Zambia’s mining safety record raise alarm bells

By Derrick Silimina

The mining industry’s safety record has raised alarm bells, with 12 fatalities and 14 perilous accidents reported by the Ministry of Mines by June. 

Paul Kabuswe, the Mines and Minerals Development Minister, voiced deep concern over the surge in accidents compared to the previous year. 

He issued a stern call to stakeholders and mine operators, stressing the urgency of prioritizing worker safety and adhering unwaveringly to mine safety protocols.

Kabuswe highlighted the role of the mining sector, represented by the chamber, in setting an industry-wide example that instills confidence in safe mining practices.

Speaking at the 16th Intercompany Mining First-Aid Competition in Kalumbila District, Kabuswe commended participants for their remarkable first aid skills and stressed the intrinsic link between a secure workplace and healthier, more productive employees. 

He underscored the broader impacts, including contributions to sustainable development and a favorable industry reputation. He reiterated his message from the previous year, asserting, "Occupational health and safety is not negotiable! We all have a responsibility to guarantee the safety and health of our workforce.

FQM Trident Mining Limited was lauded for hosting the event, under the theme Learn First Aid You Never Know When You Need It. 

Chamber of Mines President Godwin Beene echoed Kabuswe’s concerns, emphasizing that non-affiliated mining operations were responsible for the majority of fatalities. 

Beene urged the Ministry of Mines to engage these companies with the Chamber of Mines, providing access to vital safety programs.

The 2023 Intercompany Mining First-Aid Competition showcased over 20 teams, with Lubambe Copper Mine Support Services securing the top position with an impressive 76.93%. KCM Geology followed closely in second place with 75.75%. Teams from Mopani Copper Mine and KCM Nchanga mine secured third and fourth places, respectively.

Chamber of Mines President Beene’s call for collaboration echoed, as he urged the integration of non-affiliated mining operations into safety initiatives. 

The competition celebrated the dedication of high-performing teams to safety and emergency response. 

Kabuswe’s message resonated throughout – ensuring safety is a collective responsibility that leads to a healthier workforce, increased productivity, and a more resilient industry.

Invisible hand in drug shortages

By Derrick Silimina

In public health facilities in Zambia, there is an ongoing drug shortage and patients fear not getting vital medicine.

The country’s national drug stock levels currently stand at 53.1 %, way below the World Health Organization’s stipulated minimum threshold of 70 % to 80 %, according to the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA).

“The ongoing shortage of medicine in all government health facilities is worrying. As a diabetic, I take injectable insulin regularly. When I go to the public facility, I am told they have run out and must opt for the expensive private drug stores,” Sarah Tembo, a Lusaka resident, says.

In many of these health facilities, several essential and life-saving medicines are in short supply. These include painkillers such as paracetamol, nifedipine for hypertensive patients and insulin used by diabetics. Health care workers in these facilities are helpless and cannot offer the needed care without the required drugs.

Critics have blamed corruption and embezzlement for the current drug shortage. As the drug and medicines supply chain continues to be a big business globally, some local pharmaceutical experts have hinted at the practice by individuals in the procurement and supply chain departments in public health facilities to steal medicines and sell them on the black market.

“There’s a very big cartel in the procurement and supply of medicines. The government has been procuring quite alright, but there’s an invisible hand, which is reselling drugs using government resources and that powerful syndicate went to an extent of bringing in expired drugs in the country,” Peter Makayi, a pharmaceutical expert, says.

Some stakeholders are calling on the government to declare a “State of Emergency” in the wake of this ongoing crisis. They argue that this will allow the invocation of disaster management procedures and accord the issue the much-needed attention it deserves.

The government is however hesitant to take up the recommendation. They have instead announced that they have procured enough essential medicines for health facilities to address the nationwide shortage of drugs.

Mutale Nalumango, Zambia’s vice president, acknowledges that the country faces the challenge of lack of essential drugs countrywide. She believes that part of the problem is the messy supply chain in the pharmaceutical industry which costs the state a lot of money. She also expresses frustration with unscrupulous individuals who steal drugs meant for public facilities. “When there is a middleman, there are challenges. My appeal is that we do away with most of these intermediaries,” she suggests.

Sisters improve access to health care

By Derrick Silimina

Initially, Naomi thought health care delivery at her local clinic in Lusaka in Zambia seemed well organized, but later she realized how challenging access to antiretroviral therapy was due to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, even in the health facility setting.

Naomi, who didn't want her last name used, discovered that she was HIV-positive five years ago but resisted telling anyone, fearing the stigma and having clinic workers disclose her status to others. Then the 35-year-old developed tuberculosis, and then AIDS two years later. On the brink of death, she sought refuge at Our Lady's Health Centre — a Catholic sisters-run health facility in Kalingalinga township, east of Lusaka about 3 miles (about 5 kilometers) — where she was put on antiretroviral drugs.

"Had it not been for this medical facility's unique initiative on access to antiretroviral drugs in our community, I would be dead by now!" she told Global Sisters Report. "Today, despite my HIV status, I live a healthy and happy life."

According to the Zambia Population‐based HIV/AIDS Impact Assessment (ZAMPHIA 2021) Report, HIV was markedly higher among women than men in each age group from ages 20-24 through ages 35-39 and among those ages 45-49.

According to a recent study, "Zambia has yet to meet global testing and treatment targets among adolescent girls and young women living with HIV," particularly due to stigma in health facility settings. Stigma about the virus and the disease is perpetuated by friends and relatives, who often shun those who are HIV-positive or have AIDS. Getting antiretroviral drugs at a public health clinic, where identities are easily exposed and there are concerns about health care workers disclosing information, compounds the challenges patients face.

However, Catholic sisters are at the forefront of addressing health challenges that include stigmatization, and are strategically placed to be key players and problem solvers. For this reason, Sisters of the Holy Cross, a Roman Catholic congregation of women religious based at the Archdiocese of Lusaka, manages Our Lady's Health Centre to address the inequalities which are holding back progress in ending HIV/AIDS. 

Nestled in Kalingalinga, one of the densely populated slums near Lusaka, Our Lady's Health Centre was established in 2001 in a bid to provide quality health care and equalize access to essential HIV services, particularly for key populations among the marginalized people in society.

Kalingalinga is one of the poorest areas in the region, and due to high poverty levels, the slum overflows with terminally ill patients, most of whom can't afford better medical attention. In this context, the religious sisters' health center is strategically located to provide quality health care to these patients, especially those in need of antiretroviral therapy.

"When I first came here, I discovered that most of our people in this community living with HIV/AIDS used to avoid coming to collect ARVs due to stigma," Sr. Adelina Adao, assistant administrator for the center, told Global Sisters Report. "We found out that only patients from other towns came to get ARVs and that's why we came up with a strategy to establish three 'community posts' within local markets where our staff could easily engage and attract clients back to our ART [antiretroviral therapy] services."

"Our initiative works out in such a way that since our community posts are situated amidst shops, salons and market stands, people would think that someone is just going to a market while they are just coming to collect their medicines. When you see the number of people on ART therapy, the response is now overwhelming," Adao said.

Adao noted that each community post is staffed by a clinician and a counselor who attend to their clients in confidence. That helps eliminate the stigma for those with HIV, while being accessible in a market environment for easy access.  

Before it transitioned last year from being a hospice center to a health center, the facility also attracted patients from outside the area. Previously, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate was one of the four religious congregations involved in building and managing the medical facility to help provide palliative, end-of-life care for patients with HIV/AIDS and other ailments.  

Now, Adao said, the medical facility's health delivery concept in Kalingalinga township has also attracted people living with HIV from outside Lusaka to access ARVs with ease, which is more conducive to their treatment.

With its slogan dubbed, "holistic health care for all," Our Lady's Health Centre offers a broad range of health care specialties. In addition to the antiretroviral therapy, it has a general clinic, ultrasound, obstetrics, gynecology, dental and other services.

Currently, with 25 medical staff, Adao is assisted by a fellow sister who belongs to the Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit.  Demand for the center's services has been strong but she could not offer an estimate of the number of people treated each month. For COVID-19, the center provided testing. Those who were positive with severe symptoms were treated and quarantined at the center, while those with mild cases were urged to quarantine at home. Vaccinations were done at government health facilities.  

Their faith in Jesus Christ drives their dedication to serve, Adao said, as she and others work tirelessly to treat and support those with HIV/AIDS. Yet the conditions in which they work can cause them to feel burned out at times.

"I recall during my first days here, I was so traumatized and emotional to see how patients, especially those with HIV/AIDS, were suffering since it was my first time to work in such kind of a health facility," said Adao, who was trained as a teacher. "But after fellow sisters strengthened me, I got attached to each patient and whenever they get better, I usually get fulfilled," she added. 

Other patients getting treatment for other conditions are enthusiastic about the center. "I am so thankful to the midwives at this clinic where I had a successful operation," said Belinda Ngoma, a mother of two. "My second-born child is now 4, but each time I think of how traumatizing it is to give birth via a caesarean operation, I am grateful to the staff at Our Lady Health Centre for their dedication to duty." 

A Lusaka-based teacher lamented how she recently survived a protracted urinary infection, and had it not been for the swift intervention she got from urologists at Our Lady Health Centre, her health would have been severely affected.

"The health staff are simply the best we can ever have in our community because my condition might have worsened had it not been for the quality health care treatment I got here," she said.

She has since been recommending anyone with any illness to seek medical attention from the Our Lady's clinic, and says those she has referred have reported progressive results.  

Following its revolutionized health care system that it offers to HIV-positive clients and other patients to keep their hope of recovery alive, Our Lady's Health Centre is certainly saving lives, according to Clement Tembo, a teacher in Chipata in eastern Zambia. He travelled to Lusaka for treatment of his chronic headache and said it was worth the trip, about an eight-hour drive. 

A bus driver based in Kabwe, central Zambia, is also impressed with quality medical attention from the health centre for his backache, which almost rendered him jobless. 

"Due to the long-distance driving, I used to have a constant backache," Bruce Mwenda said. "This affected my work, until a colleague advised me to seek medical attention at Our Lady Health Centre and I have now recovered."

Meats from birds

By Derrick Silimina

Whereas chicken is a very popular meat in Africa, most of it is imported. Many African nations lack the technology to rear chickens on a large scale and process the meat to acceptable market standards.

It is the same in Zambia. Meats from birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese and pigeons among others are consumed. However, in many grocery stores and supermarkets, meat freezers are full of imported meat. 

Among the top sources of Zambia’s meat is South Africa, the continent’s leading producer of poultry products. Local farmers are afraid that they may be pushed out of business. 

Recognising the special needs of the agricultural sector, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock is looking for ways to promote local farming and value addition. It is estimated that over half a million citizens engage in poultry farming. 

For this reason, Zambia’s first-ever international poultry exposition (ZIPEX) was recently held in the capital Lusaka. The goal was to provide a platform for players to network, build long-term relationships and learn about new technologies.

“These private sector initiatives show Zambians’ amazing ability to create and innovate, and as a government, we are here to support such initiatives that seek to display Zambia’s opportunities in this industry,” Makozo Chikote, fisheries and livestock minister, said at the event. 

The ZIPEX attracted all types of poultry farmers, breeders, processors, traders and distributors. The three-day event also attracted participants from the greater poultry value chain, who included equipment and feed suppliers, allied technical experts, private and public institutions and visitors from the region.

Daimone Siulapwa, one of the ZIPEX organisers, said: “We are very confident that we will contribute to the growth of the poultry industry in Zambia by creating the much-needed link among the various players.” Dominic Chanda, president of the Poultry Association of Zambia, hopes that his industry can address some of the challenges, such as import duty on poultry equipment which hinders mass production.

Zambia tussle maize meal crisis

By Derrick Silimina

Many Zambians rely on maize as their main source of food. Popularly known as “mealie meal”, the crop is widely grown in the country for both consumption and export. Now, as harvests reduce, a crisis has ensued.

There is currently a critical shortage of mealie meal in some parts of the country, and it is now common to find long queues of people scampering to grab a bag of maize.

The shortage is in part driven by external demand for maize grain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other East African countries affected by drought and lack of grain supplies due to the war in Ukraine.

Therefore, prices are skyrocketing. According to the Zambia Statistics Agency retail prices between February 2022 and February 2023 showed that the national average price of a 25 kilograms (kg) bag of mealie meal increased by more than 25 %. A check in most retail shops indicated that a 25 kg bag goes for between K 200 and K 250 ($ 10 to $ 13) on average.

However, it is projected that these prices will surge by about 60 % to reach approximately K 270 and K 350 per 25 kg bag, writes the Farmer’s Journal Africa.

“We have suffered as consumers. The commodity should be available and at an affordable price,” says Michael Chilufya from Lusaka.

The current situation has induced an upswing of smugglers of maize in the southern African country. Cartels of smugglers are now heightening the transportation of maize across the border in the DRC where there is a lucrative price of maize meal and grain.

The Zambian government had previously estimated that the country had more than 800,000 metric tons of white maize, which should have been sufficient for local consumption before the country’s 2022/2023 harvest season.

The huge demand from East Africa and South Sudan has affected the country’s plans. Now, traders are buying up the maize from farmers and exporting it. This has led to local food shortages and threatened to escalate into a food-insecurity crisis. 

The shortage of mealie meal has also reached the Copperbelt Province where consumers are complaining about inadequate supply coupled with hiked prices in retail shops.

Copperbelt minister, Elisha Matambo, recently described the shortage as a crisis: “We warn all those who will be found smuggling mealie meal in the Copperbelt that they will be visited by the law because mealie meal is important for every citizen and the government will not allow unscrupulous people to continue sabotaging our food security policy.” 

Matambo also asked retailers not to be part of those sabotaging the Zambian government during the crisis. She further said: “We appeal to all members of the public to come forward and report any suspicious vehicle or group of people smuggling mealie meal.”

The Zambian government has since put measures in place, such as the temporary suspension on the issuance of export permits until the commodity is stabilized. 

However, they are cautious not to implement a permanent ban on exports because it would affect the long-term export trade. 

Desperate for alternative energy sources

 

By Derrick Silimina

As South Africans adjust to living in darkness with no end in sight to power outages, many are desperate for alternative energy sources. 

Known locally as load shedding, widespread electricity blackouts are carried out multiple times a day by state-owned energy utility Eskom to avoid the total collapse of the grid. 

For some people, lack of reliable power supply can be the difference between life and death, as blackouts have become routine, affecting every part of South African society. 

“These power outages are bad for my fledgling business. I am just trying to grow so that I can take care of my family,” Bongani Malinga told ChinAfrica. 

Malinga, who runs a startup cleaning services company in Johannesburg, expressed concern that without constant power supply, it is difficult to use electric cleaning equipment.  

Nothando Simelani, another entrepreneur, said, “I run an ice-cream shop and whenever we experience chronic electricity outages, our products go bad, and that makes it hard to sustain this type of business.”  

Simelani believes that with the government’s quest to invest in renewable energy sources, many startup businesses won’t have to shut up shop. 

New funding source  

For this reason, one of the world’s most important groups, BRICS, is creating a new global multilateral architecture to deal with the global investment challenges. 

The BRICS countries have seen  their economic influence increase over the past decades as drivers of global growth, trade and investment. 

Arguably, BRICS is more than just an acronym. It is a combination of influential emerging market economies that are collaborating to restructure the global economic multilateral order to make it fairer, inclusive and equitable. 

According to the 2022 BRICS Investment Report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the group, which represents 41 percent of the world’s population, is driving global growth in trade and investment in response to the need to utilize foreign investment for sustainable development. 

Since South Africa joined the group in 2010, its economy has grown substantially, especially in energy investment.  

“As BRICS nations, we have to do all within our means to mitigate the impact of poverty, food and energy insecurity among our people. We have to advance sustainable and inclusive development that safeguards us against future shocks. We want to promote mutual trade and investment, and implement structural reforms and other measures to improve the business environment,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said during the 2022 BRICS Business Forum. 

Part of South Africa’s response to the energy crisis involves implementing a just transition to a low carbon economy as climate change also poses considerable risks to jobs, businesses and the economy. Further, South Africa is among the most water-scarce countries in the world, and recent events in KwaZulu-Natal have shown that extreme weather events such as floods are occurring more often and with a devastating impact on infrastructure. 

A recent communique adopted by the BRICS Energy Ministers Meeting acknowledged the need to remove barriers and facilitate trade and investment in global energy markets.  

“We highly value intra-BRICS cooperation in the field of energy which plays a positive role in strengthening our energy security and promoting economic growth. We will continue to work to reinforce and deepen collaborative actions in the area in line with the agreed roadmap through strengthening BRICS Energy Research Cooperation Platform (ERCP) and other means and mechanisms as appropriate. We will strive to improve the conditions for investment in the energy sector, while paying special attention to project preparation and financing,” read part of the communique. 

Energy experts are of the view that ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all is crucial for social and economic development and lifting people from poverty as well as realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. 

High on the agenda of this year’s 15th BRICS Summit will be the transition to greener energies as South Africa hosts the event.  

The economic grouping is also looking to expand with countries like Saudi Arabia, Argentina and many others showing interest amid major shifts in the geopolitics, because any of the potential members will add weight to the group, which already consists of resource-rich nations and highly industrialized economies. 

As the global economic power is shifting from the traditional West towards the multifaceted BRICS group, this presents an opportune time for South Africa to rekindle its economic prowess. With this, it is prudent for South Africa to consider in real terms the geopolitical influence that can be harnessed based on its strategic position gained from the BRICS group.

Development projects  

Interestingly, the New Development Bank (NDB) - a multilateral development bank established in 2015 by the BRICS countries - is aimed at mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in the BRICS countries. 

For instance, as the NDB has financed more than 80 investment projects worth $180 billion, this has opened up large trade markets for South Africa, where projects worth $30 billion have been approved for implementation. 

In this context, the Russian state energy company Rosatom recently signed an agreement with South Africa to construct small hydropower plants in Mpumalanga as a key component of South Africa’s energy security strategy in line with the BRICS roadmap for energy cooperation by 2025, which is aimed at building a strategic partnership as well as identifying the needs and challenges to energy security and finding areas where member cooperation can provide solutions. 

This is a huge boost considering that South Africa is in dire need of infrastructure upgrade projects to solve the problems of decaying infrastructure, and growing population and economic demand. 

Certainly, the NDB is the most viable solution for the lack of private sector investment on the African continent, making it a perfect option to raise resources and funding for the continent’s immediate needs. 

Over 17 percent of South Africa’s exports go to the BRICS countries, while 29 percent of its total imports come from BRICS, according to the South African government. 

South Africa has already received $5.4 billion from the NDB to improve service delivery in critical areas.  

“We are focused on improving the capacity and competitiveness of our economy, these trade linkages will prove vital to the growth of the local industry. There is therefore a direct relationship between, on the one hand, our reforms in energy, telecommunications and transport, our investment in infrastructure and our efforts to reduce red tape, and, on the other hand, the work underway to increase exports to our BRICS partners,” Ramaphosa recently stated.