Zambia's Senior Public Servant sacking after drunken TV programme appearance puts spotlight on the problem of high alcohol consumption in the country

 

Excessive alcohol drinking is a major public health and social pandemic in Zambia https://www.lusakatimes.com/2018/10/26/zambia-ranks-first-in-alcohol-consumption-in-the-region/ . The number of alcohol addicts is also growing given statistics indicating that the country was ranked 87^th in global consumption in 2023 https://www.reportlinker.com/clp/country/49/726321 . Of course drinking on the job is prohibited and can result in instant dismal. Many companies and organisations in Zambia have work place policies prohibiting use of alcohol and drugs in the work place. This could be a standalone policy or regulations included in other human resource policies. But the problem has persisted.

The firing of a high ranking civil servant, allegedly because he appeared drunk when he featured on a television programme aired on a national broadcaster, is making rounds on social media. His official termination letter, written by his appointing authority, the Zambian republican President, is attached as a photo, to the social media posts. Of course there are many ‘likes’ and comments. Rather than celebrate this man’s downfall I think we need to have honest and deep conversations on this problem as a people. The biggest and hardest question is: Are we providing enough support for alcohol addicts or preventing excessive drinking as a society (in the home, work place, places of worship, public trading places-malls & markets etc)?

Part of implementing a good anti substance abuse work place policy is to provide a safe environment for the regular employees as well as invited guests. I believe a television or radio station or studio is a work place. The producers or editorial team should not go ahead with the broadcast if they notice that the interviewer or the interviewee/s is drunk. This is more progressive and supportive to the person battling alcohol abuse. This raises questions about the safeguards the national broadcaster that interviewed the dismissed civil servant took into account.  What safeguarding actions should have been taken before airing the programme or proceeding with the interview? Did the station carry out due diligence checks (or editorial censorship) to protect the viewers (possibly close family and friends of the man) from seeing the interviewee drunk? What can the station and other broadcasting houses learn from this unfortunate incident in terms of alcohol and drug work place policy enactment and implementation?

 As a society, we need to be more supportive rather than judgemental and feasting on mockery and celebrating the downfall of others. Many of us are battling with alcohol or drug addiction personally or have a friend, relative or acquaintance who is. Let us not laugh our heads off and shame the person living with alcohol or drug addiction. We are all affected.

I had a privilege of meeting Brian Chishimba last year. Brian Chishimba is a survivor of 14 years of alcohol and drug addiction. He has been alcohol and drug sober for more than 8 years. He is the author of “Triumph over Alcohol and Drug Addition”. Brian is a living example that there is hope. An addict can recover. His book provides a very graphic, touching and heart breaking life of an addict. He provides hope in the same book by narrating his journey to sobriety.

Is nationalism pushing back on free cross border trade and globalisation?

 Introduction

The recent trade centric manoeuvres by the new United States of America (US) administration have unleashed shock waves in international trade. Many countries are fearing that the actioned and impending US foreign trade policy measures will affect theirs and the entire world’s economy.  The media has been buzzing with orders, policy pronouncements and announcements by the new US administration led by President Donald Trump. President Trump was sown into office on 20 January, 2025. He signed a flurry of executive orders soon after the inauguration ceremony. He has followed up with more and made several statements regarding trade tariffs. These US trade policy shifts have affected regional, continental and international trade. As the saying goes, when America sneezes the world catches a cold. This has unleashed a series of tariff announcements and counter retaliatory rhetoric. A tariff is a domestic tax levied on a good as it enters from abroad. It is proportional to the declared value of the imported good.

Canada and Mexico, US’s neighbours on the northern and southern borders, respectively, were the first nations to taste these trade policy shifts. The US slapped a 25% import tariff on selected Canadian and Mexican goods on 4 February, 2025 but this was suspended for a month, a few days later (British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC) News, 2025). The suspensions came after the two countries’ complied with US demands for more border guards to be deployed on their respective borders with the US. A 10% tax was also levied on Chinese imports. China responded with counter levies on selected US exports to China. These counter tariffs came into force on 10 February 2025. Mexico, Canada and China are the US’s biggest trading partners. They accounted for 40% of imports into the US in 2024, according to BBC News (based on information compiled from the US Census Bureau).

So the question is, is this the start of a regional trade war between the US and its neighbours and a global trade war between the US and China? Is the “America First” agenda synonymous with a pull away from regional trade integration and a push back at globalisation? Are the days of free movement of people, goods and services around the global slowly coming to an end? Should we brace ourselves for more trade restrictions and trade wars?  

Regional and continental trade integration pull away

Global trade policy trends have historically skewed towards greater geopolitical regional and continental integration. Removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers, such as free movement of people, goods and services, and single currencies, are key indicators of trade integration. The North American Free Trade Agreement and the Free Trade Area of the Americas are examples of the free trade agreements that the US, Mexico and Canada have interacted with. 

This decade has witnessed a growing trend of state trade policy reversals and withdrawals. Brexit (short for British exit from the European Union (EU)) is historical and memorable. The United Kingdom (UK) was the first country to leave the EU since its establishment. The process started in 2016 with a referendum. The final withdrawal took place on 31 January 2020. The UK and the EU finalised a new trade deal on 24 December 2020.

Anti-immigration sentiment, post 2015, was one of the key drivers of Brexit (Britannica, 2025). The BBC reported that US tariffs on Canada and Mexico have been motivated by President Donald Trump’s concerns on illegal immigration and drug trafficking on the Canadian and Mexican borders, leading to illegal entry of prohibited drugs into the US market. But, there is no doubt that introduction of these tariffs is also linked to trade. The US is the world’s largest economy and obviously is interested in keeping the status quo. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) identify tariffs as a preferred and transparent means of protection (Koo and Kennedy, 2005). The WTO has received and circulated to members China’s request for a dispute consultation with the US regarding the new tariff measures (WTO, 2025).

Current globalisation era, is China the big winner?

There is no doubt that globalisation and the technological advancement spurred by the internet has made the world a global village as was envisaged by many. The world economy has been dramatically and significantly transformed by the recent era of globalisation. The first era of globalisation took place in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, between 1813 and 1914. Financial integration, flows of people between continents, improved transportation, communication and reduced government trade controls and restrictions led to unprecedented rates of world trade (Rodrik, 2011).

There is no doubt that some countries have reaped and benefitted enormously from the ability to produce goods in large quantities, at low cost, and to export them to offshore customers, all over the world. China, with the world’s largest population, and cheap labour, has been a big winner in this regard. The country has leveraged financial globalisation (the daily exchange of currencies, securities, derivatives, and other financial assets exchanged globally) by lending to rich nations (ibid.).  The current globalisation era has seen China overtake Japan as the world’s second largest economy (Moyo, 2011).

Of course, there are many who see globalisation as a loss for their domestic economy, especially when it comes to the manufacturing sector. Nationalists are among the loudest and influential voices among those who claim that China has unfair advantage.  The argument is that small businesses, and even big corporations, are unable to compete on price when it comes to Chinese manufactured imports. This has resulted in business losses, closures, and the other knock-on effects on the domestic economy. The loss of domestic jobs to overseas labourers for example, is a major political issue.

What can Africa, a newcomer to continental free trade area agreements, learn?

Imported Hair food on sale in Zambia

Elsewhere, in Africa, the African Continental Free Trade Area started trading on 1 January 2021. It is the largest free trade area in the world. What can Africa learn from these trending issues in international trade? I think one of the key sticking points, to pay attention to, is the cross border labour immigration. Migration of skilled and unskilled labour leads to oversupply of labour in some sectors (unless there are work permit prohibitions for immigrants or quota systems) in the receiving country. This results in many people chasing a few jobs. Resentment and anti-immigration and nationalist views and narratives abound (we saw this trigger xenophobic attacks in South Africa, when political instability and high poverty levels in neighbouring Southern Africa Countries, drove many to seek employment opportunities there). There are no easy answers to these challenges especially when the humanitarian imperatives require us to open our borders to people fleeing from various atrocities in their native countries. However, it is important to anticipate mass labour migration and plan for it better, in regional, continental and global trade integration agreements.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that nationalist ideologies are growing and increasing, globally. This is in part driven by scepticism (for example, Euroscepticism in Europe) and frustration with global, continental and regional trade integration instruments and agreements. The key issue is that some have enabled free movement of people, goods and services. Will the push back by nationalists succeed in halting the trajectory of globalisation and free markets?  Only time will tell. Will protectionist policies gain ground and spread? What is important is that policy and decision makers pay close attention to the balance and tensions between domestic and foreign trade dimensions. International trade still remains one of the biggest opportunities for national, regional and global economic growth and poverty reduction.

Memorial Park in Zambia 

What China has demonstrated over the past half century is that strategic engagement in multiple geospatial markets leads to sustained domestic economic growth and poverty reduction. China has been able to win in the current globalisation era because it has cast the net wide and is present everywhere including in several developing markets in Africa and the pacific island nations. This is truly ironical given that China’s outlook was inherently internal and introspective for centuries (Moyo, 2011:16).

References

African Union, [internet]. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area. The African Union Commission [undated]. Available at https://au.int/en/african-continental-free-trade-area

Boak, J., Sánchez, J., Gillies B., [internet]. Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Canada and Mexico after they pledge to boost border enforcement. Associated Press; [updated 4 February 2025] Available at https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china-sheinbaum-trudeau-017efa8c3343b8d2a9444f7e65356ae9

Hoskins, P., [internet]. China’s tit-for-tat tariffs on US take effect. BBC News [updated 10 February]. Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg8zg7ll09o

Koo, W.W., Kennedy,P.L., 2005. International Trade and Agriculture. Blackwell Publishing: Malden

Moyo, D., 2011. How the West was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly-And the Stark Choices Ahead. Penguin: London

Murphy, J., Grant, W., Race, M.,[internet]. China, Canada and Mexico vow swift response to Trump tariffs. BBC News; [updated 4 February 2025] Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c627nx42xelo

Rodrik, D. 2011., The Globalization Paradox: democracy and the Future of the World Economy. Oxford University Press: New York

Sherman, N., [internet]. Trump suspends tariffs on small packages from China. BBC News [updated 7 February 2025]. Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y7edy35pvo

Wallenfeldt.J., [internet]. Brexit. Britannica [updated 3 February 2025]. Available at https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brexit

Wendling, M., da Silva, J., Labiak, M [internet]. Trump says tariffs coming on steel and aluminium. BBC News [updated on 10 February, 2025]. Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98yv3e1yyqo

World Trade Organisation, [internet] Dispute Settlement: China initiates WTO dispute complaint regarding US tariff measures. WTO [5 February 2025]. Available at https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news25_e/ds633rfc_05feb25_e.htm

 

 

Ubiri Women's Group adding value to agriculture produce

Introduction

Lushoto

I visited Tanzania in 2016 as part of the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) Livelihood and Trade (L & T) Community of Practice (COP) meeting. One of the memorable field visits was to Ubiri Women's Group. The group is based in Lushoto town. 

Lushoto

 The town is located in one of the mountainous regions of North Eastern Tanzania 1200 meters above sea level. The region's main economic activity is agriculture.

Ubiri was formed in 1996 by a group of women with the main objective of raising their household income by processing various fruits and spices. Some of the women learnt the trade of food processing from the expatriate community that lived in Lushoto in the past. Over the years, the women have been exposed to professional training in food processing and other areas relevant area e.g. packaging and storage. Some of the finished products sold by Ubiri are jams, juices, wines and food spices (see below far left). 

Recognition 

Over the years Ubiri has gained local, national and international recognition. Currently, the group is housed in a building provided by the Government. It is a registered Small Medium Enterprise (SME)and is well known for adding value to primary agriculture produce. 


Ubiri Processing and Sales Office in Lushoto town in Tanzania

NCA Tanzania is one of the stakeholders that have engaged Ubiri because of experience in value addition. Ubiri had 12 experts in processing that were involved in training NCA village community banking (vicoba) groups spread across six regions in Tanzania in food processing. This partnership started five years before our visit.



 

 

Growth

Despite being in existence for over 18 years by 2016, Ubiri's business venture had not grown significantly. Marketing and lack of transport were some of the challenges preventing growth. Marketing was done by members on an ad hoc basis locally and in other cities especially Arusha using public transport. Sometimes marketing was done at exhibitions organised by other actors e.g. local government officials. One of the potential markets for the products made by Ubiri was the super market chain. However, this market had not been exploited because Ubiri products did not have bar codes at the time. Barcodes were a must for a product to penetrate the super market chain in Tanzania. It was very difficult for Ubiri to get certification from the Tanzania Bureau of Standards despite the Food and Drug Commission providing certification to the group.

Another challenge to growth has been lack of financial capital. The group's attempt to get a loan from one of the banks had not been successful because of lack of collateral. The group had no assets, not even the building where they were operating from because the local government had not issued the group with a title deed for the property. 

Opportunities  

Despite the challenges that Ubiri was facing there was a lot of potential for growth for the business. This growth could spill over to the other areas of the economic in Lushoto and other regions in Tanzania. The scale of production was very low given the basic equipment that was employed in the production cycle (see photos below where one of the Ubiri members is preparing passion fruit juice for packaging).

Assess to capital would enable the group to acquire equipment that can increase the production capacity. This would have spill over effects down stream. Ubiri buys produce from local farmers thus contributing to the income generation of small holder farmers in Lushoto. Increased productivity would increase demand for agro-produce at the processing plant and add to the growth of agriculture in the area. Lushoto is a very productive area and but the processing capacity is low resulting in many of the fresh fruits and vegetables going to waste.

Given the right incentives by Government and other stakeholders e.g. access to collateral free loans, Ubiri could become a hub of value addition in Lushoto and beyond. The linkages that have been established with NCA vicoba groups provide an opportunity for wider marketing of the groups products. This is important because the local market may not be able to absorb increased supply. However, for this to be effectively utilised there is need to reduce transaction costs e.g. by improving delivery efficiency. The group needs support in acquiring relevant certification and tools e.g. barcodes so that they can penetrate the super market chains. This can contribute to increased profits that can be re-invested in the business to acquire equipment and other assets. Women in Ubiri volunteered their time and were not getting a salary. Growth of the business could contribute to employment creation especially among the youth.
 

Conclusion

The story of Ubiri is very inspirational especially for many small holder farmers and entrepreneurs that are struggling to add value to their produce. Using very basic production techniques and equipment Ubiri has been able to add value to various fruits and vegetables. This still remains a pipe dream for many of the small holder farmers and primary processors. Investment in Ubiri by the Government and the private sector through capital injection and other forms of support e.g. provision of the barcodes by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards would go a long way in unravelling the potential that Ubiri has to become the processing hub of Lushoto district. The story of Ubiri also brings to light the huddles that many small businesses face to grow.
 

 

   



Is the 90 days pause in U.S. foreign aid flows a Project activity killer assumption?

Introduction and background

President Donald Trump was sworn in on 20^th January 2025 as the United States (US)’s 47^th President in Washington D.C. This was the second time he was sworn into this office. He was the 45^th US President. He is a republican. He took over the presidency from the 46^th President, Joe Biden, a democratic.  He signed off several executive orders immediately after he was sworn in. One of the most consequential on the international development sector is the executive order on foreign aid. Given the change of administration most expected changes in domestic and international policies after the inauguration. This has been the tradition for years whenever there is a transition of power from the democrats to republicans and vice versa. The executive order on foreign aid triggered the US Agency for International Development (USAID) “Stop-Work- Order” notice. The notice was issued by the US State Department on Friday 24 January 2025.  Is the pause in funding a project killer assumption? But, who would have known that guessed this would affect come US funded projects and programmes all over the world? I am sure many people and organisations have been taken by surprise.

Killer assumptions

Making assumptions is a key element of project cycle management. Assumptions are made on the external factors likely to affect implementation. This is a crucial aspect of strategic planning. The practice is repeated at key stages once a project has been approved by a funder i.e., during project inception (start-up), implementation, phase-out and completion. Some assumptions are called killer assumptions. These assumptions make implementation of a project activity impossible.

The business proposal development team redesigns the project if they encounter a killer assumption. One of the most common killer assumptions is “no funding”. If this is detected at the design phase the decision is often to discontinue the business proposal. Once the project has been approved by the funder and the agreement/contract signed, the ‘no funding’ killer assumption may still exist but is very highly unlikely to happen, unless there are serious financial compliance issues e.g., fraud by the implementing agency or their sub-awardees.

Stop Work Directive on US Foreign Aid

The “Stop-Work- Order” issued by the US State Department on Friday 24 January 2025 is unprecedented and has rocked the international development community. The order has triggered a 90 days pause in US foreign aid flows. The directive immediately froze US foreign aid worldwide with exemptions on emergency food programmes and military aid to Israel and Egypt.  A subsequent temporary waiver was announced for humanitarian programmes providing life-saving medicine, medical services, food, and shelter and subsistence assistance on Tuesday 28 January 2025. The pause will allow USAID to review and align the US foreign assistance priorities with the new administration’s priorities.

The disruption in funding will affect thousands of humanitarian, development and security programmes funded by the US. The US is the world’s biggest providers of official development aid (ODA). According to Associated Press US provides approximately 40 out of 100 dollars donated in ODA, annually.  Reuters, quoting UN figures, estimates US donations to humanitarian aid at $72 billion dollars, in 2023.

Consequences closer to home: Zambia

No doubt this “Stop-Work-Order” has immediate and long term effects for Zambia. USAID is one of Zambia’s largest sources of ODA, especially in the health sector. The waiver on humanitarian programmes providing life-saving medicine and medical services is a welcome relief. But, the country needs to prepare for the outcome of the 90 day review.

The impact of this order will be greatly felt in the non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) community in Zambia. These include International NGOs, local NGOs and their sub-awardees (most community based organisations). According to the USAID ‘Stop-Work-Order’ affected implementing partners are required to take ‘reasonable steps to minimize the incurrence of costs allocable to the work covered by this notice during the period of work stoppage’. This will allow for payment of salaries and indirect costs for full time employees in certain documented cases. However, downstream project implementers especially community volunteers may not be eligible to get stipends in some cases. This will greatly impact their disposable income. Moreover, suppliers (vendors) and contractors providing services to USAID projects (e.g., conferencing packages) are immediately affected. The domino effect on their turnover is obvious.

Key lessons and considerations

•  Donor fatigue: There is no doubt that nation states are becoming more focused on internal rather than global policy agendas. Not so long ago (post 2020) the United Kingdom (UK) Government withdrew a significant amount of bilateral aid from several middle income countries. This was done as part of phasing out (abolishing) the Department of International Development (DFID). Several DFID funded projects and programmes in Zambia were scaled down or phased out. The Embassy of Denmark (and DANIDA), the Embassy of Norway (and NORAD) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) phased out of Zambia and out of bilateral assistance to several local NGOs in the period 2006 to 2016.
•  Donor diversification: The impact of the USAID ‘Stop-Work-Order’ is not highly significant for organisations that have a diversified donor portfolio. This stop may even work to their advantage if they are able to adapt and shift the freed staff time to resource mobilisation e.g., monitoring funding opportunities by other donors or drafting concept notes and proposals. This key organisational sustainability process is often neglected when operations are in full swing.
• Financial sustainability: This development is a wake-up call to invest in strengthening financial sustainability e.g., by creating and growing a reserve fund (or buffer funds). Reserve funds come in handy in times like this. USAID has been supporting the decentralisation of operations from international NGOs to local NGOs as part of local capacity strengthening (localisation) in Zambia. Several local NGOs have been awarded Fixed Amount Awards (FAAs) as part of this initiative. FAAs have simplified grant management requirements. Payments are based on achievement of milestones with no need for detailed cost tracking and reporting. This flexibility leads to budgetary savings. These savings could be channelled to the reserve fund (own funds).
•  Corporate Social Responsibility and philanthropy: The private sector, owned by global and local corporates should be lobbied to support projects and programmes that are adversely affected by the USAID “Stop-Work-Order”. It is important for implementing partners and their sub-awardees to persuade the corporates on the added value for them to support these initiatives.  
•  Donor harmonisation, aid effectiveness and sector earmarking: There is need to relook at these aid delivery modalities. Assigning donors to specific sectors, e.g., health, education, social protection, water to the exclusion of other donors increases the risk to aid recipients. Imagine there is a total shift in US aid policy to Zambia after the 90 day review. This will be catastrophic for most of the health programmes that are implemented solely by funds provided by USAID. It is therefore important for the donor community to re-think and adapt the donor harmonisation practices to reduce operational vulnerability to grant recipients.

Conclusion

Killer assumptions are a project designer’s nightmare but there is always a good option. The option is to go back to the drawing board. The ‘no funding’ killer assumption is a project implementer’s worst nightmare especially when there is no strategic risk management plan or an emergence reserve or buffer fund. The Friday 24^th January 2025 US State Department “Stop-Work- Order” Notice will no doubt go down in history as one of the memorable disruptions to US foreign aid assistance, globally. The greatest impact in Zambia, in the short-term, will be on the field operations of USAID single funded projects implemented by NGOs. One of the key lessons for the global donor community is to re-think the sector wide donor alignment. This approach makes implementing partners, especially single donor funded local NGOs, highly vulnerable to funding shocks. On the flip side, this presents an opportunity for philanthropists (foundations and charities) and the corporate sector to step in and rescue the situation.

References

Ellen Knickmeyer, Samya Kulla, Farai Mutsaka, Matthew Lee, “A US Shut down on foreign aid is hitting worldwide. Rubio adds more exemptions.” 29 January 2025. Associated Press: Washington, D.C., https://apnews.com/article/trump-foreign-assistance-freeze-684ff394662986eb38e0c84d3e73350b

Humeyra Pamuk, Maggie Michael, Lena Masri, “Trump administration emo tells USAID to put “America First” in reviewing foreign aid”, 26 January 2025, Reuters: Washington D.C.,  https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-memo-tells-usaid-put-america-first-reviewing-foreign-aid-2025-01-26/

Katherine Gentic, “Costs Incurred under USAID Stop Work Orders”. January 27 2025, LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/katherine-gentic-366b285_usaid-stopworkorders-activity-7290045021037228033-MF5T/

Lowcode, M.,Dissanayake, R., 2024. The rise and fall of the department for international development. Center for global development: Washington D.C., and London

Norah Kalenga Mpundu, Fixed Amounts Award A tool for sustainability”, 28 January 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=Fixed%20Amount%20Awards%20Norah%20Mpundu

 

 

 

 

 

Working with External Consultants: The Five Key Success Factors

One of the tasks that I was never academically or professionally trained for, but found myself doing more often than not, in my technical capacity, was managing relationships with external consultants.

As a programme manager, I found that capacity building of colleagues and staff in partner organisations was a key aspect of effective and efficient activity planning and implementation.

As a thematic advisor, my ability to provide training and/or support staff and partners was limited. So, outsourcing services from external consultants was a key element of effective and efficient programme management. Furthermore, some aspects of programme implementation by nature had to be done by external consultants to be valid e.g., external evaluations.

• Orientation

The external nature of the relationship means that there is a certain posture that needs to be taken. It is important to be aware that what maybe obvious to colleagues e.g. routines and procedures for requesting stationery or travel advances, will have to be explained in detail to the external consultant. So, the orientation should not be cosmetic (i.e., done to tick a box) but thorough and tailored to the external consultant’s practical needs.

• Introduction to key staff

This maybe a quick introduction of the external consultant to key relations during their assignment. It is also important to provide information on the communication lines etc. One of the best practices is also share who should be contacted when the relationship manager is not available or on leave. This will ensure that the work flow is not disrupted.

• Logistical support

The external consultant often brings on board some of the required tools for the assignment e.g., their laptop. But the relationship manager should ensure that they make all the relevant arrangements (e.g., transport) and appointments with their stakeholders. This will ensure that the external consultant has access to the relevant human and other resources to carry out their assignment. Sometimes this may include support with getting visas and introductory letters to public officials or booking accommodation.

• Constructive and on-time feedback

Providing timely and thorough feedback on deliverables from the external consultant is very important. This ensures that the quality of the outputs from the consultancy is high. Passive or quick feedback or delayed feedback reduces the quality and timeliness of the outputs.

• Empathy and professionalism

It is also important to be empathetic while remaining professional. To be aggressive and impatient especially when giving guidance can work against a very productive and long-lasting relationship. My experience is that cultivating healthy professional relationships is an investment for the relationship manager and also for their employer. The employer will have a pool of experts that they can work in the short and long term. This will save resources. Open sourcing every time technical expertise is required is costly. A lot of time is used in reviewing and evaluating open sourced bids/tenders.

Acting Republican President Wina Asks House of Chiefs to assist in Curbing Land Grabbing

Acting Republican President, Mrs Inonge Wina, has requested the House of Chiefs, through its Chairperson, Her Royal Highness Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamabo II, to engage Government in finding the best ways in which land can be alienated without causing displacements of vulnerable groups. She was speaking at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka today, 27^th August, 2015, when she officially opened the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Association Regional Small Scale Farmers’ Symposium.

The acting Republican President, whose substantive position is Republican Vice President, was responding to Chieftainess Nkomeshya’s concerns on the rising incidents of land grabbing involving investors and small scale farmers. The official opening ceremony, was also attended by traditional leaders, Chief Sinazongwe of Sinanzongwe district and Chief Chibale of Serenje district, the Minister of Defence and acting Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO), Richwell Siamunene, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources, Natural Resources and Environment (MLNREP) and a representative from the Clergy Bishop Joshua Banda of Northmead Assemblies.

Chieftainess Nkomeshya reminded traditional leaders that ‘it is our duty to fight for what belongs to our people’ describing these people as small scale farmers who use a hoe to till (prepare) their land. She observed that investors were displacing people from their homeland reiterating that ‘I have said no to displacement of my people’. She called on the Government to stop and halt this increasing trend of land grabbing involving investors. The acting President invited the Chieftainess and the entire House of Chiefs to collaborate in curbing land grabbing. She also urged the House of Chiefs to look into the issue of illegal selling of land by Chiefs to investors without informing their people (or subjects) to address rising incidents of displacements.

Local Maize variety

Cassava Cuttings

The symposium is being attended by several small scale farmers and members of PELUM Association from PELUM member countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. These are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Zambia and South Africa. The acting President, Mrs. Inonge Wina, in her official opening paid tribute to the Republican President, Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for receiving the regional pro-poor Governance Award. She said that the Zambian Government regcognised the important role that the agriculture sector played in the livelihoods of the people and would therefore remain committed to the implementation of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) compact. She also assured the small scale farmers that the Government is willing to listen to their voices in finding solutions to the challenges that were preventing the potential of agriculture to reduce poverty and contribute to economic emancipation for the majority of farm households to be realised. She highlighted the following challenges: limited access to finance; lack of infrastructure e.g. roads and; unreliable water supply. She visited the farmers’ exhibition stands before leaving the event. Exhibitors were from PELUM Association member countries. Various seeds and planting materials were displayed by the farmers (see picture inserts on the left).

It is D-Day for Zambia's Presidential Bye-Election

Introduction
The die is cast. It is less than twenty-four (24) hours before Zambia goes to the polls to elect its sixth Republican President. This is a bye-election. It comes as a result of a constitutional requirement for the nation to elect a Republican President within three months of a President dying in office. The incumbent President Michael Chilufya Sata died after serving for only over three years. The President Elect will only rule for slightly over a year as the nation is holding a General Election in 2016. Most political commentators have indicated that the candidate who will emerge winner in these election will most likely also win the 2016 General Election. This has made the bye-election  hotly contested. There are eleven (11) candidates, one from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF)and 10 from the opposition. The front runners are Edgar C Lungu of the PF and Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND)

Key campaign Promises
The PF and their candidate's campaign message is continuity. They are requesting the electorate to let the party complete its original five (5) years mandate. In order to consolidate this message the ruling party has recently reduced the price of fuel. This reduction came only a few days ago. The campaign has however been negatively affected by the delayed payment of money to farmers who sold maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), that is financed from the National budget. Another contentious issue that threatened the party's campaign was the failure of the Government to enact a new Republican Constitution and provision of a 'road map' outlining the route to be followed in the enactment of the same. After intense pressure and the release of a 'road map' by the opposition UPND the Government succumbed and release its 'road map'.

The UPND and other parties especially the former ruling party, the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) have promised free education. Other parties especially the Forum for Democracy  and Development (FDD) have highlighted the fact that it is a fallacy to promise free education instead promising to implement the decentralization policy that will allow ordinary citizens to actively engage in governance at the local level. Other promises include the commercialization and distribution of the 'Sondashi Formula', a herbal medicine whose franchise is owned  by Dr. Ludwig Sondashi, one of the candidates and leader of the Forum for Democratic Alternatives (FDA). The formula is believed cure HIV/AIDS, though this is contested as it is still undergoing some clinical trials. Peter Sikamba, President of the Green Party has promised to legalize the cultivation of 'marijuana' for medicinal and export purposes. There have also been some very outlandish promises such as the demolition of the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and construction of an ultra modern hospital by the MDD candidate Paster Dr. Nevers Mumba.

Violence
This election has recorded some violence involving clashes mainly between the ruling PF and opposition UPND. The violence has been widely condemned by the Church and other stakeholders. However, it has continued with the PF and UPND accusing each other of being violent. Until now it has mostly involved brandishing of offensive weapons especially machetes and actual fighting between opposing groups.

Media coverage
Print and electronic media has covered all candidates in the news. There have also been a number of discussion forums including a Presidential debate that was televised live on Muvi TV. The PF candidate missed the live debate and was widely criticized for this. He preferred to be on the ground in North-Western Province campaigning. Some of the candidates that participated in the live debate where Nevers Mumba, Hakainde Hichilema, Edith Nawakwi and Peter Sikamba. Some of the media institutions have been accused of giving negative publicity to some of the candidates. The PF and UPND have been able to run a number of sponsored advertisements both on radio and on television. There have also been widespread use of the internet for campaigning on various platforms especially facebook. Traditional media especially music is also being used. It is now not unusual to see a vehicle driving on the road playing loud music of a certain political party with cadres showing their party symbols. T-shirts, posters, billboards. 'chitengis' have also been used.

Tribalism
Zambia has more than 72 ethnic groups that co-exist as one people. However, politics always somehow bring in the issue of tribalism and regionalism. The recent endorsements of PF candidate Edgar Lungu by the former Republican President Rupiah Banda and the UPND candidate Hakainde Hichilema by Vernon Mwaanga, a veteran and retired politician and the controversial Daniel Mukombwe, a veteran politician serving in the PF Government as Southern Province Provincial Minister have ignited tribal issues in these elections. The politicians who have made these endorsements have been accused of supporting the candidates coming from their ethnic groupings. However, both the PF and the UPND campaign teams have refuted these allegations saying that the politicians are free to endorse who they like. Daniel Mukombwe has however being accused of being tribal and some media reports said that he had been 'disowned' by the UPND because he uttered tribal remarks at a UPND rally in Choma. Most politicians are aware of the sensitivity of the subject and are avoiding directly engaging with the issue. The UPND campaign manager Dipak Patel has been reported in today's news to have issued a statement to the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) saying that all Zambians have a right to stand for President regardless of their ethnic group arguing that Tongas are nationalists despite notions that they are not. Hakainde Hichilema is Tonga from Southern Zambia while Edgar Lungu is from Eastern Zambia where there are several related ethnic groups e.g. Chewe, Ngoni, Kunda, Tumbuka etc.

Conclusion
This has been a hotly contested bye election. The main contenders Edgar Lungu and Hakainde Hichilema have campaigned in almost all parts of the country at various rallies. They have used the print and electronic media to speak to the voters. They have also appointed media campaign and publicity teams to distribute campaign messages to various audiences. With only a few hours remaining before the polls it is clear that the two main contenders will be competing neck to neck in the polls. This election will be decided mainly by those that do not vote based on regional loyalties or die hard party cadres.It will be decided on the calibre of the candidates and their capacity to deliver their promises and nostalgia about the death of a sitting President and the need for continuity. The PF has been in power for over three years and therefore they will win this election based on their performance and the belief that they have the capacity to deliver on the promises that are yet to be fulfilled. The UPND has a tougher mountain to climb based on performance. They will win this election based on the failures of the PF as perceived by the voters. They can win on the issue of the Republican Constitution and the rising cost of living. However, the recent fuel price reductions and the release of a 'road map'  as well as the re-recruitment of nurses that were fired for taking part in an illegal strike by the Government may work against them. The election will also be won by the recent prominent endorsements particularly among disgruntled MDD members who may opt to give their vote to their preferred candidate rather than their own. Of course there is a lot at stake for the losing candidate. Losing this election may also spell doom for any of the two front runners in 2016.