Human trafficking on the rise

By Derrick Silimina

Illegal immigration is on the rise in many parts of the world, including Zambia. Trafficked persons face despicable conditions on their journeys and many end up dead or suffering life-threatening conditions.

The media in the southern African country is not strange to news of arrests of foreign nationals for illegal entry or stay in the country. Authorities have also reported intercepting long-distance merchant trucks smuggling people in goods containers.

The Zambia police service recently found 27 dead bodies dumped by the roadside near the capital Lusaka. The victims are suspected to have been Ethiopian nationals who were being smuggled into the country. These are believed to have made their way through transit points in several African countries.

Zambia is a hotspot for human trafficking within Southern Africa, especially of migrants leaving Eastern African countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and many more, to seek job opportunities in the wealthier countries like Namibia and South Africa.

The region has an agreement for free movement of people and goods through the regional cooperation body, Southern African Development Community (SADC), which makes it easy for human traffickers to sneak people across borders.

Human-trafficking cartels operating in Zambia have continued to exploit women and children from neighboring countries into forced labor. Sex trafficking is also on the rise. 

Rwandan women have been targeted especially. They are lured into Zambia with promises that they will acquire refugee status and earn lucrative benefits. In the end, they become sex slaves who are kept against their will. Traffickers threaten to turn the illegal immigrants to immigration officials if they refuse to do what they are told.

With the rising human-trafficking cases, the local police has called for capacity building of officers both in Zambia and the Southern African region to effectively investigate and eradicate the vice. The country’s immigration department also needs further support to deal with illegal immigration.

Alick Njavwa, a Lusaka resident, says: “Our immigration department is underfunded, understaffed and lacks necessary equipment. We need to improve it in so many areas. Back in the days, immigration issues were not as urgent hence practices such as spot checks and patrols were deemed not necessary.”

There are fears that continued illegal immigration and human trafficking may threaten the free movement of people and goods in Africa. Activists therefore want the Zambian government to do more, such as securing the country’s borders with modern technology.

A Source of Sustenance

 

By Derrick Silimina

It’s past 5 a.m. and Habib Mohammed is leaving his house to start the day at his 2.5-hectare coffee farm in the lush highlands of Ethiopia’s Oromia Region. 

In this East African country, Oromia is the natural homeland of the delicate Coffea arabica plant, which is driving an insatiable thirst for a beverage that has come to conquer the world. The Oromo people from this region are thought to have been the first to have noticed the stimulating effects of the coffee beans, and it remains an important element of their traditional cuisine. 

“I wake up every morning with my wife to manage our farmland, which is our source of livelihood. After each coffee harvest, we sell our produce to a local farmers’ cooperative, which is enabling smallholder farmers like us to put food on the table and sustain our livelihood,” Mohammed told ChinAfrica.   

As Ethiopia’s main export commodity, coffee contributes to the livelihoods of more than 15 million smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in the coffee sector. It is estimated that Ethiopia’s coffee production for 2022-2023 will reach over 495,000 tonnes.  

Benefits of beans  

Mohammed, 50, is excited that in the last farming season, he produced over 500 50-kg bags of arabica coffee beans - the most aromatic kind favoured by the majority of drinkers who prefer its rich, dark liquid.  

For many people, it feels almost impossible to be productive without a cup of coffee. Even the traditionally tea-drinking countries like China are seduced by Ethiopia’s arabica coffee produce due to its charming flavour.  

With about 5 million coffee growers in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) has noted that more than 25 million people in the country depend on coffee production and processing for their livelihood.  

Amid the high demand for arabica coffee in China, a growing number of Ethiopian coffee growers and exporters are vying to penetrate the emerging Chinese coffee market. 

ECTA Director General Adugna Debela recently observed, “We are witnessing a growing coffee market in China and other parts of Asia. The increasing number of consumers and growing popularity of Ethiopia’s coffee among the Chinese people is encouraging.” 

Emerging market  

Like Mohammed, Gizat Worku is among Ethiopia’s smallholder coffee farmers propelling their country’s exports to China.  

“We need the Chinese market very much because China is home to about one-sixth of the world’s population, and selling to that market means more benefit to us in terms of job creation, value addition and agriculture growth, among others. All we need is to satisfy the Chinese market demand for our coffee and meet their requirements,” said Worku, general manager of the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association, adding that the organisation has already agreed with some Chinese companies who are preparing to sign agreements with the local exporters.

Following the strategic cooperation framework agreement inked recently at the Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing, a number of Chinese companies have clinched deals to purchase Ethiopian coffee beans. Luckin, a Chinese coffee company and coffeehouse chain, is one of the firms that recently pledged to buy 2,000 tonnes of coffee annually. 

In this context, Ethiopian Ambassador to China Teshome Toga Chanaka reiterated the importance of China’s e-commerce market when he recently promoted Ethiopian coffee on China’s e-commerce platform Taobao, where about 11,000 bags of coffee were sold in just five seconds.  

“I think that holds the future, and that’s one area where we would like to cooperate with Chinese enterprises here in order for us to increase our exports to the Chinese market. We also need to work with Chinese companies so that productivity is increased in the agriculture sector, in value addition, in manufacturing and so forth,” Teshome said. 

Ethiopia’s reputation as a producer of top-class specialty coffees in terms of aroma, organic nature and variety is of great advantage.  

Gaining attention  

At the Fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai in November 2022, Ethiopian coffee received a lot of attention with exporters keen to establish their roots in the Chinese market. 

According to the ECTA, the East African country exported 11,935 tonnes of coffee to China during the last Ethiopian fiscal year (8 July 2021-7 July 2022) and earned over $65 million, up 84 percent year on year, which accounts for 30 percent of Ethiopia’s export revenue. That made China the seventh major importer of Ethiopian coffee during the last fiscal year, up from 33rd in the previous fiscal year (8 July 2020-7 July 2021). The top five export destinations were Germany, the US, Saudi Arabia, Belgium and Japan. 

Wu Peng, director general of the Department of African Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently affirmed that Ethiopia’s coffee exports to China saw an 84-percent growth in volume. 

“Good to see an 84-percent increase in Ethiopian coffee exports to China this year (2022). With the Fifth CIIE opening in Shanghai on November 5, I hope to see more African quality products make their way to the Chinese market and bring benefits to Africa,” Wu wrote on twitter late last year. 

Thanks to the booming Sino-Ethiopian trade and investment cooperation coupled with important platforms such as the CIIE, Ethiopia’s overall export to China has registered steady growth in recent years as China remains Ethiopia’s biggest trading partner. 

Chinese official data show that Ethiopia’s exports to China increased by 8 percent in 2021 as compared with the previous year. 

One of Ethiopia’s largest producers and exporters of coffee - Kerchanshe Trading - expects China to become one of the main destinations for Ethiopian coffee in the near future. 

“We are tripling our exports to China both in quantity and quality. The demand is high, and we are preparing to grow more coffee for the Chinese market,” Kerchanshe Trading Chief Executive Officer Israel Degefa said recently.  

Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde has since paid glowing tribute to all stakeholders in the country’s coffee industry value chain: “I am delighted to hear about the growth of production of coffee. Farmers, unions and exporters have been credited with the promising result. I would like to extend my appreciation to all of them engaged in this sector.” 

Reporting from Ethiopia

Sisters' bookshop evangelize Zambia's Catholics

 

By Derrick Silimina

It's past 7 a.m. and Sr. Mary Kioko, a Daughter of St. Paul, is leaving her convent to start the day at Paulines Catholic Bookshop in Lusaka, Zambia.

In this southern African country, the Pauline Catholic Bookshop, which is run by the Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul in the country's capital, helps enlighten local Catholics with its diverse Catholic literature aimed at shaping readers' social, moral and spiritual lives.

"We have principles whenever we accept manuscripts, and for as long as it's something that can help people morally, spiritually and physically, it is welcome," said Kioko, who runs the shop.

In their quest to evangelize the word of God, the sisters also produce radio and television programs through the Pauline Catholic Bookshop, as well as provide book exhibitions to reach readers who can't easily find a bookstore. (Pauline book shops operate in 52 countries and on all seven continents.)

In addition to the bookshop, the congregation prints books through Paulines Publications Africa, Kioko said, noting that the genres go beyond religion and include psychology, self-help and children's books, as well as theology, philosophy and Bibles.

To evangelize through broadcast, the Pauline sisters create a range of radio programs, audiovisuals and music. For example, in September — which they designated the month of the Bible — "we yearn to come up with a radio program to help people enter deeply into the understanding of the word of God, explain our mission, and address pressing issues affecting the youth so that people are drawn to Christ," Kioko said.

Kioko said the feedback to book exhibits is overwhelming and encouraging, suggesting that the Gospel is indeed reaching far and wide.

"The biblical, the catechetical, philosophical and theological books that we have are meant for our people," she said. "It is helping them to grow in their faith because as Christians, what our people need is that knowledge of Christ and how well they can become true friends of Jesus. And that can be found in the word of God, in the doctrine of the church and in all other material they find at the bookshop."

Still, the bookshop also attracts non-Catholics.

"Every now and then we see new people that come to the bookshop to buy not only religious books but also that which affects their daily lives, which is a good sign that people are really growing into this reading culture," she said. (According to recent research by the University of Zambia, historical background, inadequate resources/poverty and disinterest contribute to the country's poor reading culture.)

A Mission To Make Water Safe

 

By Derrick Silimina

Isabel Ngugi is among many children and women in Kenya who must walk every day to fetch water not only for drinking, but also for cooking, cleaning and bathing. 

Ngugi, 20, wakes up early each morning to help her mother to carry water by pushing a wheelbarrow with a jerry can of untreated water from a tap on the outskirts of the township. 

But access to water is not the only problem.

Ngugi lives in Kibera, the biggest urban slum nestled in the heart of Kenya’s capital Nairobi where water pipes run through sewer tunnels, which contaminates the water. For a long time, residents have been suffering from the unhygienic water supply.

“Growing up in this community has really been difficult due to unsafe water that we consume from contaminated sources, as a result of which, many people here suffer from cholera, dysentery, typhoid and other water-borne diseases,” Ngugi told ChinAfrica.

Amref Health Africa recently observed that Kibera, like other slums, lacks basic infrastructure including water, sanitation, and access to food and nutrition.

Martin Muchangi, programme director for water, sanitation and hygiene at Amref Health Africa, said, “The reality is that diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid are more common in this area as opposed to other suburbs which are more developed and have social infrastructure.”

As Africa’s population continues to grow and climate change continues to rob the continent of the limited resources, the UN predicts that by 2025, close to 230 million Africans will be facing water scarcity, and up to 460 million will be living in water-stressed areas.

Water purification  

A Chinese startup with innovative technology is trying to ameliorate the dreadful water situation with a mission to revolutionize water treatment by using reverse osmosis (RO) for households and offices in the East African nation. 

RO membrane filtration uses pressure to push water through filters with extremely small pores to trap a large quantity of water contaminants, including microbes, naturally occurring trace contaminants, industrial contaminants and agriculture contaminants. These contaminants are discarded in “reject water,” the water that is released as waste in the filtration process.

Community health experts say RO can remove 90 percent of the minerals and 99.99 percent of bacteria, purifying the salty and hard water into refreshingly pure drinking water.

“Since clean drinking water is a common problem for most families in Africa, I thought what I could do to help people to solve the problem and ensure everyone has access to clean drinking water,” Zhong Yanxiong, CEO of iClear Wellife Service Ltd., said recently.

Zhong said that providing clean water for Kibera slum and other communities in Kenya has always been his dream. After his interactions with both rural and urban families, he realized that access to safe drinking water was a mirage. 

To realize his goal, Zhong concluded that only a novel approach could offer a lasting solution, and focused his efforts on exploring cost-effective and locally appropriate technology for treating water, thus minimizing the incidence of water-borne ailments.

Unique business model 

Zhong’s iClear adopted a unique business model under which it leases water purifiers equipped with RO technology to clients including households, instead of selling the entire equipment, which has a high cost.

It is estimated that 15 percent of the Kenyan population of 53 million rely on untreated water from natural sources such as ponds, shallow wells and rivers, while 41 percent of Kenyans lack access to basic sanitation facilities, according to water.org, a global non-profit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the world.  

With a cost of up to 50,000 Kenyan shillings (about $411) per piece, Zhong noted that leasing out RO purifiers could make water purification more affordable to poorer households, instead of buying filters every half year.

Zhong said that through leasing, clients only pay an annual fee of at least 10,000 shillings ($82.27), and an installation fee of 2,000 shillings ($16.45), which covers door-to-door after-sales service twice a year, including filter replacement, water system pipe disinfection and equipment maintenance.

The Chinese firm also offers flexible payment terms to allow households with humble budgets to pay annually for leasing purifiers, as a means to boost water treatment and reduce the burden of diseases.

iClear has fast-tracked localisation of its workforce and has recruited diverse professionals including plumbers, after-sales specialists, marketing staff and human resource specialists. It also partners with local e-commerce platforms to expand its reach to retail and corporate clients.

“I am finally able to use RO water purification at my home thanks to this initiative to lease purifiers to even domestic consumers like me. The purifiers are easy to operate and my family is now protected from water-borne diseases,” said Raphael Odiambo, a local resident.

Zhong’s RO purifiers are manufactured in China, and have a lifespan of up to five to 10 years when properly maintained. His company aims to link directly with local clients and educate them on the proper use of the equipment. 

At present, iClear has chosen Kenya for piloting the water purifier leasing programme before venturing into other African countries.

With the Kenyan water treatment and vending industry just beginning to emerge, there is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to enter the market and make easy cash. Entrepreneurs who act quickly are likely to be rewarded and be able to open a network of successful shops.  

The leasing of RO purifiers has come in handy for most small and medium-sized enterprises that are cashing in by supplying fresh water to their clients with ease.  

Bruce Kamotho in Naivasha Town in Nakuru County is such a small-scale water treatment and vending business owner. 

He noted that his water vending store has been attracting clients due to the quality of water. “Thanks to the leasing model, we small business owners can get affordable equipment,” Kamotho said.

LGBTQI rights remain sensitive issue

 

By Derrick Silimina

The topic of sexual rights of minority groups remains controversial in many parts of the world. 

In Zambia, a fashion event has caused uproar as religious purists and moralists accuse organizers of promoting homosexuality in the country.

Zambia is still stuck with an archaic law that criminalizes homosexuality and what is broadly termed as “related unnatural acts.” The law has been in existence since 1911 when the country was still under colonial rule and persons accused of homosexuality can serve a life sentence in prison.

In the past, the topic of homosexuality has been discussed in the country, often sparked by events or remarks made in support of rights of sexual minorities (LGBTQI – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex). 

The country’s leadership maintains a tough stance against those it considers promoters of minority rights. In 2019, US diplomat Daniel Foote was expelled from the country after making critical comments about a judgement that sentenced two men to 15 years in prison after they were caught having sex in 2017.

The 2022 “Lusaka July” fashion event has stirred uproar on social media in Zambia as many people accuse its organizers of violating national values. 

Critics say that the fashion exhibition event was organized as a platform to cleverly bring attention to the plight of sexual minorities. People are mainly bothered by the fact that men appeared in women’s dresses and fanciful gowns.

Religious leaders also expressed their disapproval. Father Emmanuel Chikoya, the general secretary of the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), said: “We wish to condemn in the strongest terms activities that violate our values as a nation. This comes in view of the recent events in the country, in particular the Lusaka July festival that has attracted social-media attention and cross examinations from different stakeholders in the country because of the un-Zambian acts that were portrayed at the event.”

The comments from the Pentecostal Assemblies of God-Zambia (PAOGZ)’s council of bishops were furious about the festival. They said that “as a church community, we are alive to the fact that attempts are being made to establish and support LGBTQI activities and events to promote their detestable lifestyles. We wish to put it on record that such behavior, even under the guise of fashion, will not be tolerated in the Zambian community.”

However, organizers of the Lusaka July festival, who are rightly afraid of being on the wrong side of the law, have defended their event saying that their records indicate no photo of a homosexual nature as purported by critics following exaggerated pictures circulating on social media. 

The show has been taking place since 2016 as a fashion event aiming to bring together lifestyle enthusiasts and business leaders.

On the Right Track

A freight train runs on an extension of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway on July 5 (XINHUA)

By Derrick Silimina

It’s 4 a.m. and Julius Kamau is leaving his house to start his day as a taxi driver operating out of Kenya’s port city of Mombasa. 

Kamau picks passengers arriving at the Mombasa Terminus of the largest seaport in Kenya by the new China-built Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line. Mombasa is a favorite holiday destination for tourists, especially during weekends, holidays and the festive season.  

“This railway infrastructure is of great importance to us. In the past, most of us local taxi operators used to get fewer bookings; but now the SGR brings more commuters. It has also shortened the travel time from Nairobi to Mombasa,” Kamau told ChinAfrica.   

A game changer 

A landmark project of the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Kenya, the SGR has revolutionized mobility, connectivity and commerce in East Africa’s largest economy.  

Gertrude Kitonga’s boutique store, which is located in Nairobi’s central business district, has recently become popular due to the classic clothing that comes from China and is delivered on time thanks to the SGR’s speedy transportation and clearance process. 

The 35-year-old mother of two is delighted because her consignment of cargo that arrives at the Mombasa seaport each month-end gets delivered to her shop within two days, making her business thrive. 

“My business is now booming due to SGR’s efficient cargo clearance system, as my goods are delivered within a week, while in the past it took 30 days using heavy commercial vehicles like trucks, due to delays in cargo clearance at the port city of Mombasa,” Kitonga said. 

Arguably, the SGR’s operational efficiency for small-scale traders in the East African country ensures that cargo importation is a viable and profitable venture, hence revolutionizing transportation of goods between Mombasa and Nairobi as it offers faster, safe, reliable and convenient service. 

According to the SGR operator, Africa Star Railway Operation Co. Ltd. (AfriStar), the 480-km rail line linking Mombasa and Nairobi was built by China Road and Bridge Corp. and officially opened to traffic in 2017. The state-of-the-art rail system has ferried over 6 million passengers between the two cities since its launch in 2017 till October 31, 2021.  

With six passenger trains on average and 17 freight trains operating along the Mombasa-Nairobi corridor on a daily basis, AfriStar is pleased that the railway has reduced journey time while guaranteeing safety of commuters and bulk cargo. 

“Our construction quality has been fully proven over the past five years since the modern railway facility was launched,” AfriStar General Manager Li Jiuping said recently. 

The SGR is indeed transforming lives for the better even more than what was expected in Kenya. The Kenya Railways has since affirmed that the investment in SGR is bearing fruit, citing an increase in revenues of local small and medium enterprises. 

“We believe that the SGR is poised to recover the investment Kenya has put in it in the long run,” said Kenya Railways Managing Director Philip Mainga. 

In terms of bulk cargo transportation, it is estimated that in 2021 alone, the freight train has transported 382,000 20-foot equivalent units as of October 31, hence enhancing the safety of cargo and protecting pristine habitats along the corridor.  

“We have a team that identifies cargo at the port of Mombasa that has been imported by small traders destined for Nairobi, and it is given priority on the SGR,” Mainga said, adding that his company has since partnered with the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Alliance of Kenya in order to ease the transportation of cargo along the SGR. 

Trade experts say SGR’s special rate of 54,000 Kenyan shillings (about $450) for transporting 20-foot containers between the port of Mombasa and the Nairobi Terminus is favorable when compared to the road transport which costs at least $800 on the same route. 

 

Wider impact 

For taxi operators like Kamau whose transport business depends on time management, the SGR is a vital infrastructure that, if well managed, has the capacity to foster socio-economic development by growing not only the local transport industry, but also other sectors as well.  

“Ever since the SGR started operation in 2017, my business has grown so much that in the past four years, I managed to buy my own taxi and that’s why I am my own boss now, unlike before when I used to work for someone else. Thanks to the SGR for the inspiration!” Kamau added. 

The Mombasa-Nairobi SGR has become the first choice for most people who commute between the two cities for various needs.  

Monica Wakesho, a frequent traveler on the Mombasa-Nairobi route by the Madaraka Express train, said that the SGR train is faster and safer compared to road transport. 

“When you look at the bus fare between Nairobi and Mombasa, it has doubled in the last three years, but the ticket price of the SGR hasn’t gone up. For instance, the price of economy seats is 1,000 Kenyan shillings ($8.31),” Wakesho, a freight clearing agent at the port, affirmed. The price for a bus ticket for the route is $9-15.  

Besides bringing more business to taxi drivers, the SGR has also created other employment opportunities. There are jobs for working on the passenger trains and operating equipment of the cargo trains, among others. 

At a cost of over $3.8 billion, the SGR was among Kenya’s most expensive infrastructure projects at the time of its launch. The main contractor, China Road and Bridge Corp., hired 25,000 Kenyans to work on the railway. The entire project has created 46,000 jobs in total for local citizens. 

Underscoring the project’s importance to the Kenyan economy, Kenya’s then President Uhuru Kenyatta recently boarded the train to the coastal city of Mombasa and interacted with passengers. 

“Earlier today, I took the SGR train from Nairobi to Mombasa, during which I met and interacted with fellow commuters who shared their interesting experiences about the service. I am glad that the SGR train service has eased travel for people between the two cities,” Kenyatta wrote on his twitter after the trip.  

Earlier in 2019, Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni took a ride on the express train, accompanied by his Kenyan counterpart, to assess the construction and operation of the SGR.  

The two leaders were very much impressed by the reception accorded by the SGR staff. Both heads of state interacted with passengers and the staff of the SGR operating company in front of the Nairobi Terminus.  

The SGR team were pleased to receive a written thank-you note from a Ugandan business representative: “This is the beginning of great relations between Kenya, Uganda and the East African region. Thank you for a great ride. We are pleased to ride this train with our President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni!” 

Making Rides Cheaper

By Derrick Silimina

In Zambia, new mobile-phone based applications ease hailing of taxis and make rides cheaper. However, traditional taxi operators claim the development is running them out of business.

There are new, technology-based smartphone applications that use the customer’s phone to detect their specific location using the global positioning system (GPS). The apps are revolutionizing the transport sector globally, instantly connecting the users to the nearest available driver. 

Inspired by brands like Uber and Taxify, more ride hailing apps are entering the transport business in Africa. These first became popular in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.

Now, commuters in Lusaka are excited after the entry of two taxi hailing apps, Ulendo and Yango taxi, into the transport sector. 

“I am a first-time user of Ulendo and I enjoyed the services I received in the past two days while in Lusaka. My movements were made easier and faster”, said Caroline Mwamba. 

The new service providers promise delivery of fast, reliable and affordable rides to consumers in Lusaka. With a regular taxi, a trip from Lusaka’s central business district to Kenneth Kaunda’s International airport costs approximately K500 (€33) but with Ulendo, the offer rate is from as low as K300 (€20).

Yango, a Russian ride-hailing, delivery and e-grocery service app operating in Europe, Africa and the Middle East has recently entered the Zambian market too. Yango is a part of Yandex, a large Russian IT company. 

Yango, currently a cash-only service, allows a user to order a car by inputting their destination address and the app algorithms automatically calculate the price of the trip beforehand. Rides in Lusaka ordered with Yango start at K40 ($2) with a distance of about 3 kilometers. 

However, the market entry of ride-hailing apps has been met with mixed feelings by traditional taxi operators. The lower price rates offered by Ulendo and Yango are very tempting for most clients. 

“As you can see, we are just languishing here. The new taxi app is affecting our business. We urge the government to regulate this industry to enable a conducive business environment for all operators,” says Timothy Tembo, a local traditional taxi driver who operates at Kulima tower bus station.

These traditional taxi drivers attribute their higher fares to operational fees such as tax levies and registration fees they must pay unlike the mobile application operators. 

They also accuse the apps of using aggressive below-cost pricing and using drivers who operate without taxi permits from the local authorities.

Despite these challenges, experts are feeling that tech-based apps are positively disrupting transportation and will lead to better services. 

Jimmy Njobvu, an IT expert, is optimistic and says: “I see growth of the IT sector on the local market. Zambia joins other African countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon and Senegal where apps like Yango have launched their service.”