Lusaka's Heritage Sites

MINISTER of Arts and Tourism Charles Banda is on record of a strong affection towards the marketing of domestic tourism throughout the country.

His call is also repeated in the Seventh National Development Plan which was recently launched by President Edgar Lungu who has fond attachment to the entire tourism sector regarded as the country’s potential economic boost after agriculture.

That being the case in point with the national leader demonstrating such interest in the sector let alone the country’s foreign missions which are also doing their best in attracting tourists to make Zambia their tourism destination of choice, it goes without saying.

Domestic tourism has the potential to help stimulate stimulate economic growth by contributing to job creation, foreign exchange earnings, entrepreneurial and infrastructural development as well as improvement to rural communities.

And Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) Managing Director Felix Chaila on several occasions has repeatedly emphasised on the need to promote domestic tourism saying it is credibly doing well as compared to international tourist arrivals.

“It is important to note that domestic tourism has been growing at a faster rate than international tourist arrivals. Domestic tourism includes business meetings, conferences and leisure,” he says.

With this background, let us take a look at a few landmarks that are idea for the promotion of domestic tourism. We start with Lusaka.

The city has rich landmarks that have been in existence from as far back as 1900s and are still standing today. There is what is known as Limbe Shopping Complex situated on plot 109 in the central business district.

According to records obtained from the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC), this earliest surviving building was built in 1909, it is Chiparamba and on Cairo Road. Once-upon-a-time it was called Fisher Complex and that its facade, like other old structures, is still in its original design. The building today is used as a restaurant.

Then comes Lusaka Millers House which is the current location of the National Milling Company premises. In 1928, the North-Western Rhodesia Farmers’ Co-operative Society Limited shifted from Kafue to Lusaka taking over King and Werner’s mill.

It was sold in 1921 and moved the current location of the National Milling Company premises.

There is House number 110D situated on Great North Road opposite Impala Service Station in Villa Elizabetha. This house which was built in 1932 is a display of Dutch architectural influence in Zambia, and therefore its value is of architectural and historical significance.

The building currently housing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was constructed as the base for the British South African Company (BSAC), a company responsible for the management and administration of Northern Rhodesia upto when the territory became a British Protectorate in 1924 (when first Republican President Kenneth David Kaunda was born).

On Independence Avenue at Cabinet House, there is an Old Secretariat or Old National Assembly which was designed by John A. Hoogterp, F.R.I.B.A in 1932 and erected in the same year. This is a historic building with a Georgian architecture, which is richly moulded with Romanesque pillars, gusticated mortar joints, red tiled roof and beautiful staircase.

It depicts fine and rich architectural features, and the foundation was laid by His Royal Highness Prince George of the United Kingdom. Its role as old National Assembly meant diverse legislative events that took place during the pre and post independence and there were significant to Zambia’s history.

Ahead of independence and the Legislative popularly known as the Legico used to meet in this building to make laws for the protectorate. The building was Zambia’s Parliament and today it houses Ministry of Defence and is part of Cabinet Office where the Office of the Vice President is.

The former parliament chamber has been renovated and is used as a chamber for the House of Chiefs.

Lusaka’s first Post Office is situated at the junction of Katondo and Freedom Way and was constructed in 1933 making it the oldest Post Office. Until recently, the building was used as Kwacha Secondary School before it was rehabilitated and reverted back its original purpose as a Post Office.

And just opposite the Intercity Bus Terminus, is the Marrapodi Hose sitting on plot 294. Built in 1921, this was the first residential house in Lusaka and was the residence of Govianni Marrapodi, an Italian contractor on the railway line who had come to Lusaka from Kalomo in 1909 to run lime working business in 1911.

He owned a large estate of land extending from Roma, named after his native home capital city Rome to present day Villa Elizabetha (one of the farms named after his daughter).

At present, the house is used as a restaurant or bar and it has a memorial stone laid by his nieces A. Rosina and C. Giulia in January 1999.

These are but just a few sites that can be marketed for domestic tourism. Next time we will bring you more of the domestic tourism sites worth visiting.

Zambia for Sustainable Development Goals

ZAMBIA has advised that unless Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are implemented to effectively expand the economies of the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) to benefit local people, globalization will remain a means of making rich nations richer while leaving poor countries poorer.

National Planning Minister Lucky Mulusa says the SDGs and the Agenda 2030 whose aim is eradicate poverty can only be achieved if the fundamental guiding principle of ‘not leaving anyone behind’ does not remain rhetoric but translated into action at global, regional and national level.

He said this when he delivered a speech on behalf of the Group of the Landlocked Developing Countries at the 2017 United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York during the week, Mr Mulusa says economic growth in LLDCs is failing to eradicate poverty because local citizens are not benefiting from their economic progression.

Zambia is the Chair of the LLDCs and is being represented at the 2017 ECOSOC High Level Political Forum by Mr Mulusa who is leading a delegation of two other Cabinet Ministers of Transport and Communications Mr Brian Mushimba and Gender Ms Victoria Kalima as well as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Planning Chola Chabala and other senior government officials.

He says LLDCs continue to face numerous inherent development challenges linked to their geographical locations associated with distance and isolation from the global market and therefore should work towards the effective and full implementation of the Agenda 2030.

“Why does economic growth in Landlocked Developing Countries fail to eradicate poverty? Why has globalization made rich nations richer and poor countries poorer…we know the answers but we fail to act! Unless we ensure that citizens of Landlocked Developing Countries begin to benefit from economic activities of their nations, we will continue meeting and wondering why we are not eradicating poverty,” he said.

First Secretary for Press Wallen Simwaka reports that Mr Mulusa says deliberate efforts are required to address special challenges associated with Landlocked countries so that they are not left behind.

Mr Mulusa says eradicating poverty and achieving socio-economic prosperity continues to be at the centre of the development agenda of LLDCs.

He explains that SDG 9 which is about building resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, is of particular importance to LLDCs because such nations face high trade and transport costs as a result of inadequate resilient infrastructure.

“High costs of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and energy, inadequate trans-border infrastructure are hampering efficient trade facilitation. Our economies face constraints on structural transformation and economic diversification with signs of de-industrialization manifesting in most countries. These issues are at the heart of the Vienna Programme of Action for the LLDCs adopted in 2014,” Mr Mulusa said.

He also says LLDCs have made progress in the area of gender equality and empowerment of women and girls which has also seen the reduction of harmful practices against the female gender.

The 2017 session of the Economic and Social Council and the three-day ministerial meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development has been convened under the theme: “Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in Changing World.”

Luapula Expo is here

IT must have started from an individual’s mind who upon gazing at what the province is endowed with, felt there must be some action applied to turn around the wheel and put in motion for the purpose of adding value to the natural resources.

Such could have happened and with the high sense of conviction, this individual then set up a team of think-tanks to lay down the foundation for the event which has now caught the eye and attention of the international investor and are on the way to not only sample but make the province their choice of planting their investment.

This is no other than the Nickson Chilangwa Team that mooted the idea for the opening up the province to the would-be investor in various sectors of development.

As can be seen and read on the official website, the Luapula Provincial Administration working in conjunction with the Ministry of National Development Planning, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Tourism and Arts, the Zambia Development Agency and the Zambia Tourism Agency have partnered to host the Luapula Expo-2017 which is a five (5) day economic and investment tour of Luapula Province, from the 26th to 31st July 2017.

The Expo, the first of its kind, will be held under the theme “Linking Investors to Luapula Province to unlock the Economic Potential” and President Edgar Lungu is expected to officially grace the week-long Expo, which is poised to be a permanent feature on the annual Zambian Corporate Investment calendar.

The Expo targets to market the province with reference to seven thematic investment areas namely: Agriculture, Tourism, Mining, Aquaculture, Energy, Livestock and Forestry. The Expo focuses on connecting both local and foreign ambitious investors looking for new locations to base their businesses.

With a wide set of opportunities available in the province as listed investment areas, investors have the choice to explore and take advantage of a range of benefits and incentives that have been packaged to undertake business.

Luapula Expo & Investment Conference

One would wonder as to what this Expo which is attracting so many local and foreign interests is all about. The Luapula Expo & Investment Conference 2017 is a business tour, expo and conference set to unlock the numerous investment opportunities found within the great province.

The website further explains that activities during the event create a highly interactive platform where a high calibre of investors and business professionals can meet, network, conduct business and share best practices.

The event is about Luapula’s huge economic potential, drawing to the province local and international investors and businesses to gain a 3-dimensional appreciation and explore the untapped business potential in Luapula.

Investors identified and invited are those that have shown interest in the priority the sectors such as tourism, mining and agriculture.

What is Luapula Province all about?

Named after the Luapula River, it is one of Zambia’s ten provinces, located in the north of the country with its provincial capital based in Mansa.

The province has a surface area of approximately 50.566 (km) and has about 1 million people with an annual growth rate of 2.8 percent according to the Central Statistics Office record of 2010.

It is subdivided into eleven (11) administrative Districts namely: Milenge, Chipili, Chembe, Samfya, Mansa, Mwense, Kawambwa, Nchelenge, Mwansabombwe, Lunga and Chienge.

With the exception of Milenge, Chipili, and Chienge Districts, all other districts are linked by tarred roads while Lunga District in the wetlands is accessed by boats. The province enjoys the benefits of a good communication network as most of the districts are serviced by all the three mobile network providers.

Luapula province is a haven of investment opportunities and has great potential for Agriculture, Rubber production, Tourism, Mining, Forestry, Hydro-Power & Aquaculture.

The province has good arable land, good rainfall patterns, abundant water resources and wetlands and boasts of having 8 waterfalls, amongst them the Lumangwe which is the second largest waterfalls in Zambia after Victoria Falls.

Luapula also has enormous reserves of copper ore deposits and several other mineral deposits. Other metals found in the province include manganese, iron, silver, gold and precious stones like emeralds.

However, from a glance, the historic event has the following schedule;

Wednesday 26 July 2017

Location: Samfya
Secretariat: Registration of Delegates
Highlights: Investor’s Welcome Cocktail, Boat Cruise
Investment Areas: Tourism & Hospitality

Thursday 27 July 2017

Location(s): Mansa, Kawambwa
Secretariat: Registration of Delegates
Highlights: Mansa Business Opportunities, Mumbuluma & Musonda Falls, Isubilo Palm Oil Plantation, Investors Dinner
Investment Areas: Energy, Tourism, Agriculture

Friday 28 July 2017

Location(s): Mansa
Secretariat: Registration of Delegates

Highlights: Official Opening by President Edgar C Lungu

Investments Presentation

Forestry Presentation

Fisheries Presentation

Mining & Oil Exploration  Presentation

Energy Presentation

Transport Presentation

Facilities & Border Infrastructure Presentation

Trade Opportunities with DRC – Presentation

Agro-Processing Presentation

Break-Away Sessions

Dinner

Investment Areas: Agriculture, Fisheries, Tourism, Mining, Forestry, Hydro-Power & Aquaculture.

Saturday 29 July 2017

Location(s): Kawambwa, Mansa

Secretariat: Registration of Delegates

Highlights: Rubber Plantation, Umutomboko Ceremony, Lake Mweru, Dinner

Investment Areas: Tourism, Forestry, Rubber

Sunday 30 July 2017

Location: Kawambwa

Secretariat: Registration of Delegates

Highlights: Kawambwa Tea Estates, ZAFFICO Forest Lumangwe Waterfalls, Chishinga Ranch, Investors Dinner

Investment Areas: Forestry, Agriculture, Tourism

Nevertheless, the province is vigorously being marketed for investment in the rearing of livestock such as cattle, goats, pigs and poultry. This is one of the untapped opportunities available in the Province, considering that Luapula is also livestock disease free. The province is looking for credible investors to invest in the rearing of livestock of their choice.

In the area of forestry and rubber plantation, the province has a total hecterage of 807 Ha of tree plantations scattered across seven (7) districts, with Milenge District alone having at least 45,000 eucalyptus trees that have matured and ready for harvesting. 

With regard to rubber plantations, the province has 152 hectares in Nchelenge and Kawambwa Districts and for future expansion, about 2,000 and 1,000 hectares have already been set aside in Nchelenge and Kawambwa Districts respectively.

With an average of 450 trees per hectare, the province has 57,600 fully grown trees ready for tapping. The rubber plantation project was initially started by the government for research purposes. However, given the positive and encouraging results, the province is promoting private sector investment in this area.

Mining is another sector in the province with enormous mineralisation of manganese ore deposits and several other mineral deposits. Minerals available include Copper, Iron, Manganese, Lime, Gemstones and Gold among other minerals. These minerals are available in specified districts in the province.

However, currently, only the mining of manganese is more prevalent but is also done at a very small scale due to limited capital for mining operations.

And in the trade and investment potential with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the two Governments have signed a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with GED Africa to construct a bridge at Kashiba across the Luapula River, starting in the year 2018.

This project plus the on-going project to complete tarring of the Pedicle road will increase trade between the Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) and the entire SADC and COMESA regions.

As for agriculture, the province falls within the high rainfall belt classified as Region III with an average annual rainfall of over 1,000mm. Rainfall levels are high throughout the province ranging from 1000 to 1,500mm per annum.

In an effort to attract public and private investment in the agriculture sector Government has intensified its strategy in policy implementation through infrastructure roll out such as roads, development of the Luena farm block and investment in research and improved extension services. 

The focus is on growing the following Sugarcane, Palm Oil, Banana plantations, Horticultural Tree Plantations, Cassava, Maize, Rice, Soya Beans, Wheat and Sunflower. The expansion in production also will entail the establishment of processing plants in the province.

Tourism also takes its share in the province which is endowed with some of the unmatched natural wonders in the country.

It has a number of beautiful waterfalls, wetlands hosting some of the rare animal and bird species in the world like the black Lechwe and the shoebill stock.

The province has a rich culture with traditional ceremonies which are popular tourist attractions.

The hub of Luapula’s tourism is also combined with a number of traditional ceremonies such as the Mutomboko of the Lunda people in Kawambwa, Ubuilile of the Bwile People in Chienge, Malaila of Chishinga people in Kawambwa, Kwanga of the Ngumbo in Samfya, Musubilwa-Mpemba of the Unga people of Bangweulu Swamps, Mabila of the Shila people in Mununga and Chabuka of the Aushi people respectively.

In the area of aquaculture and investment caging investment in aquaculture will be throughout the province as the entire province has enough surface and underground water. 

It is noted that investing in this area will ease fishing pressure on lakes and rivers and allow for their re-growth.

In terms of fish cage culture in the province, this is a new technology being promoted and the potential is abundant as has been showcased by a few demonstrations that have been done in the province.

A number of sites in the Bangweulu and Mweru-Luapula fisheries have undergone environmental impact assessments (EIA) and are earmarked for investment. Furthermore, the ambient water temperatures prevailing tend to favour rapid maturity of the farmed fish.

Meanwhile, Zambia has an enormous demand for energy and its central location gives it access to wider markets for this commodity.

It is further noted that the potential to make Zambia an energy hub is massive, due to its massive potential.

But for this potential to be unlocked, the prerequisite is the development of electrical power both from hydro and other sources such as solar and other forms of clean energy.

There are more than 7 potential hydro-electric power generation sites in Luapula.

After all is said and done, the Expo is open for individuals and institutions that are looking for a unique opportunity and an exclusive platform for expansion of their business.

The think-tanks behind the Expo strongly feel that apart from providing an avenue for investors to gain greater access to information and alternative economic potential options available, the Expo will provide endless opportunities by giving platforms to Institutions to promote their respective brands and services.

Today it is Luapula Province, who is next?