Casting a wide net

 By Derrick Silimina

It’s not often that a mining company dives into the fishing business. But in the mining region of Zambia’s North-Western Province, Kalumbila Minerals Ltd (KML) has done exactly that. 

The company recently put a large quantity of fish in two dams that it had built to facilitate its mining operations.

In particular the company, a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals, put 30,000 young fish of the species Tilapia, green bream and yellowfin bream into freshwater dams at Chisola and Musangezhi.

The action is part of KML’s corporate social responsibility programme, aimed at presenting itself as socially and environmentally responsible. It is also a way to defuse any remaining objections that environmentalists, farmers and local residents raised when the dams were first built nine years ago.

“We cast our net wide by putting 30,000 fingerlings (young fish) into the ecosystem,” says KML general manager Sean Egner. “We are not doing this just to meet a compliance obligation. We are affirming our commitment to extract resources responsibly. Our sustainability strategy is part of everything we do.”

In addition to contributing to the environment, KML hopes to boost the region’s fishing industry. Despite Zambia’s many water resources, which include lakes, rivers and streams, the country’s fishing and aquaculture industries face many challenges.

According to a 2020 econometric analysis by agricultural experts Emmanuel Chibanda Musaba and Enedy Namanwe, constraints on fish production in Zambia include: “high feed cost, poor extension services, poor marketing support, inadequate storage facilities, limited capital, poor power supply, predators, high cost of pond construction, high fish prices and inadequate water supply.” The study was published in the International Journal of Research Studies in Agricultural Sciences.

In addition, the sector suffers from a lack of adequate fish seed and feed supplies. As a result of all these issues, Zambia is a net importer of fish, with most of its supply coming from China.

Local officials praise KML’s contributions both to the environment and to replenish fish stocks. “We are really pleased with KML management’s initiative to restock the Chisola and Musangezhi dams with fingerlings,” says Alick Mbewe, a technical officer at North Western Province’s Fisheries Ministry. “We encourage other stakeholders to emulate KML.”

Moreover, restocking of fish should not be a one-time event. Water bodies need to be restocked frequently with a variety of species to meet high consumer demand for fish, according to Mbewe.

Before putting small fish into the two dams, KML took advice from North-Western Province’s fisheries department. The company is also working with a local Community Resource Board to develop good strategies for managing fisheries. The aim is to manage all water ecosystems within the mines’ catchment areas in a sustainable way, Egner says.

Is Mobile Money Complementing or Challenging Traditional banking?

By Mbuyoti Silimina

The dawn of digital payment technologies is opening doors to a whole new generation of clientele in Africa whose very first ‘bank’ account is accessed purely through mobile phones. 

Lauded as a revolutionary tool for expanding access to financial services in low resource environments on the continent, the onset of mobile money technology is helping transform economic sectors in many developing countries.

The story of mobile money in Africa begins in Kenya when Safaricom launched its M-PESA solution for peer-to-peer money transfer in 2007. Before that, due to a low rate of banking, sending money to family, friends or business associates could be a big issue.

In Zambia, countless mobile money account holders say financial transactions have been made much easier, thanks to advancements in FinTech.

“With just my mobile phone, I can transact at a low cost. For me, this is a real deal, unlike in the past where access to an existing bank account was hectic,” George Manda told Nkwazi.

Undoubtedly, just as the internet has changed the way people access information and shop for products online, mobile phones are transforming many industries, ranging from finance and travel to advertising and retail. Users can receive, withdraw, and send money without being connected to the formal banking system.

For Sarafina Mambwe, a mobile money agent at Lusaka’s sprawling Kamwala market, “If you check around, many youths including me are self-employed and depend on this sector for survival and in that way, mobile money services are helping in job creation.”

The Bank of Zambia recently disclosed that mobile money platforms had recorded increased usage last year, with numbers growing to 8.6 million users by December 31 compared to around 4.85 million in 2019.

The central bank further hinted that higher mobile money usage in Zambia has coincided with increased financial inclusion over the two corresponding years where financial inclusion in the country increased by 10.1 percentage points last year.

“Zambia has continued to make significant progress in the digital transformation agenda, especially in the area of digital financial services. For example, the number of active MNO (Mobile Network Operator)-based mobile money users increased by 77 percent from 4,852,040 as of December 31, 2019, to 8,607,461 as of December 31, 2020,” BoZ Deputy Governor for Operations Dr Francis Chipimo stated.

According to a 2020 FinScope survey, financial inclusion in Zambia increased 10.1 percent to 69.4 per cent from 59.3 per cent in 2015. This was mainly attributed to mobile money services. Further afield, it is estimated that in Uganda, 43 percent of people have a mobile money account while in Kenya, it’s 72 percent.

With approximately 100,000 plus agent lines officially registered in Zambia, according to the Mobile Money Business Association of Zambia, the sector is contributing significantly to the national treasury in terms of taxes.

Asked whether mobile money service providers are reducing banks’ clientele base, the Bankers Association of Zambia told Nkwazi that the current is beneficial for both parties.

“We’re not in competition with mobile money platforms. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. For instance, mobile money transactions have increased our reach as some clients can do banking online even through mobile platforms that are interconnected with various banking payment platforms such as e-wallet, e-pay and payment vouchers, among others,” Bankers Association of Zambia Public Relations Officer Mirriam Zimba affirmed.

Lusaka based economist Mambo Haamaundu echoed BAZ’s observation and reiterated the importance of mobile money because Zambia has low levels of financial inclusion and a high number of unbanked people.

“Mobile money services are tapping into the unbanked population and as a result play a complementary role with traditional banks. For instance, cash can now easily be transferred from a bank account to a mobile money account with ease,” Haamaundu stated.

In view of the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most businesses in Zambia have been crippled. MNOs have stepped in to provide the Zambian business sector with digital transaction solutions in light of the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Putting money in the right hands

By Derrick Silimina

Zambia’s government has significantly increased the amount of money it gives directly to local districts to spend on development projects. But corruption and mismanagement continue to plague the funding system, blocking the intended improvements in local services.

Since 1995, Zambia has given funds to electoral districts through its Constituency Development Fund (CDF) programme. The money is intended for local infrastructure and services such as roads, schools, clinics, courts, canals, bridges and community boreholes.

Significantly, local officials – not government ministries – decide how CDF money is spent. The idea is that local officials can best decide what projects are most needed in their communities. Unfortunately, however, the funds have been misused in many electoral districts across the country.

“The CDF has been misused, leading to constituencies lagging in development ,” says a recent editorial titled “Use CDF for intended purposes” in Times of Zambia, a national daily newspaper. “There has been rampant abuse of the funds … across the country. It is high time that the local authorities entrusted to handle these funds channel the resources to the intended projects.”

Despite persistent reports of CDF mismanagement, the government has boosted the amount of money available for distribution. The 2022 national budget increases CDF funding from 1.6 million Kwacha to 25.7 million Kwacha (about €81,000 to € 1.3 million) for each of Zambia’s 156 electoral constituencies.

To address complaints of mismanagement, the government has changed its disbursement system. Instead of handing CDF money to individual members of parliament to distribute in their constituencies, the government now gives the money to councils in each constituency.

The government also asks the councils to write Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) detailing their spending priorities. Significantly, however, most local constituencies still do not have IDPs. In response, the government has issued guidelines to help local authorities write the documents.

The increased funding and the IDP requirement will produce good results, according to Mubika Mubika, a member of parliament from Shangombo District in the Western Province. “This is the first budget that will uplift the lives of the people of Shangombo,” he says. “We will try by all means to ensure that we have enough roads, clinics, classrooms, computers and accommodations for our teachers.”

However, Peter Sinkamba, president of the Green Party of Zambia, remains sceptical, noting that CDF spending has been plagued by corruption. “If nothing is done to ensure accountability and transparency, the increased funding will not yield desirable results,” he says.

Several pieces of existing legislation that involve the use of CDF funds should be amended to increase transparency in how the funds are used, says the Zambia United Local Authorities Workers Union, an association of local officials. Their aim is to make CDF an effective tool for community development.

 

Link

Editorial: “Use CDF for intended purposes,” Times of Zambia, 20 Sept.  2021.

http://www.times.co.zm/?p=111494

Derrick Silimina is a freelance journalist based in Lusaka.

derrick.silimina@gmail.com

Dar es Salaam Port Upgrade: Zambia’s Gateway to Global Trade

By Mbuyoti Silimina

As the African continent rides on the waves of globalization, a quiet, yet intense battle for freight business is under way in East Africa with Tanzania, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia taking major steps to upgrade their maritime infrastructure.

.

Undoubtedly, seaports play a vital role in any import-based economy, especially in developing countries where maritime transport is the primary form of access to the international market.

Trade experts believe that robust modernization of seaports in East Africa is vital to the development of maritime infrastructure and its interaction with inland transport systems on the continent.

According to a recent World Bank report, inefficiencies in Dar es Salaam costs Tanzania and neighboring countries up to US$2.8 billion in lost revenue annually. This has a negative effect on regional trade, especially among landlocked (or ‘land-linked’) countries such as Zambia that depend on the Dar es Salaam port as a gateway for international trade.

For this reason, the Dar es Salaam Maritime Gateway Project (DSMGP) worth US$421 million was established in a bid to overhaul the port of Dar es Salaam’s infrastructure by 2023.

“This project will have both direct and indirect effects on the regional economy, as it will generate new jobs and value, which will help to boost GDP. Maritime freight transit will reduce transportation costs, increase area employment and support local and port-related industries,” Lusaka based economist Boyd Muleya told Nkwazi. 

“The project will further promote an efficient channel through which Tanzania and Zambia can earn much-needed foreign exchange and tax revenues from their exports to the rest of the world, which have largely been lost due to inefficiencies and a lack of capacity to deal with rising export and import volumes.”

Muleya, who is also the head of research at the Center for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD), stressed that by minimizing the costs associated with port clearance delays and inadequate technology, increasing the port’s capacity will result in more efficient delivery of commodities into Zambia. 

Another argument in favor of the port upgrade is that it will lead to decreased business costs, higher import supply in the region, and, as a result, downward pressure on the price of imported goods for consumers and manufacturers.

Cross-border traders have described the ongoing rehabilitation of Dar es Salaam port as a game changer in the inter-continental connectivity initiative in Africa which will continue to shape the continent’s socio-economic trajectory.

“The Dar port is key to our business growth and the ongoing rehab is long overdue as it will enhance our import-based enterprise,” Rueben Tembo, a car dealer based in Lusaka told Nkwazi. Tembo regrets that the port’s unbearably long queues from offloading ships leads to a high cost of doing business.

The Dar port facelift project is supported by the Tanzanian government and a coalition of development partners, which includes the TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank.

It is estimated that over 70 per cent of imported goods for landlocked nations in the region transit through Dar es Salaam Port, Tanzania’s busiest crossing point via Nakonde-Tunduma border post, which is a gateway into Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and through to Zimbabwe. On average, the value of cargo passing through the border to Zambia, the DRC and Zimbabwe is estimated to be US$1.5 billion (TSh3.4 trillion) annually.

With its strategic location to serve as a convenient freight linkage not only to and from East and Central African countries but also to the Middle and Far East, Europe, Australia and America, the Dar es Salaam port provides a gateway for 90 percent of Tanzanian trade, and is ultimately the East African nation’s principal port with a rated capacity of 4.1 million (dwt) dry cargo and 6 million (dwt) bulk liquid cargo.

The port has a total quay length of about 2,600 metres with 11 deep-water berths and handles about 95 percent of the country’s international trade and serves neighbouring land-linked countries like Zambia, Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, among others, according to the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA).

With Zambia’s import driven economy, which stands to benefit a lot from the upgrade of Dar es Salaam port, the move has excited local entrepreneurs who feel the facility contributes greatly to the country’s treasury in terms of taxes and customs duty whenever they import and export goods and services.

Valued for its proximity to the Nakonde-Tunduma border point, the Dar es Salaam port is an asset to many Zambian traders, especially car dealers who depend on this port to bring in vehicles from Japan.

Since the port is key to the survival of Zambia’s automobile business, the ongoing facelift has elated most car dealers as the move will speed up the clearance process and in turn lower the cost of doing business.

Just like car dealers, many Zambian shop owners selling groceries, hardware and second-hand clothes and medical supplies, among other things, share the same concerns about inefficiencies at Dar es Salaam’s port.

“Whenever my merchandise takes long to be delivered, this affects my cash flow due to the usual delays at the port but the ongoing facelift will facilitate efficient clearance of cargo,” said Martin Sepiso, a trader of Chinese smartphones.

Catherine Simumba, a private clearing agent based in the bustling border town of Nakonde, shares: “The ongoing rehab of the maritime facility will undeniably help grow my clientele base as my customs clearances will be done on time.”

The China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) has been engaged to upgrade the Dar es Salaam port with the aim of ensuring the maritime facility will have the capacity to accommodate a greater number of vessels from across the world, including much larger vessels than it currently accommodates.

“This project mainly involves the upgrade of seven existing berths and the building of a new berth that will enable large vessels with a load carrying capacity of up to 70,000 tonnes to dock at the port which previously had a capacity of under 30,000 tonnes,” TPA Director General Eric Hamissi recently said.

The port authority further stated that with a length of 300 metres and depth of 13.5 metres, the new berth will have the capacity to accommodate mega cargo ships weighing 65,000 tonnes and will be equipped with state-of-the-art cargo handling equipment.

Tanzania’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa recently added that the Dar es Salaam port upgrade is in the final stages of completion as the country is focused on ensuring optimal use of its strategic geographical location to enhance regional trade, stimulate economic growth and reduce transportation costs.

“These projects will enable the nation to make the most of the geographical opportunities we have, as well as stimulate economic growth and facilitate transportation,” the premier said while tabling his office’s budget proposals for the 2021/2022 financial year.

Financial inclusion by phone

By Derrick Silimina

The use of mobile money – funds transferred over digital platforms accessed by mobile phones – is taking off in Zambia.

According to the Bank of Zambia, the country’s central bank, the number of mobile money users on the country’s network platforms grew to over 8.6 million in 2020, compared to 4.85 million in 2019. That represents a year-on-year increase of 77%.

At the same time – and not coincidentally – more and more Zambians are gaining access to financial services in general, whether provided by an online platform or a physical bank. According to the 2020 FinScope Survey carried out by FinMark Trust, a South African NGO, access to banking services – known as financial inclusion – in Zambia grew from 59.3 % to 69.4 % between 2015 and 2020.

This growth was mainly due to the spread of mobile money, according to Dr Francis Chipimo, the central bank’s deputy governor for operations.

Mobile money platforms are essentially online banks operated by one of Zambia’s mobile-phone network operators – Airtel, MTN or Zamtel. 

Subscribers can move money to, or receive money from, other subscribers who have digital money accounts on the same platform, using secure text messages. Customers can also pay bills online, using money they previously deposited into their digital accounts.

These online transactions are backed up by real-world network agents who take cash deposits from unbanked customers and credit the money to those customers’ accounts, to be used for future payments. Agents also pay out cash to unbanked recipients of online payments.

Zambia has more than 100,000 registered mobile-money agents providing these cash in/cash out services. “The mobile money solution has undoubtedly created jobs for people like me,” says Sara Chola, an agent based in Lusaka’s Kamwala market. “We depend on this sector for survival.”

While mobile money offers services to millions of unbanked people, the current system has a drawback: Transferring money to a user on a different platform from one’s own can be a challenge. “Lack of interoperability in Zambia is a barrier to mobile money and therefore to financial inclusion,” comments Financial Sector Deepening (FSD), a nonprofit organisation.

Indeed, Zambia has a long road ahead to full financial inclusion. According to Zambia’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy paper for 2017–2022, only about 60 % of Zambians have access to financial services, and nearly two-thirds of those who have access don’t use those services. This compares to financial inclusion rates of 72 % in Kenya and 43 % in Uganda.

Current users of Zambia’s mobile-money networks, however, seem satisfied. “For me, accessing my account by mobile phone is a good deal, much easier than it was before,” says Joe Mutemwa, a mobile-money account holder from Western Province.

“My mobile-money account helps me to grow my enterprise at lower cost, whereas a regular bank account has monthly charges,” says Thelma Chinyama, a Lusaka based entrepreneur.

Derrick Silimina is a freelance journalist based in Lusaka, Zambia.
derricksilimina@gmail.com

Zambia’s 2022 Economic Outlook: From Rebound to Recovery

BY MBUYOTI SILIMINA

Around the world, households and firms have gradually adapted to life with coronavirus. Although the pandemic is not over, economies have become more resilient.

According to analysts, the global economy is projected to rebound to over 4 percent in 2022 against a contraction of about 4.3 percent in 2020. The optimistic growth projection is mainly based on the gradual easing of restrictive measures put in place to tackle COVID-19.This is expected to boost consumer and business confidence and contribute to the recovery of global supply chains with a positive impact on demand, trade, consumption, investment and financial conditions.

The economic recovery is envisaged to be uneven and likely to differ across countries contingent on the extent of economic damage, effectiveness of policy support and severity of health shocks.

From now onwards, the war cry will be economic growth, economic growth and economic growth.

In the first quarter of 2021, the Bank of Zambia signaled its intention to progressively tighten its monetary policy stance in order to bring escalating inflation back to the 6 to 8 percent target range and anchor inflation expectations over the medium-term. 

However, implementation of complementary and strong fiscal policy adjustment, whose key parameters are clearly outlined in the country’s Economic Recovery Programme, remains critical to restoring macroeconomic stability.

According to the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats), the annual inflation rate slowed to an eight month low in September 2021 declining by 2.3 percent from 24.4 percent recorded in August 2021 to 22.1 percent.

ZamStats Interim Statistician-General Mulenga Musepa attributed the decrease in the annual rate of inflation to price movements in both food and non-food items. This means that on average, prices of goods and services increased by 22.1 percent between September 2020 and September 2021.

Since inflationary pressures decelerated in September, food price growth slowed down from an all-time high in view of the improved supply of food, particularly maize and wheat, following a good crop harvest as well as the significant improvement in copper prices are supportive of the foreign exchange market and in turn lower inflation going forward.

Meanwhile, in the money market, the kwacha is trading around K17.9 per dollar (at time of writing) from a peak of nearly K23 recorded early this year which largely reflects changes in the actual supply of foreign exchange and expectations of further improvements in supply associated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) allocation, improved prospects of a formal Extended Credit Facility (ECF) program as well as buoyant copper prices.

The Bank of Zambia seeks to alleviate pressure on the Monetary Policy Rate currently at 8.5 percent in a bid to tighten fiscal policy, allowing room to bolster the country’s economic recovery.

Having come under immense pressure in 2020 due to the weakening macroeconomic environment, which was significantly exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic, economic experts have anticipated that Zambia’s inflation stability is likely,  following the new government’s positive talks with its creditors.

The United Party for National Development (UPND) led by Hakainde Hichilema emerged victorious in Zambia’s August 2021 general election. Voters across the country were jubilant and entrepreneurs in particular are now pinning their hopes on Hichilema’s promises to revive the economy. 

With high inflation, rising national debt and high unemployment, among other factors, Zambians are hopeful that a new regime will restore macroeconomic stability. 

Previously, the copper-rich country has been spending at least 30 percent of tax revenues on interest payments to deal with a not-fully-disclosed debt, officially placed at US$12 billion.

“We will pay special attention to lowering the fiscal deficit, reducing public debt and restoring social and market confidence,” affirmed Hichilema in his inaugural speech.

For this reason, Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane reiterated that the government’s overriding economic policy objective for 2022 and the medium term, will be to transform the economy, expand it and create employment opportunities.

“We must simultaneously deal with the problem of the excessive national debt without which it will be impossible to normalize the economy, let alone to bring about fundamental economic transformation for job and wealth creation,” Dr Musokotwane noted in an address to Parliament.

With a volatile inflation rate, Dr Musokotwane stressed that lending rates at banks also increased to an average of 25.6 percent in August 2021 on account of elevated levels of borrowing by the government.

Arising from existing vulnerabilities in the financial sector and fragile economic growth recorded in the previous administration, the new regime’s quest to implement fiscal adjustment measures in line with the Economic Recovery Programme and the understandings reached in discussions with the IMF remains critical.

“We have an opportunity of a lifetime to transform the economy into one that grows stronger every year. From now onwards, the war cry will be economic growth, economic growth and economic growth. Everything we plan and talk about will be about strong expansion in production,” Dr Musokotwane said.

Sisters in Africa debunk COVID-19 vaccine myths

 

Sr. Dr. Lucy Hometowu, a member of the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church, educates the parishioners in Ho Dome, a town in the Volta Region of Ghana. She is also the COVID-19 vaccine campaign coordinator of her congregation's medical team. (Damian Avevor)

By Doreen Ajiambo, Derrick Silimina 

It is noon, and Elijah Nayoo takes his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Akrofu, a town some 84 miles northeast of this country's capital. 

His decision to get vaccinated followed a massive education and awareness campaign by religious sisters that encouraged him and thousands of others to get vaccinated against the virus. Nayoo received the vaccine at Mater Ecclesiae Hospital in Akrofu, run by the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church.

Before, Nayoo believed that the vaccine was unsafe and had severe side effects on human bodies, thus vowing never to take "the jab," as it is referred to in many African countries.

"I couldn't believe that one day I would receive the COVID-19 vaccine because I have always had a negative perception about the vaccines," said the 36-year-old father of two, who works as an accountant in Accra. He got his first dose at the end of January.

Religious sisters in the West African nation of over 31 million people have been working hard to debunk COVID-19 vaccine myths that are rampant, ranging from denial that the virus exists to various false side effects. 

As of Feb. 16, just over 15% of the country's population is fully vaccinated, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University.

"I am thankful to the sisters for their key intervention towards containing the pandemic," said Nayoo, explaining that through the education he received from the sisters, he has been able to speak to his family members and friends to take their jabs, which they have willingly received without any fear or panic. A sister who is a nurse administered the vaccine. "The campaign messages changed my mind, and that of other people to avail themselves for the vaccine," he said. 

The information provided by the sisters was important in "demystifying the myth about the negative effects of the vaccines.”

Sr. Cecilia Kudexa, a member of the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church, educates people on a ferry in the Afram Plains Eastern Region, Ghana. She works together with Sr. Dr. Lucy Hometowu in creating awareness about the COVID-19 vaccines. (Damian Avevor)

Sr. Lucy Hometowu, superior general of the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church, said vaccine myths in Ghana and other African countries had led many citizens to forego vaccinations as virus cases and deaths are rising fast in the continent amid a fourth wave of infections.

"We have undertaken educative campaigns to demystify the myth surrounding the vaccines," said Hometowu, who is also an obstetrician and gynecologist. "Our sensitization campaign helped increase the number of people who went for the jabs and got vaccinated with Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines."

Hometowu said that when they launched the Catholic Sisters COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassadors Campaign, meant to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, people were reluctant to get the vaccine despite the government's efforts to ensure there were enough doses in the country.

The campaign led by the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious in Ghana in collaboration with the Vatican COVID-19 Commission is to create awareness, educate, sensitize and undertake advocacy on vaccine safety and adherence to the protocols. 

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, a U.S. charitable foundation established in 1944 by the hotel entrepreneur, sponsors the initiative. The foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in seven program areas, including its Catholic Sisters program for the education and training of Catholic sisters, and to support their human development work in Africa, the U.S. and other regions globally. (The foundation is a major funder of Global Sisters Report.)

Hometowu said the sisters all over the country are using the Vatican toolkit of consistent and factual communication strategies for the campaigns to "combat misinformation and disinformation related to COVID-19 and ensure accurate information is distributed about life saving vaccines."

"The campaign being undertaken by hundreds of sisters from various congregations in designated areas is to complement the government and the National Catholic Health Service [a faith-based health service provider owned by the Catholic Church] COVID-19 response," she said, noting that 800 sisters are participating in the campaign.

The vaccination education effort by Catholic sisters in Ghana is also happening in other African countries.

Sr. Dr. Lucy Hometowu, the COVID-19 vaccine campaign coordinator of the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church medical team, poses for a photo with the youths at her local parish carrying a flier with a vaccine awareness message in Ho Dome, a town in the Volta region of Ghana. (Damian Avevor)

In March of last year, the Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Hilton Foundation partnered with the Vatican COVID-19 Commission to aid the church in mitigating the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 virus in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Religious sisters in the four countries started campaigns to encourage millions of citizens to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The sisters' initiatives to educate and encourage people to get vaccinated as the best means to fight the virus have paid off. 

Thousands of people have availed themselves at various centers run by the sisters to receive the vaccine and avoid contracting the deadly virus, said Sr. Jane Wakahiu, associate vice president of program operations and head of the Catholic Sisters program at the Hilton Foundation.

"The project has been very successful. Thousands of people have accepted taking vaccines because they have seen religious sisters themselves taking the vaccines, and nothing bad happened to them, which is a success for me," said Wakahiu, a member of the Little Sisters of St. Francis.

Sr. Jane Wakahiu, associate vice president of program operations and head of Catholic Sisters at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, says the Catholic Sisters COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassadors Campaign has helped thousands of African residents to be vaccinated. (GSR/Doreen Ajiambo)

Wakahiu said the foundation allocated $10 million to the program so that sisters working in health facilities can be imparted with knowledge about COVID-19 and vaccines and disseminate the same message to the communities they serve. 

The campaigns involved sisters going to homes of vulnerable people, slums, rural communities and market centers, and the mobilization of community leaders, churches and mass media.

"The reason for us starting this initiative [Catholic Sisters COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassadors Campaign] was to advocate and educate people about the vaccine because people had a lot of myths," she said. 

The program has since been expanded to other countries including India, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Therefore, the sisters needed to provide clear education about the vaccine to reduce hesitancy. The other thing we needed was to increase the vaccine uptake so that more people can take in the vaccine, and this is in line with the Catholic social teachings to reach out to the most vulnerable and most poor who could not access the vaccine."

In Ghana, for example, between Dec. 18 to Jan. 14, sisters convinced more than 1,700 people to get the vaccine. Ghana has administered over 12 million doses of coronavirus vaccines so far.

"Through the education and advocacy by the sisters, the people had a change of mind and were vaccinated," said Sr. Mary Consolata Ntenye of the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church, who works with Hometowu. "The government, politicians and health professionals in Ghana have put in much effort and resources in procuring these vaccines for the nation, and as citizens, it's our civic duty to get vaccinated to protect ourselves and others, our families, friends, loved ones, coworkers and above all to bring an end to the pandemic in the world."

Sr. Seraphine Agorti, a member of the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church, administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a beneficiary who accepted to be vaccinated after they convinced him through education. She works together with Sr. Dr. Lucy Hometowu in creating awareness about the COVID-19 vaccines. (Photo by Damian Avevor)

In Zambia, religious sisters have carried out a vaccine campaign that has helped reduce severe illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. The program under the Zambia Association of Sisterhoods, or ZAS, umbrella started in June 2021, targeting 1,200 healthcare providers, including Catholic nuns and citizens.

The southern African country of over 18 million people has administered about 2.5 million doses of COVID vaccines so far, with about 9.8% of the population fully vaccinated. Sr. Astridah Banda, a member of Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, said the sisters had contributed a lot to the number of people who have been vaccinated in the country. 

Many people had been hesitant to take the vaccine because of a lack of adequate information on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, she said, adding that the sisters raised awareness among members of the general public to come out and receive the jab.

Banda, the project coordinator of ZAS, said she has been running a show on Radio Maria: Yatsani Voice, dubbed the "COVID-19 Awareness Program," to share critical health information about the pandemic and also dispel vaccine myths in the country.

"Through our influence, community members have been vaccinated, and because of that, I have seen many of our colleagues get the vaccine, and it's good that the response is so far overwhelming as people are now proud to state publicly that they are fully vaccinated," said Banda, who is also a social worker by profession.

Sr. Astridah Banda, a Dominican Missionary Sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, carries a COVID-19 vaccine awareness campaign in the streets of Lusaka, Zambia's capital. She also hosts a radio show entitled "COVID-19 Awareness Program," where she disseminates educational messages about COVID-19 vaccines in local languages to reach the communities in rural areas where there is little access to information. (Derrick Silimina)

In Kenya, sisters through the Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya, or AOSK, have been raising public awareness and fighting myths around COVID-19 vaccines through radio broadcasts, presentations, asking priests to include information during Masses, and the distribution of printed materials to reach around five million people.

The East African nation of nearly 54 million people has administered more than 15.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far and 13.5% of the population is fully vaccinated. Since the launch, the AOSK has worked through 80 sister-run health facilities with 240 sisters across the country to reach out to millions of Kenyans.

"The vaccine uptake has increased in our hospitals," said Sr. Regina Nthenya Ndambuki, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Mombasa, who is also a nurse and a psychological counselor. "Before, some of our health care (facilities) could only vaccinate 10 people a day, but nowadays the number has gone up to 50 to 70 in a day."

The East African nation of Uganda has experienced a low rate of vaccinations due to myths and misconceptions about the effects of vaccines. In a country of over 45 million people, it is estimated that roughly 5% of citizens have been vaccinated. Religious sisters have intensified the vaccination campaign to increase vaccine uptake.

Meanwhile, the foundation's goal has also been to train and prepare sisters who work in the health care systems in the various countries to deal with other future pandemic and non-communicable diseases.

"We didn't want sisters to come together just for the COVID-19 crisis," said Angelique Mutombo, senior program officer, Catholic Sisters (Africa) at the Hilton Foundation. "We are very aware that there are also noncommunicable diseases that sisters could be working on, like high blood pressure, diabetes among others," she said.

Mutombo said registering a network of religious sisters working in every country's health care system would help sisters swiftly respond to any other type of pandemic in a coordinated way to protect life on the frontlines without being at risk.

"Our whole idea was to bring the sisters who work in the health care system into a network to respond to future pandemics in a very coordinated way," she said.

Doreen Ajiambo

Doreen Ajiambo is the Africa/Middle East correspondent for Global Sisters Report. Follow her on Twitter: @DoreenAjiambo.

Damian Avevor

Damian Avevor is a contributor to Catholic News Service and Global Sisters Report.

Derrick Silimina

Derrick Silimina is an award-winning multimedia journalist based in Lusaka, Zambia. His work has appeared on many media platforms in Zambia and abroad.