-emphasise the importance of energy to the economy. Under the electricity sub-sector, and in a bid to reduce stress on the grid, the Ministry of Energy, through ZESCO Limited is promoting the use of energy-efficient appliances for lighting, and alternative energies for cooking. From the time the New Dawn Government was ushered into power in 2021, ZESCO Limited has, so far, distributed 1.68 million light emitting diode (LED) bulbs countrywide, which translates into a saving of 48 MW. At the household level, the LED bulbs have low electricity consumption and a long lifespan. Consequently, they save money. Additionally, to phase out incandescent bulbs in Zambia, Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 74 of 2016 remains in force. These initiatives not only contribute to energy sufficiency, but also create employment opportunities and attract foreign investment.

Madam Speaker, my Government has taken the bold and ambitious actions that are required to create an industrialised and diversified economy, which is a key development outcome of the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP). In this regard, the Government is implementing an open access regime that will promote the possibility of any party selling or buying electricity to use the transmission and distribution systems without discrimination. This will stimulate investment in the power sector, thereby enhancing efficiency in the delivery of electricity to the consumers.

Madam Speaker, under the petroleum sub-sector, the Government is implementing reforms in order to improve efficiency in the supply chain. In this light, the Government, in October 2022, disengaged from procuring and financing petroleum products. This entails that the Government will invest the money saved in other projects that will help us to grow our country’s economy. Additionally, guidelines on how the oil marketing companies (OMCs) will be selected to utilise the Tanzania Zambia Mafuta(TAZAMA) Pipeline have been developed and will be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Madam Speaker, you may wish to note that the Government has now operationalised the TAZAMA Pipeline, which has resulted in 80 per cent of the country’s petroleum products being transported by the pipeline. This entails that there will be less use of tankers on the Zambian roads, thereby reducing damage to the roads. In the medium term, to ensure sustainable fuel supply, the Government plans to implement private sector-led system for importation of petroleum products; the Zambia Bulk Procurement System (ZBPS). It is envisaged that the system will ensure that the supply of petroleum products is conducted in a co-ordinated manner and at the most competitive price. This system is aimed at establishing a more stable and efficient importation and distribution of petroleum products in Zambia.

Madam Speaker, in order to address some of the challenges in the petroleum sub-sector, the Government is launching the first ever bio-fuel blending pilot programme in October 2023. It is envisaged that the bio-ethanol pilot programme will create a more stable energy future in terms of stabilising the volatility of domestic fuel prices as well as securing the supply of fuel in the country. We anticipate that there will be increased job creation in the agriculture sector, as the Government has received expression of interest from Kafue Sugar, Zambia Sugar and Kawambwa Sugar to grow cassava and sugarcane for the production of ethanol. The ethanol-producing programme will also commercialise the operations of Indeni Petroleum Refinery Company Limited as a major player in the market. The following OMCs have expressed interest in the pilot programme:

1. Puma Energy;

1. Total Energy; and

1. Surya Energy.

Madam Speaker, one of the notable economic impacts of the measures we are taking is the projected reduction in fuel prices. For example, blending petrol at 20 per cent will see a reduction of the pump price by K1.25 per litre at the current price. It is further anticipated that there will be an increase in outgrower schemes in the agriculture sector, as most small-scale farmers will begin to grow energy crops, such as cassava and sugarcane, commercially, thereby increasing jobs in the sector.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, it is important to mention that clean, affordable and sustainable energy is a precondition for structural transformation in Zambia and the achievement of Vision 2030 as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is a need to invest in clean energy to support growth in the education, health, mining, agriculture and tourism sectors. My Government is confident that the implementation of the mentioned and other interventions will result in adequate energy supply that will accelerate economic growth and job creation. To this end, the New Dawn Government is actively pursuing partnerships with international organisations to support the clean energy agenda and is promoting more private sector investment in the energy sector.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development (Eng. Milupi): Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for the opportunity to register my thanks to the Address by His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, on the occasion of the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly. The President chose an appropriate theme; “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.” Indeed, Zambia has made tremendous gains in the first two years of the New Dawn Administration, and more is yet to come.

Madam Speaker, the President’s Speech encapsulates the very essence of our mission, as the New Dawn Government. It is a call for action to uplift the lives of our people and ensure that every Zambian enjoys the fruits of development and progress. This theme resonates with the aspirations of every Zambian, regardless of their background, as it promises a brighter future for all.

Madam Speaker, the President articulated the New Dawn Government’s development agenda and highlighted the strides made in delivering on the mandate given to us in August 2021 by the Zambian people. The New Dawn Government intends to deliver on all the campaign promises made.

Madam Speaker, let me remind the House and the country that in football terms, we are not even at halftime; we are probably in the thirty-fifth minute of ninety minutes.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, the President, in his address to this august House, emphasised the importance of infrastructure in the country's socio-economic and transformation agenda. Due to the huge debt burden left by the previous Government, every Zambian, including the newly born babies, owes US$10,000. The New Dawn Government is adopting innovative financing models, such as the public-private partnerships (PPPs) to implement its infrastructure development agenda. The Chingola/Kasumbalesa Road and the Lusaka/Ndola Dual Carriageway are shining examples of ingenuity at work. The Chingola/Kasumbalesa PPP Road Project has already made significant progress and will be completed ahead of time. The concessionaire for the Lusaka/Ndola Dual Carriageway is already on site. This is not rhetoric. Anyone who has travelled on this road can already begin to see the benefits of the work that has been done. The House may further wish to note that my ministry, just this week, on Tuesday, signed the Kambimba-Lumwana Road and once-stop border post contract. Next week, we shall be signing the Katete/Chanida Toll Road and one-stop border post contract. Furthermore, in October, we shall sign the Ndola/Sakania/Mufulira Toll Road and one-stop border contract.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Eng. Milupi: Madam Speaker, in order to facilitate trade and investment not only within the country, but also with our neighbours, we have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Angola to facilitate the construction of the road and border posts at Jimbe and Sikongo to connect Zambia to Angola.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Eng. Milupi: The implementation of the MoU will enhance our connectivity to the Lobito Corridor, which is not only a pathway for exporting mining commodities, but also an artery for future economic growth. The House may wish to note that the Lobito Corridor has generated interest from our co-operating partners, including the European Union (EU), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United States of America (USA).

Furthermore, we have commenced the implementation of the Acrow bridge projects using our own resources. Fifteen Acrow bridges have been earmarked for installation this year, while fifteen more will be installed in 2024. The Government has also completed many crossing points including the Lundazi and Msuzi bridges in the Eastern Province and the Lunchu Bridge in Central Province.

Madam Speaker, His Excellency the President was very categorical in stating the New Dawn Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of our people through investment in infrastructure. To this end, connecting our vast country is paramount, and my ministry has continued to facilitate the construction and rehabilitation of provincial airports in order to ensure connectivity among our provinces. With the guidance of the President, we have completed Kasama Airport within two years of being in office ...

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Eng. Milupi: … and within one year of the Presidential directive being issued. This will be followed by Solwezi and Mansa airports. Subsequently, airports and aerodromes in other provinces will also be rehabilitated. This is being done because we are a Government that works methodically and delivers on its priorities and commitments.

Madam Speaker, when the President addressed this august House, and the phrase is ‘august House’, not August House, …

Laughter

Eng. Milupi: … he stressed that the Government is putting in place measures to cushion the vulnerable in our society, who have been impacted by the rising prices of mealie meal in the country. In this regard, my ministry is playing akey role in dealing with issues of increased maize production, which will see the price of maize go down in the near future.

Madam Speaker, at this stage, let us understand the plans that the Government has put in place to ensure that we have affordable maize and mealie meal. It is important to ensure that the cost of production is less than what the farmers get for their products. This is what the Government has put in place. This coming year, we shall see increased maize production.

Madam Speaker, furthermore, just to highlight more benefits of our economic diplomacy led by His Excellency the President, the Government has signed an MoU with a private party to invest US$10 million in a concrete panel-making factory to support the building of decent, quality and low-cost housing across the country. The concrete panels will also be used toconstruct schools, health facilities and other public infrastructure in both rural and urban areas. This will increase the pace of construction and help to deliver the much-needed infrastructure.

Madam Speaker, I wish to stress the President’s desire for more PPP projects in all the sectors in order to leverage private sector finance and abilities. To this effect, the Government, through the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, has brought to this august House a Bill to repeal and replace thePublic-Private Partnership Act No. 14 of 2009. I wish to appeal to the hon. Members of this House to support this important development so that we can hasten the process of implementing PPP projects.

Madam Speaker, I wish, again, to express my profound appreciation and thanks to His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia. Indeed, many people in thiscountry, when they see the good works that the President has brought to the fore, ask the question: “Where were you all these years?”

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Fube: The Mporokoso/Kaputa Road.

Eng. Milupi: The whole country really appreciates.

Madam Speaker, finally, I wish to state that the work done, so far, is a testimony to our President’s hard work and resolve to deliver on all our promises. This country is beginning to enjoy the hard work that the President has brought to the Public Service. That is why many people in this country are saying,“Talebwelelapo”.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: What does “talebwelelapo” mean?

Eng. Milupi: Meaning, there is no chance of coming back, Madam Speaker.

Laughter

Mr Samakayi: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Mwinilunga, I think, the pineapples are working.

Laughter

The Minister of Transport and Logistics(Mr Tayali): Madam Speaker, kindly permit me to join the long list of my hon. Colleagues in adding my voice to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Speech, whose theme was, “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Madam Speaker, for the record, may I declare that posterity will look back in history and describe the President’s Speech as a watershed moment. May I also dare say that despite the many successes scored by the New Dawn Administration, under the able tuterage …

Mr Fube: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Tayali: … of His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema. He was, actually, very modest and literally refused, neglected or omitted his bragging rights, particularly on successes that the Ministry of Transport and Logistics has scored.

Madam Speaker, before I touch on some specific issues that the President raised pertaining to the aviation sector, allow me to state that when we took over office, we found the railway sub-sector completely damaged.

Mr Twasa: Question!

Mr Tayali: We found that workers at the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) were owed close to one year ‘s salary arrears.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Tayali: Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Administration –

Mr Kafwaya: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: I have already guided, hon. Member. There will be no points of order. We are constrained for time, and you are already eating into the time we have.

Hon. Member for Lunte, please, resume your seat.

May the hon. Minister, continue.

Hon. Government Member: Koseni, koseni!

Mr Tayali: Madam Speaker, thank you for your protection.

Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Government meticulously dismantled those salary arrears. At the time that the President embarked  on a State visit to China, he neglected to inform the nation through this august House, that the New Dawn Administration had come to understand the trials and tribulations that our workers in sectors such as the railway sector under TAZARA have been facing.

Mr Nkandu: That is our lawyer!

Mr Tayali: Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Administration, working together with its sister Government, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, has agreed to turn around the fortunes of TAZARA. Despite the huge economic potential that the company has, it was allowed to literally begin to crawl.

Madam Speaker, Tanzania and Zambia have agreed to go back to their original partners in the construction of TAZARA, the Chinese, for them to help turn around the model on which TAZARA operates, to make it more commercially viable and allow it to stand on its own. That is what the New Dawn Administration is doing.

Madam Speaker, we have gone a step further, realising that Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) is a company with immense potential. Despite being close to 115 years, the company is still able to meet its overheads. The time has come for ZRL to be allowed to equally get back on its feet so that it is able to contribute to the economic progress of this country.

Madam Speaker, perhaps, the single most indicative sector in terms of how the New Dawn Administration has been able to make strides is the aviation sector. Since assuming office, the New Dawn Administration has registered close to twenty-three aircrafts. I am sure, the hon. Members on your left agree with me, …

Mr Twasa: Water, water!

Mr Tayali drunk water.

Mr Tayali: … that we have seen an increase in the number of aircrafts and airlines that service our country. That is what a methodical approach to fixing problems is able to achieve. We have been able to methodically get rid of the confusion that was in this country. The President promoted law and order, brought back the rule of law and went about selling the country both locally and abroad. The result is that we are now inundated with a number of people who want to visit our beautiful country. In order for us to take full advantage of this situation, we were able to launch Zambia Airways as our national flag carrier.

Hon. PF Members: Question!

Laughter

Mr Tayali: We launched it under my ministry, and I have closely monitored and supervised it. Only yesterday, …

Mr Chikote: Only yesterday!

Mr Tayali: … we were able to proudly receive a Boeing 737-800, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tayali: … a marvel of an aircraft that will go a step further in selling our country within the region and abroad.

Mr Chikote: They have not heard. Bwekeshapo!

Mr Tayali: Madam Speaker, owing to the disturbances, allow me to repeat: Just yesterday, we added to the fleet of Zambia Airways a Boeing 737-800, which will go a long way in carrying our flag within the region and beyond.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tayali: Madam Speaker, the acquisition of the aircraft will not only encourage competition but, ultimately, benefit the flying Zambian public. For the avoidance of doubt, there are no subsidies that the Government is providing to Zambia Airways (2014) Limited. The airline is operating on a business model that works on volumes as opposed to focusing on sheer profit making. Therefore, one of the actions I took when I was appointed Minister of Transport and Logistics was to ensure that we were able to level the playing field. So, we reduced landing and parking fees, and the result is what we saw yesterday.

Madam Speaker, the President’s pronouncement, through the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, on the removal of Visa requirements has had a multiplier effect on the number of people who want to visit Zambia. If there is anyone in doubt, particularly those on your left, I wish to say that numbers do not lie. International passenger numbers have grown by 111 per cent, …

Mr Chisopa interjected.

Mr Tayali: … while domestic passenger numbers have grown by 133 per cent, even before we launch the Kasama Airport. We promised Mwine Lub –  I am referring to my King, the Bemba Chief –the President made a public pronouncement and, hardly a year later, we went flat out to ensure that this country does not discriminate but takes development to all parts of the country. Today, Kasama boasts of a beautiful airport.

Hon. PF Members: Question!

Mr Tayali: We are very proud of the work we are doing, and this country will not be the same again because the Zambian people made the right choice when they elected Mr Hakainde Hichilema as their President.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts (Mr Nkandu): Thank you, Madam Speaker, for according me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the speech delivered by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, to this august House on 8^th September, 2023, during the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, …

Mr Mundubile and Mr Kafwaya left the Assembly Chamber.

Mr Amutike: Where are you going?

Mr Kapyanga:Ubufi bwacilamo!

Mr Nkandu: … under the theme, “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Madam Speaker, let me start by appreciating you for the prayer you give for us, hon. Members. In fact, you have been consistent on the issue of our treating all matters that are before us in a fair and just manner. That is what you have been praying for on our behalf, and that is why I thank you. So, I will try by all means to be fair and just on the issue that is before us.

Madam Speaker, the President talked about the rule of law. Young people used to throw stones, insult people and illegally collect money from bus stations and markets. Today, that is a thing of the past. Surely, can someone call that speech unsubstantiated or say that it has no substance because the President was trying to tell us what we have done so far?

Madam Speaker, let me also zero in on the return of Vedanta Resources Limited with an investment pledge of US$1 billion. My interest is in the US$250 million to be paid to local creditors and the US$20 million to be spent on community projects. The US$20 million and what it will do for Nchanga Rangers is my interest as Minister for Youth and Sport.

Mr Chala: Chilundika!

Mr Chikote: Konkola Blades!

Mr Nkandu: My interest is also on what the money will do for Konkola Blades Football Club and Nampundwe Football Club. So, for me, the US$20 million pledged for corporate social responsibility (CSR) will go a long way in improving soccer infrastructure in those towns, and that is very important. How can someone say that the speech had no substance, yet US$250 million will be paid to suppliers, and many young people will be employed after creditors have been paid? For me, that is important. When we talk about the US$1 billion that will be reinvested in Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM), we also anticipate job opportunities for our young people.

Madam Speaker, I should also emphasise the point on meal allowances. I am talking about substance because young people at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and the Copperbelt University (CBU) have been getting allowances, which had been scrapped off. How can someone say that there was no substance in the speech, yet people have been treated to meal allowances? Other young people had been sitting on the floor in schools but, today, they sit on desks. So, how can someone say that there was no substance in that speech? I think, we need to be – That is why I said that I appreciate your prayer, and I encourage other hon. Members to pay attention when you pray. We need to follow what you pray on.

Laughter

Mr Nkandu: Madam Speaker, some hon. Members on your left who spoke before me, said that the President’s Speech lacked substance. That assessment is not only unfair, but also unfortunate. The truth is that it had so much substance, and that can be attributed to the following achievements:

          Year                 No. of Youths Trained

          2021                  2,467

          2022                12,537

          2023                  4,665  (currently enrolled)

It is projected that more than 8,000 will graduate at the end of this year. Is this not substance?

Madam Speaker, my ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DMI-St. Eugene University for the provision of 1700 scholarships in sport and various courses for the 2024 Academic Year. The MoU will run for five years. Indeed, is this not substance?

Madam Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700 hours.

[MADAM FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKERin the Chair]

Mr Nkandu: Madam Speaker, before business was suspended, I was about to say that under the empowerment of youths in education, my ministry is providing scholarships for vulnerable youths under the Community Scholarship Programme in diploma courses to enhance their skills and employability. The programme aims to empower 25,000 youths over a period of five years and, so far, 13,000 youths have been enrolled; 6,000 in 2022 and over 7,000 in 2023. So, as I asked earlier, surely, is this not substance?

Madam Speaker, under the Graduate Empowerment Programme, in 2022, the New Dawn Government, through my ministry, empowered 854 youth graduates with equipment and start-up kits to enable them to venture into income-generating activities and improve their livelihoods. In 2023, the ministry has, so far, empowered 560 youth graduates, bringing the total to 1,414.

Madam Speaker, in 2021, under the National Youth Scheme, my ministry empowered 2,000 youths with grants, 2,414 were empowered in 2022 while 2,920 benefited in 2023, and we are still continuing. The programme aims to empower vulnerable youths with grants to enable them to venture into income-generating activities. Going forward, my ministry intends to empower more youths.

Madam Speaker, between 2022 and 2023, under the general Empowerment Programme, 2,160 youths in the transport sector were empowered with fuel tankers and 186 were empowered with motorbikes to enable them to participate in economic activities.

Madam Speaker, in order to spur employment opportunities and skills acquisition among the youths, as highlighted by the President, 2,000 youths have been selected for placement in various industries and institutions under the Internship, Volunteer, Apprenticeship and Graduate Programme. Come 1^st October, 2023,  they will start work. Surely, is that not substance?

Madam Speaker, the President placed emphasise on diversifying the economy through agriculture. In this regard, my ministry has been empowering the youth with free land from the three youth resettlement schemes, simple agricultural equipment and start-up kits to enable them to venture into agricultural activities. In order to provide social security for Zambian artistes, my ministry facilitated the recruitment of over 1,000 of them to the Social Security Scheme under the National Pension Scheme for the first time ever. In this regard, artistes will be entitled to various benefits, such as retirement, maternity and funeral benefits, and access to loans.

Madam Speaker, furthermore, the ministry facilitates the waiver of Customs and Excise Duty on some musical and film equipment to allow artistes to procure equipment cheaply, thereby contributing to the growth of the arts industry. Consequently, we have a Zambian movie doing very well on Netflix. I, encourage all hon. Members of Parliament to go and watch the entertaining movie called “Can You See Us” on Netflix.

Madam Speaker, the speech by the President to this august House highlights the fact that sport has the potential to significantly contribute to the human development of our people, especially the youth. Currently, 5,000 youths in various sports disciplines are being enabled to participate in various tournaments. In this regard, in order to develop the sports sector, we have continued to provide support in all sports disciplines to support the construction and rehabilitation of sports infrastructure, such as the recently launched David Kaunda Stadium in the Eastern Province.

Madam Speaker, the Zambia National Women’s Football Team qualified to the World Cup. Under the New Dawn Administration, the Zambia National Senior Men’s Team also qualified to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Tournament after thirteen years of being absent.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, allow me to encourage all hon. Members of Parliament, especially my hon. Colleagues on your left, to lock hands and support the progressive agenda of the New Dawn Government as highlighted by the progressive speech by the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

The Minister of Tourism (Mr Sikumba): Madam Speaker, I would like to join a number of my hon. Colleagues who have spoken before me in celebrating what I would like to call a fantastic speech delivered by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

Madam Speaker, I wish to sincerely thank you for according me the opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the speech by the President of Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, delivered on 8^th September, 2023, during the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, whose theme was, “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Madam Speaker, let me hasten to categorically state that the speech was progressive and inspirational, as it reflected on what the New Dawn Administration has achieved in improving the welfare of the Zambian people. There is no doubt that the speech gave real hope to the Zambian people who, not so long ago, had lost hope. The New Dawn Government is set to restore the lost glory of Mother Zambia.

Madam Speaker, let me also add that the speech truly reflected the aspiration of the nation as envisaged in the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).

Madam Speaker, the various positive macroeconomic indicators that were outlined in the President’s Speech, such as the positive economic growth of 4.2 per cent in 2022 and reduction in the annual inflation rate to a single digit of 9.9 per cent, just to mention a few, is a true testament that the country is on the right trajectory.

Madam Speaker, a number of vital parameters have also been restored, which has created a conducive environment not only for business, but also for ordinary citizens. This enabling environment has, indeed, been felt in my ministry, which has recorded a number of progressive results, such as increased international and domestic tourist arrivals.

Madam Speaker, in his speech, the President stated that tourism is a sector that we believe will increase the number of jobs in the country and enhance the foreign exchange (Forex) preserves. That statement resonates very well with me and, indeed, a number of players in the tourism sector. The country has abundant wildlife and natural resources for development in the sector to increase the contribution to the economic transformation and job creation agenda of the New Dawn Administration. With the increased budgetary allocation to the ministry, the ministry has embarked on a number of transformational interventions, such as the development of appropriate tourism support infrastructure to make all tourism sites accessible and attractive to visitors, policy reforms with a particular focus on reducing the cost of doing business and market enhancement, which are likely to increase both local and foreign tourists.

Madam Speaker, you heard my colleague, the hon. Minister of Transport and Logistics talk about connectivity that has been enhanced with the introduction of the newly acquired Boeing 737-800, which will increase the number of tourist arrivals within the region, and we look forward to making Zambia an airline hub for the Southern African region.

Madam Speaker, worldwide, tourism is a major engine for job creation and a driving force for economic growth and development. For instance, recent studies by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) indicates that tourism generates 10 per cent of the world’s jobs and is included in Sustainable Development Goal No. 8 for its potential to create decent work.

Madam Speaker, the increased number of tourist arrivals that we are experiencing give the tourism and hospitality sector – I will probably call it the travel tourism and hospitality sector, – an opportunity to employ the many boys and girls who are yearning for jobs in Zambia. They will be employed in the sector and get the right conditions as proposed by my colleague, the hon. Minister of Labour and Social Security.

Madam Speaker, the tourism sector has greatly contributed to job creation and also forex.  Therefore, one of the priority areas that my ministry has embarked on is growing of the tourism industry and the promotion of meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE). That has been very clear from the time that the United Party for National Development (UPND) Government took office. We have seen a number of meetings taking place in Lusaka and Livingstone, and that, in itself, is a sure way of having as many people as we possibly can. We are doing so by leveraging on the investment in new facilities, such as the Kenneth Kaunda Wing of the Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC), a gift from our colleagues, the People’s Republic of China, from where we have just returned after a successful State visit by His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

Madam Speaker, hon. Members of the House can attest to the fact that barely a month passes without our hosting a major conference in Zambia. The ripple effects of such events have been visible, as industry players in accommodation and transportation among others, have massively benefited in terms of room occupancy and increased length of stay. However, I agree with the President that more can be done to increase the number of both domestic and international arrivals in the country. It is in this regard that the ministry, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Art has recognised that sports tourism is one of the important tools to increase the flow of domestic and international tourists into the country. We are working hand-in-glove with the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Art to host more and more international competitions not only in soccer, but also in rugby, netball as well as swimming.

Madam Speaker, I am sure that hon. Members of this august House still remember the football match that recently took place between the 2012 Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) winners and the Barcelona legends, which attracted scores of fans, including foreigners and those colleagues of ours who even had the opportunity to go and visit the mighty Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls.

Madam Speaker, this House may also wish to note that the ministry set an ambitious target of 1.5 million international tourist arrivals by the end of this year. We are confident that we will surpass this target due to robust marketing strategies that the ministry has employed and  the support we have got from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, which has given us a shot in the arm of K15 million for tourism marketing this year.

Madam Speaker,  I wish to echo what the President said regarding domestic tourism; that we, citizens, should be in the forefront of promoting and marketing the various tourism sites the country is endowed with. I have said it before that there is no better person to market Zambia than Zambians. We would like to encourage all the locals to take a locsl holiday.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to inform the House that the Government, in collaboration with the Public Service Micro-Finance Company, launched a product called “Tandala” which is a domestic loan initiative aimed at giving Public Service workers an opportunity to enjoy holidays at flexible interest rates. There has been no time that we have seen Public Service workers go on holiday but, this time around, all those people who are on the Government payroll have an opportunity to enjoy holidays locally and even abroad. I urge all hon. Members of the House and Public Service workers wherever they are to use this facility.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, may I, once again, unreservedly say that the President’s Speech was timely and inspirational and I fully support it on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Thank you.

On the list, I have the hon. Minister for Central Province, the hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, the hon. Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development and the hon. Minister for Lusaka Province, in that order.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister for Central Province (Ms Kasune): Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity to thank the Republican President of Zambia, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of Central Province under the able leadership of the New Dawn Government of the United Party for National Development (UPND).

Madam Speaker, I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to add the voice of Central Province to the debate on the address during the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteen National Assembly by the President of the Republic of Zambia on 8^th September, 2023, whose theme was, “Building on Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.” As a province and an administration, this resonates very well with our aspirations and resolve to do more to improve the livelihoods of the people of Central Province.In the last two years, as Central Province, we have scored in the area of making sure that no child is left behind by sitting on the floor, in accordance with the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).

Madam Speaker, for all those in the House and those who are listening, in Central Province alone, 30,000 desks were manufactured and given to schools for use by pupils. That is only in two years. If I may translate that into resources that have come into the Central Province or remained in the province, it equates to about K45 million. That is money in people’s pockets, not as a tagline, but as a reality. This is what the New Dawn Government has achieved in our province.

In co-operation with the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, Madam Speaker, we have gone ahead to implement reforms and control illegal mining activities. I am glad to report to you that because of our interventions, as Central Province, we have formalised artisanal and small-scale miners and put an end to the invasion of illegal mining that had characterised the area in the past. To underscore this, just within the last year, we were able to process twelve processing plants for manganese and copper. Twelve processing plants have been commissioned within the tenure of the New Dawn Government. This translates in jobs. We have also scaled up sensitisation of our youths so that they can get involved in the mining sector. We are targeting to reach about seventy-six artisanal and small-scale miners in our province.

In terms of promoting investment, Madam Speaker, I want to report to the House that in accordance with the President’s vision and his speech, we have gone on to record an investment of over US$455 million, in setting up of solar and wind power plants in our province. This will be a great achievement as we embark on the production of 371 MW of power. This is Central Province under the New Dawn Government.

When it comes to farming, Madam Speaker, many farmers in Central Province are now using smart technologies and techniques. By the end of 2022, 1,700 ha of land had gone under climate-smart agriculture, and 5,400 farmers were using drought-tolerant crop varieties, while 1,350 farmers were adopting climate change-smart agroforestry.

Madam Speaker, in the area of social protection, which is a key component of what we are doing under this Government, Central Province, over 18,000 beneficiaries were supported with Food Security Packs during the 2022/2023 Farming Season.

Madam Speaker, in order to provide quality education and address the challenges that have come with free education, 112 classroom blocks were also constructed. The construction is on-going in different constituencies under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). Further, about five health facilities and five maternity wings were constructed under the same period. To improve access to water in public institutions and surrounding communities, over ninety boreholes were drilled and equipped. Five water schemes were also set up.

Madam Speaker, skills development remains a key policy for youth empowerment and poverty reduction in Central Province. To this effect, 5,522 youths in the province benefited from skills development under the CDF. In addition, 2,149 pupils were supported with secondary school bursaries, and this helped to reduce absenteeism in the schools.

Madam Speaker, when it comes to climate change, we, as a province, have embarked on climate change mitigation measures, with 112,000 tree seedlings raised and two community forests established. To prevent illegal cutting of trees and charcoal burning, the province conducted about 1,446 patrols and sensitised 3,000 people. Under the forest extension service, K5.7 million non-taxable revenue was raised under natural resources in our province. This Government also continues to provide climate change information and to provide our farmers and communities occupying areas that are vulnerable to floods and droughts with weather information and to make them know what to expect.

Madam Speaker, with regard to the environment, the provincial administration has established integrity committees to prevent corruption and enhance integrity. Furthermore, we continue to pursue dialogue in resolving the boundary conflicts among our chiefdoms and to provide the oversight role on the CDF. To ensure decision-making and implementation are done at the local level, as envisioned by His Excellency, the President, –

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1727 until 1728.

Ms Kasune: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think, someone wanted to make a name, having been a Deputy Chief Whip. I am grateful that the quorum has been restored.

Madam Speaker, let me say that in order to strengthen land management administration, 249 plots in form of lots, stands and farms were surveyed in 2023. Furthermore, 1,111 land offers were issued and 388 land inspections were conducted to address boundary and land disputes.

In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I really want to emphasise to the House and to those who are listening that the New Dawn Government has not only come to change Central Province, but to change the entire Republic of Zambia and Central Province is at the centre of that transformation. The New Dawn UPND Government will continue to implement reforms, bring about change in the lives of Zambians, foster development and reconciliation, and promote good governance, creating jobs and fostering value addition in the area of agriculture and mining, and ensuring that our youths having more money in their pockets does not remain a slogan, but becomes a reality.

On behalf of Central Province, I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister of Mines and Minerals Development (Mr Kabuswe): Madam Speaker, thank you very much. It is unfortunate that people decided to run away. but we are going to make sure that they listen using technology. The Ministry of Science and Technology has provided us with technology, and there is Facebook, on which everybody is following the proceedings, and they will listen ...

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: ... so that we tell them how the mining sector was messed up and how we are cleaning it up as, the New Dawn Government.

Madam Speaker, I want to join the other hon. Members of Parliament and hon. Ministers who applauded the speech delivered by His Excellency the President of the Republic Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, on the Floor of this House. When people see that one has done a good thing, usually, they want to punch unnecessary holes that have no meaning. As Zambians, we need to learn to appreciate and make our people realise that there can be good Presidents in this country, not Presidents who give in to alcohol all the time.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Use your written speech.

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, thank you very much.

I want to thank the President for delivering such a wonderful speech whose, theme was, “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.” Indeed, we looking forward to a better Zambia.

Madam Speaker, zeroing in on the mining sector, the President made it very clear that we found the mining sector in confusion, with court cases and rampant thieving.

Sorry, Madam Speaker, I withdraw the word “thieves” …

Madam Speaker: Thank you.

Mr Kabuswe: ... and replace it with ‘insincerity’ in the way our colleagues were running the affairs of the mining sector.

Madam Speaker, we decided to restore order in the mining sector because for anybody to benefit from any mineral or any resource that we are endowed with, the first thing that has to be done is bring order to the sector. The very first things that we did was that the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning came and gave the policy direction because in the mining sector, one can only prosper if the environment is predictable, stable and guided by a clear policy direction. The mining sector requires investment of huge amounts of money. So, for one to recoup one’s investment, one needs to be in an environment that is stable, predictable and safe, and one that has a leader who is serious, a leader like President Hakainde Hichilema. That is what we came to do. After giving that policy direction, we set ourselves on a path to restore order in the sector by bringing back all the mining companies that were in court. We are bringing them to the table and discussing with them, so that we can chart the way forward for the sector.

Madam Speaker, we brought back First Quantum Minerals (FQM), Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) to the table. The President said that we are going to be methodical, and we became methodical. We started with FQM, where we restored order. With US$1.3 billion invested in Kansanshi, we have the largest Nickel Mine in Zambia and in Africa.

Madam Speaker, KCM was restored and investment brought back. For MCM, we are saying that the meal is already on the table. Very soon, we will call Zambians to come and partake.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: That is how methodicaly the Government works.

Madam Speaker, we are restoring order on the Copperbelt. The people of Zambia were saying that the Republican President went to China, but did not see the Chinese President. No, that was not it. The Chinese have a system for doing things. They had to start from somewhere and check all the things that we have done before talking to the President.

Rev. Katuta: Hear, hear!

Preacher man, preach!

Mr Kabuswe: That is what they did, Madam Speaker. Immediately the President came back from China, the Chinese delegation of China Non-ferrous Mining Corporation (CNMC) Ltd followed him with cheques. So, US$1.3 billion worth of investment is coming to Zambia, targeted at Shaft 28 in Luanshya. The hon. Member of Parliament for Roan should be happy because we have been singing the song of Shaft 28. Now, money for dewatering Shaft 28 has come, and the people of Luanshya should be happy that Shaft 28 will soon be dewatered and more jobs created. Efibomba abaume.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: What do you mean, hon. Minister?

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, meaning; that is how real men work. Real mean like President Hakainde Hichilema.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, people have been talking about illegal mining. We have so many minerals being discovered by ordinary people on the streets. This Government is formalising artisanal and small-scale miners. How do we do it? We said we were going to regulate the sector because it was unregulated. Everybody was doing whatever they wanted to do. This Government has put in place the Mineral’s Regulation Commission and, in this Meeting, we will introduce a Bill to establish the Minerals Regulation Commission. Then, we will begin implementation. Through this House, I want to tell illegal miners, those who have been doing all sorts of things, that their days are numbered because the methodical New Dawn Government is now bringing in a regulator who is going to check the misbehaviour in the sector, including the large mines that have been understating production figures. The lack of integrity in the mines is untold, and those involved will be exposed by the commission so that the people of Zambia can get what belongs to them. You can only do that when you have a methodical, controlled and disciplined Government like we have.

Madam Speaker, we have a President who chairs Cabinet meetings into the wee hours of the day because of how serious he is about running the affairs of this country. That is the President who sat on that Chair and delivered the speech, that people, through lies, are saying lacked substance. Have you not seen Shaft 28 open in Luanshya and billions of Dollars come into KCM? Very soon, you will see MCM flourish and Chambeshi Metals Plc open. The negations are very advanced. All these are practical steps that will bring life back to the Copperbelt.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, this is a serious Government and a Government that is concerned with the welfare of the people. Nga nasova ama mine nobunga ala sova, meaning since he has sorted out the mining sector, he will sort out the mealie meal issues too.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I have often said that we found Zambia neciputenacipya so tuletina.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: It is painful, yes, but the days of pain will go away.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Can you translate that, hon. Minister.

Mr Kabuswe: Madam Speaker, ichi pute is a boil. Because of the corruption that was going on, Zambia began to suffer from boils ...

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kabuswe: …in different sectors. Tulefitina.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Meaning?

Mr Kabuswe: Meaning that we are removing the puss from the boils and that the country will begin to celebrate. We look forward to a time when the country will begin to celebrate. That celebration will come  in the shortest possible time, even as we implement various programmes that we have put in place as the New Dawn Administration.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: No, continue!

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy: Order, hon. Members!

The Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Mr Mubanga): Madam Speaker, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to support the President’s Speech, delivered during the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, the theme of the speech was, “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, I stand to express my gratitude to His Excellency the President for a well-articulated and thought-through speech. I wish to affirm the progressive pronouncements made and the content given by His Excellency the President Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

Madam Speaker, this Administration has created an enabling business environment. Before that, this country was in political violence. When there is political violence in the country, there can never be a conducive business environment. The past regime, which I will mention; the Patriotic Front (PF).

Hon. PF Members: Ah!

Hon. UPND Members: Yes!

Mr Mubanga: It is true that it was the PF.

Madam Speaker, we saw how this country was in confusion. We used to see ama panga. Investors could not come into this country because of that.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Now, this Government, through the able leadership of His Excellency the President, …

Mr Nkandu: And Commander-in-Chief!

Mr Mubanga: … came and stamped out the violence.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, entrepreneurship is key to job creation.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: We have witnessed investment pledges and partnerships for the benefit of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and co-operatives.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: We have also witnessed more private-sector investment in the financial sector to assist in unlocking more potential in the SMEs and co-operatives.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Firstly, we witnessed the signing of a US$50 million financing facility for green growth for SMEs through the Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco), from which a number of women-led businesses have benefitted.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Secondly, US$20 million invested in Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (Absa) for SMEs.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Absa developed a solution for small and medium scale businesses to have access to this fund. Just within the week, we witnessed the signing of a €20 million facility under the European Investment Bank.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: I signed it yesterday and witnessed it at First Capital Bank. This is for agricultural activities. We are looking at sorting out what our colleagues have been talking about. There is no abracadabra.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: There is supposed to be a way in which one looks for long-lasting solutions so that one can sort out those issues.

Hon. UPND Member: Abracadabra who?

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, we are, again, waiting for US$15 million agricultural activities for SMEs following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development of the United Arab Emirates.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: These funds will come in a few months from now, and to develop the enterprises in this country.

Mr Nkandu: You are working!

Eng. Mubanga: These investments are the result of the conducive environment we have created collectively and the partnerships that we have promoted through international diplomacy by His Excellency the President.

Madam Speaker, this Administration has been supporting manufacturing and local content in all products on our shelves and stores, and has a deliberate policy of procuring from local firms.  That is spurring and improving innovations and the growth of our SME sector.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, we have witnessed the penetration of Zambian firms in the manufacturing of fertiliser. If you go to the plant, you will see that it is operational.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: This success is because of our direct interventions with the outside world.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, we increased the Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund (CEEF), which we found at K25 million when we came into office to K350 million in the first year.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Madam Speaker, in the second year, we increased it to K397.3 million. Following the increases, we have targeted areas where we grow maize, sorghum, millet or cassava for putting up milling plants. We have identified Chavuma and Kalomo districts. The plants will be put up done in all districts where maize is grown.

Madam Speaker, through our Marketeer Booster Loans, …

Mr Nkandu: Booster!

Mr Mubanga: … we have reached out to 77,000 marketeers in all the districts, and our womenfolk have benefited from the loans. For districts where we have not been, we will soon be there.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: In conclusion, Madam Speaker, …

Hon. UPND Members: No, go on!

Mr Mubanga: … through the One Government approach, we are meeting the expectations of our people in a co-ordinated manner. Therefore, my ministry remains key in co-ordinating efforts in the SME and co-operatives sector to effectively and efficiently accelerate the growth of this economy.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

The Minister for Lusaka Province (Mrs Mulyata): Madam Speaker, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to contribute to debate on the Motion of Thanks. Before I get to the speech, allow me, to give thanks and honour to God who gives authority.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: There is leadership in Zambia.

Laughter

Madam Frist Deputy Speaker:Order, hon. Minister!

We are not in church. Please, just use the speech before you.

Mrs Mulyata: Glory.

Laughter

Laughter

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Can we, please, minimise the running commentaries. We want to hear what the debate is all about.

You can go ahead, hon. Minister.

Mrs Mulyata: I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, it is my honour and privilege to add my voice to the debate in support of the speech made by His Excellency the Republican President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, during the Ceremonial Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly under the theme, “Building on the Socio-economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Madam Speaker, the President’s Speech set the tone and direction for the development agenda of our country as the President emphasised the need to achieve socio-economic transformation by implementing measures to stimulate growth and, ultimately, improve the livelihoods of our people.

Madam Speaker, the President’s Speech clearly indicates that the United Party for National Development (UPND) is determined to achieve the Vision 2030 of Zambia becoming a prosperous middle-income nation by 2030. We would like to thank our citizens for the resilience and the support they have given to us during the past two years. What have we achieved in two years? In 2022, the UPND Government managed to provide free education and recruited 30,000 teachers. Further, this year, we are recruiting 4,500 teachers.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, in 2022, the UPND recruited 11,000 health workers and an additional 3,500 will be recruited in 2023.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, when you talk of the re-introduced meal allowances, it is –

Hon. UPND Members: UPND.

Mrs Mulyata: Talk about debt restructuring.

Madam Speaker, the 20 per cent pension partial withdraw from the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) was also made possible by the UPND.

Laughter

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Please, resume your seat.

Hon. Minister, we are in the House, not at a stadium.

Please, hon. Members, avoid answering back. I think, we all know the words that we are supposed to use in this House when we are in support or in opposition to what is being said. We use the phrase words such as ‘Question!’ Can we, please, use those phrases.

You may continue, hon. Minister.

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, the ended load shedding, …

Hon. UPND Members: UPND!

Mrs Mulyata: ... increased CDF, …

Hon. UPND Members: UPND!

Laughter

Mrs Mulyata: ... public-private partnership (PPP) Dual Carriageway, …

Hon.  UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: ... the Chingola/Kasumbalesa Road, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: ... the purchase of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: ... the Kafue Bridge on the Mongu/Lusaka Road, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: … provision of transport for Veterinary Extension Officers, …

Hon.  UPND Members: UPND!

Mrs Mulyata: ... the ten motor vehicles and motorcycles, –

Hon.  UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: What can you say?

Laughter

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, the President’s Speech clearly indicates that the UPND is working. The Theme for the address is, “Building on the Socio-economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Madam Speaker, the speech clearly indicates that under the leadership of Mr Hakainde Hichilema, the country has managed to reduce the end-of-year inflation to a single digit at 9.9 per cent in 2022.This is very encouraging for the nation, especially that that the huge debt stock has been fixed by rescheduling repayments by more than twelve years, allowing the nation to have breathing space. Indeed, we are breathing easier.

Hon.  UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: Further, in order to provide agricultural mechanisation services to our small-scale farmers, Lusaka Province has continued to support small-scale framers with inputs under the Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP), which currently supports 59,188 beneficiaries for the 2022/2023 Farming Season. Additionally, farmers are being encouraged to continue growing more than two crops in a year to cushion supply challenges. Further, all our farmers have been paid by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA). No nkongole.

Madam Frist Deputy Speaker:What is “nkongole”, hon. Minister?

Mrs Mulyata: Owing money, Madam Speaker.

Laughter

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, His Excellency the President addressed the issue of water resources development. As Lusaka Province, we are rehabilitating and maintaining 126 small dams to harvest water for agriculture or municipal purposes, thereby reducing over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture. Mama, as you can see –

Laughter

Madam Frist Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Who is mama now?

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, the free education policy has created opportunities for all citizens to access education and to avoid compromising the quality of education. The Government has continued to increased learning spaces. Lusaka Province has managed to procure and rehabilitate 10,300 and 1,044 desks, respectively. These desks are being produced locally by youth co-operatives within the province hence. Hence, we are supporting their livelihoods and creating more jobs.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, as part of the UPND’s commitment to providing clean and safe water and adequate sanitation facilities in every community, His Excellency the President recently went around the country donating a borehole to each constituency.  This had never happened before, and that was done using his personal money. Our predecessors failed to do that, but we are leading by example. We have a President in the nation.

Hon.  UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, to further address vulnerability and inequalities among women and youths, the Government is implementing the National Internship, Volunteer and Graduate Programme. Further, 775 youths are being trained in survival and life skills to help them to engage in economic activities.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata:Madam Speaker, in an effort to restore forest cover in the province, 141,857 seedlings were raised and twenty-five patrols conducted. Additionally, alternative livelihoods are being promoted through bee-keeping and mushroom growing capacity building. With regard to climate change, Lusaka Province is currently conducting a demographic survey in Rufunsa District, where I come from, in preparation for the development of climate proofed infrastructure farming block.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, it is gratifying to mention that the Government has commenced the implementation of the long-awaited devolution strategy at different levels of Government administration. You will all agree with me that this is a key step in ensuring that Government services are brought as close to the people as possible.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: We applaud the UPND for its initiative to delegate power to approve the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to the provinces to enhance efficiency in the implementation of Government policies.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Hanjika!

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, even the mealie meal issue will be dealt with. We cannot fail. We are not failures in the UPND Government.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Mulyata: Madam Speaker, may God bless Zambia and all of us.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr B. Mpundu: Mayo, mayo! Ema speaker aya!

Madam Frist Deputy Speaker: Order!

We do not have much time.

The Minister of Technology and Science (Mr Mutati): Madam Speaker, I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to render a ministerial statement on the speech delivered to this House by His Excellency the President on 8^th September, 2023, during the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly.

Madam Speaker, I have travelled to a few places with the President and saw proof that, indeed, he is the number one marketing officer of this country.

Madam Speaker, sitting on a round table with the private sector in Doha, and concluding for this country a forwarding-looking investment plan at the end of the conversation, …

Mr B. Mpundu: Professor Mutati.

Laughter

Mr Mutati: ... a deal was struck to connect all 1,259 secondary schools to the Internet.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, the deal was also struck to have Internet connected to all rural health centres. Additionally, a deal was struck to install a three-tier data centre in this country.

Mr B. Mpundu: A tyre?

Mr Mubanga: Iwe.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, a three-tier data centre simply means a data centre with the capacity, resilience and liability to house Microsoft, Google and Facebook. Those platforms will be housed here, in Zambia. That is what is called three-tier.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, another deal was struck to deliver an innovation hub. That was done in only one afternoon, sitting around the table in Doha.  I, who was there just said, “wow”! …

Laughter

Mr B. Mpundu: Wow?

Mr Mutati: “this is it!”

Madam Speaker, with the President in Shenzhen, we saw that the logo in Shenzhen was no longer “Made in China”, but “Made by China”, a different spirit. As he walked the streets of Shenzhen, he delivered for the people of Zambia. The things we have been talking about, such as towers, ...

Mr B. Mpundu: Mwebaliko landeni.

Mr Mutati: ... in one stroke, we have delivered a hundred towers, pro bono. I said that he is the number one marketing officer.

Mr B. Mpundu: You said “Wow!”.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

Can you refer to your speech. Now, it is like you are telling a story.

Laughter

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, I am referring to the speech.

In the same city of Shenzhen, the President also delivered for the people of Zambia, having noted that smart phones are expensive. So, we want smart phones to be assembled here, in Zambia, …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: … and a deal was concluded to that effect. I just said, “Wow!”

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubanga: Where are the hon. Members of the Patriotic Front (PF)?

Mr B. Mpundu: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mubanga: Iwe.

MsSefulo: Twalakupoka Chibuluma Road.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, at the Summit of Smart Africa in Victoria Falls, our President stood to speak to his fellow Presidents, and put aside his prepared speech. He said to his fellow Presidents that, “If we want to facilitate trade in Africa, we should no longer rely on a one-stop border post. We should now move from one one-stop border to a non-stop border post.”

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: He later instructed us, hon. Ministers, that in phase one, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi and Zambia should embark on that project. So, I am the interim  chairperson at the ministerial level. We are scoping to deliver a non-stop border post across the four countries.

Madam Speaker, we have already connected optic fiber at Mwami Border as part of the plan to deliver non-stop border posts in the region, and that will be replicated in other places in Africa. At the end of the summit, I just said, “Wow!”

Madam Speaker, I was with the President and his friend Paul Kagame in Rwanda, where they have travelled the path of digital transformation, and the President said, “Let us have some takeaways ...

Mr B. Mpundu: Wow!

Laughter

Mr Mutati: ... from Rwanda.” One of the takeaways was that, we need to seal the revenue leakages, particularly those associated with Value Added Tax (VAT) and adopt the same digital platform that Rwanda has adopted.

Mr B. Mpundu: Speech!

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, in Rwanda, the President also instructed that our Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMIS) be extended to the local government, the Rwanda way.

Hon. Government Members: Wow!

Laughter

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, the President said, “We must deliver the structure for an innovation ecosystem in Zambia”, and I just said, “Wow!”

Laughter

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker –

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Minister!

I do not think that what you are saying is in the speech.

Interruptions

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

We are just trying to do the right thing.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, we are doing the right thing.

Hon. Government Members: Wow!

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, I was not in New York. With Starlink, we have now done the proof of concept, and it works in all the provinces. We will be connecting low-orbit satellites to the most difficult places, and that deserves a “Wow!”

Mr B. Mpundu: Read the speech.

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, with the hon. Minister of Health in Vienna, cancer equipment will be delivered by the end of this year, and it will be “Wow!”

Laughter

Mr Mutati: This just says that we have a number one salesperson. We have also completed and delivered skills training to Sesheke, Lundazi, and Mporokoso. It is not only a matter of delivering externally, but also internally.

Madam Speaker, at Ukwimi Trades Training Institute in Petauke, we have delivered. We have delivered almost 20,000 bursaries this year.

Mr B. Mpundu: Mwafuma nomba kuli “Wow”, mwaya kuli deliver.

Laughter

Mr Mutati: Madam Speaker, this is all part of the delivery process.

Madam Speaker, this President is simply “Wow!”

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Members: Wow!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

The Minister of Health (Mrs Masebo): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the very important statement…

Hon. Government Member: Fresh from America!

Mrs Masebo: …that was made by His Excellency under the theme, “Building on the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Hon. Government Members: Wow!

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, this theme summarises our unwavering commitment to transforming our nation.

Madam Speaker, the President highlighted the pivotal role that a healthy population plays in our pursuit for prosperity. It is a fact that healthy citizens are the bedrock upon which a prosperous nation is built. As Ministry of Health, we have embraced this vision and embarked on a journey to provide qualityand cost-effective healthcare services as close to the family as possible. We are doing this using a primary health strategy. This approach is important to the achievement of universal health coverage, and is a component of our decentralised system of governance.

Madam Speaker, in line with the President’s vision, we are pleased to announce that the Ministry of Health has been at the forefront of the devolution of public services to local authorities. Eighty exclusive local authority functions including district health services have since been devolved to local authorities in accordance with the Constitution. This significant step fosters transparency, accountability and decentralisation in our healthcare system. You will agree with me that the decentralisation song has been in our ears as a nation in the last three decades, but we had never gotten there. However, in less than two years, His Excellency the President was able to show political will to give power to the people in the peripheral areas. I think, this is a very important step for Zambia.

Madam Speaker, I know that we need to do a lot more sensitisation so that the Zambians in Chongwe and all the 116 districts can understand and appreciate that the policy to decentralise functions with matching resources has come, and it will make their lives better.

Madam Speaker, I am also pleased to report that under the leadership of His Excellency the President, in trying to get health services closeer to the people, we have, in the last two years, completed eleven health facilities, bringing the total number to 110 out of the targeted 115 facilities. Furthermore, an additional twenty-six maternity annexes are scheduled to be completed before the end of this year. We are committed to ensuring that every health centre has a maternity annex with water reticulation, electricity and good sanitation as part of our determined effort to reduce maternal mortality.

Madam Speaker, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and partly using the Constituency Development Funds (CDF), we have also made substantial progress in the construction of several health facilities of different sizes. To guarantee that the facilities will meet the requisite standards, we have prepared prototype standard drawings for maternity annexes, mothers’ shelters and other health structures. Our efforts will be incomplete without a dedicated workforce.

Madam Speaker, you will agree with me that for the first time in a long time, and in an unprecedented manner, we were able to recruit–In fact, for the record to be correct, just last year, in 2022, we recruited over 12,000, not 11,000. This year, we are recruiting another 3,000, and we have already started the process. Before the end of this year, we will finish the recruitment of 3,000 workers.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: In fact, I am waiting for the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to confirm that we will, again, employ thousands. I do not know how many, but we will hear the number tomorrow. This is in an effort to ensure that the service we are offering to our people is of a high quality because the more health workers we have, the better for our people.

Let me say this: I do not know when, but even when I was Minister of Health in 2013, we were not able to promote health workers who had never been promoted previously. We have people who retired at fifty years, fifty-five years or sixty years, but they had never been promoted. They had remained Zambia Enrolled Nurses (ZEN), yet they had degrees. For the first time, we have begun the process of promoting nurses who have acquired degrees, and that is being done under the Government of President Hakainde Hichilema. Some of us just do not like making noise. Otherwise, these are big things that never happened before. For the first time, even those doctors called Junior Doctors when they are supposed to be called consultants will be considered. This time, we are trying to ensure that health workers in all categories are promoted, and we will not stop this year. Even in the coming few years, we will continue until the situation stabilises.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, if you look at the salaries for doctors, nurses and other health workers, you will see that they have also been increased. The truth of the matter is that even as we say that the economy is biting, which is true because there are many factors that impact an economy, and with the debt, we were still able to improve salaries, generally, of health workers. It has never before been done in the manner it has been done. So, it is important to say that this President has really walked his talk.

Madam Speaker, equally important is the availability of drugs, equipment and all other tools that are required by health workers to provide a better service. I am pleased to tell you that with all the challenges we took over, we have been able to stabilise the supply of medicine, supply from the district going down. All the health facilities in the country, in the last three months, have had drugs beyond 90 per cent stocks. The good news is that we have managed to stabilise that aspect so that even before the supplies finish, the next consignment is on its way.  In fact, do you know that people are saying that we have over-stocked drugs in small clinics?

Mr Amutike: That is what we want!

Mrs Masebo: That is an effort to stabilise supply.

I will tell you this, Madam Speaker: We are yet to stabilise the flow at the upper level; hospitals such as tertiary hospitals, those big hospitals in provinces, including level-one hospitals. However, the good news is that before the end of this year, supply to those will also be stable, and once we stabilise that level, the story of stockouts will not be there. The President, on all the trips he has been making, also talks about health and tries to organise health sector needs. The good news is that we are moving away from small people who bring sub-standard and highly priced supplies, and delays with too many stories. Now, we are dealing with the bigger suppliers, who are manufacturers. In addition, the President has insisted that we create our own industries here, in the country. So, we are inviting people to partner with Zambians. Some can go solo so that we begin to create not only quality drugs, but also employment for the local people. Those who want to trade can do so because everything will be here, in the country, so that we do not get into that mess our friends left us in.

The other issue, Madam Speaker, is equipment. The good news is that even if we do not talk, the truth of the matter is that we have made several attempts to improve the functioning of most of the equipment, and a lot of resources have been spent. Unfortunately, most of the equipment has been declared obsolete and cannot be repaired. It is old and should have been discarded, maybe, five years or ten years ago.

The good news is that we have not sat back. In Lusaka, for example, we have already struck a deal with Siemens, which is going to bring new equipment for the Cancer Diseases Hospital. So, before the end of this year, there will be new equipment. Apart from that, we have managed to buy a Computerised Tomography (CT) Scan machine and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine. One CT scan will be for Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital. Those machines are already on the way.

Madam Speaker, in addition, in Ndola, we are going to have –

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

The hon. Minster’stime expired.

Madam First Deputy Speaker: You can wind-up, hon. Minister.

Ms Masebo: Madam Speaker, let me wind-up. Sorry, I have overshot my time, but is because of the importance of these issues, since we are dealing with life. The good news is that in Ndola, we have already started the construction of another Cancer Diseases Hospital. Hopefully, within the next six to eight months, that hospital will be up. In Livingstone, we are at the contract level. Hopefully, by next year, we will have another hospital there.

Madam Speaker, there is a lot of work being done make sure that the issue of equipment is resolved because now, we are building and equipping the hospitals at the same time so that once the hospitals finish, they will already have the equipment. Further, the issue of human resource is also being handled.

Madam Speaker, there is a lot we are doing, and we shall continue. The people of Zambia must just give us the support that we need, for their own good, so that we can bring everything to fruition

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Sefulo (Mwandi): Madam Speaker, let me be begin by thanking all the hon. Members, both on your left and your right, and the hon. Ministers, who took time to debate the speech. I have listened to the debates very attentively and I can, 100 per cent, say that many debated in favour of the speech, having described it as motivating. This theme of the speech was, “Building the Socio-Economic Gains for Improved Livelihoods and a Better Zambia.”

Mr B. Mpundu interjected.

Laughter

Ms Sefulo:Madam Speaker, I can see that the hon. Member of Parliament for Nkana, who recently got Chibuluma, is very happy as well, and all he can say is “wow!”

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, let me mention that from the debates of hon. Members, the President’s Speech, which was delivered to this House, was very inspirational. There are people who were not inspired by it, but all I can say is that it depends on where one draws one’s inspiration from. There are people who are difficult to inspire. There are people who will complain even when they are in paradise. So, it is nature. There are people you just cannot inspire. All I can say to the hon. Members and everyone who debated the speech is, “Wow!”

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Question put and agreed to.

Hon. Members: Wow!

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Mr Lufuma: Wow! Awesome! It has been an awesome Sitting.

Laughter

Madam First Deputy Speaker: Order!

ADJOURNMENT

The Minister of Defence and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Lufuma): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

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The House Adjourned at 1824 hours until 1415hours on Friday, 29^thSeptember, 2023.

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