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Zambia’s Government must leverage the position of the Creditors’ Committee, ActionAid Zambia says

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ACTION Aid Zambia (AAZ) has commended Governement and the Creditors Committee for strides made towards debt restructuring in the country.

AAZ Country Director Nalucha Ziba says the country’s debt saga has been an issue for several years and the strides being taken are commendable.

“Action Aid Zambia (AAZ) would like to commend the Zambian Government and the Creditors’ Committee of Zambia, chaired by China, for their important and unprecedented strides towards debt restructuring and ultimate cancellation. Zambia’s debt saga has been an issue of debate for several years now – and the urgency for resolving this has been escalated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

She said over the past decade, the government had embarked on ambitious infrastructure development that fueled the need for domestic and external financing.

“The global economic fallout following Covid and the war in Ukraine made government debt unsustainable, rising as it did from 23.8 percent of GDP in 2014 to 141.3 percent of GDP by 2020 .This triggered Zambia’s debt default and led to the present plans to restructure the debt.

Given our diverse debt portfolio, AAZ recognizes the complex nature of these negotiations, particularly with the private creditors. Building on the current position and the provision of financing assurances, the Government must leverage the support of the Creditors’ Committee to ensure the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is beneficial to the Zambian people,” she said.

She said currently, government of has made significant pronouncements for and commitments to all sectors of the economy

“Social sectors, such as education and health, have already seen numerous changes, such as the introduction of free education and the recruitment of teachers and health workers. However, to develop and sustain service delivery going forward, there will be a need for continuous investment in the civil service. This will require bold action to increase tax revenues through progressive and gender-responsive tax reforms,” she said.

She also advised however, that government should resist any pressure for public sector wage bill cuts or freezes that would compromise on service delivery, particularly in the health and education sectors.

“The recent recruitment of 30,496 teachers has been welcome, but with over 100,000 applicants and continuing shortages in some areas, the exercise revealed the need for more consistent and regular recruitment .Particularly in light of the large influx of learners since the introduction of free education in January 2022. There are clear alternatives, not least through taking action to increase Zambia’s tax to GDP ratios so that increased spending can be sustainably financed,” she said.

(Mwebantu, Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022)

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More than K72 million released to pay off former TAZARA employees

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MORE than K72 million has been released by Government as retirement benefits for former Tanzania Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA).

The money which was released this month has been outstanding for more than 15-years.

The categories of pension arrears that have been paid were under the Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZSIC) and the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA).

Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Tayali said Government has cleared an outstanding balance of K72,984,143.81 in retirement benefits for former TAZARA employees.

Mr Tayali has since advised the former employees to see to it that they collect their well deserved dues from NAPSA and ZSIC.

“The money that has been outstanding for so many years will help the beneficiaries and their families in clearing some of the hardships and financial bottlenecks they could have been experiencing. I urge the beneficiaries to put to good use their money so that they are able to get the best out of it,” he said.

(Mwebantu, Tuesday, 21st March, 2023)

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YANGO extols Women in Transport

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Yango joined the global community in celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th, 2023, dubbed “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”. As part of the celebration, Yango invited several female drivers for a women’s day event that took place on Wednesday 8th March, in Lusaka at The Hub.

Yango Zambia Country Manager, Kabanda Chewe explained that the mobility app has provided equitable access to solutions that are relevant and necessary for people to advance into growth without bias, thus affording even women access to technology enabling them to enhance their progress across all service offers. Patricia Ncube, one of Yango’s female drivers explained how the app helped her financially within two months of signing up – “By the month two of signing on, I started getting more rides, making more money and soon became debt free. I have found it very interesting and empowering besides working for somebody else, it has really transformed my life”

This year’s theme emphasized the significance of identifying and addressing the exceptional challenges and experiences of women. Yango appreciates the effort it takes for these women to support the ride hailing service in a world dominated by men. Yango is pleased to have hosted an in person event for the remarkable women drivers. Happy International Women’s Day!

Yango, an international informational service for ordering rides online was launched in Zambia in 2022 on March 29. Today it successfully operates in Lusaka, Ndola and Kitwe helping facilitate a digital platform for local partners that provide affordable transportation for thousands of passengers every day. Yango has been operating mobility and delivery businesses in 20 countries across Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa since 2011.

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PremierCredit launches the Wina Jila Na Campaign

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PremierCredit has launched the Wina Jila na PremierCredit campaign where anyone who invests a minimum of K100 will stand a chance to win a brand-new Toyota Hilux as the grand prize. The second prize is K50,000 per winner for five participants, including monthly wins of household appliances worth K10,000 and weekly prizes of K1, 500 worth of Shoprite shopping vouchers. For the next 6 months, PremierCredit will promote the use of its newly developed mobile and USSD application as the extended digital channels to access their services, including the peer-to-peer lending platform. The minimum entry into the competition will be an investment of K100 and participants who meet the set terms and conditions will stand a chance to win the impressive list of prizes.

Since 2019, PremierCredit, the multi award winning fintech offers affordable and convenient financial solutions to individuals and MSMEs. The company operates an online microlending and Investment platform in emerging markets in Sub Saharan Africa. The peer-to-peer lending platform, a first mover on the Zambian market, connects investors from around the world to borrowers in Zambia, and it is regulated under the Regulatory Sandbox of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

PremierCredit platform has registered over 2,300 investors who earn on average 36% per annum in interest on their investments. PremierCredit aims to provide simple, affordable, convenient, and customer-centric financial solutions to all through technological innovation and partnerships. Speaking at the launch of the Wina Jila campaign held at Toyota Nangwenya in Lusaka, CEO of PremierCredit Mrs. Chilufya Mutale-Mwila highlighted the importance of using technology in improving public accessibility to finance even to the most remote customers. “Financial inclusion is a significant pillar of our operations; we believe in giving back to the communities that make our existence possible. Our products and services are customer-centric, as we aim to focus on creating simple access to financial services for people who earn less than $10 a day.”

In attendance as the supportive partner of the Wina Jila campaign, Toyota Nangwenya, Branch Manager, Mr Karl Frick addressed members of the press to commend PremierCredit on the Wina Jila campaign which will not only empower our communities but expose and create awareness of products and services that are designed to ease the financial burdens of the Zambian consumer. “Toyota has a long-standing relationship with the Zambian people, we are honored to have maintained this strong bond throughout the various economic climates since our inception in 1963. Similarly, to PremierCredit, we aim to enhance the customer trust which has been bestowed upon us by providing products and services that appeal to them.” Said Mr Frick.

The Wina Jila campaign will commence today, 7 March 2023 until 7th September 2023 and all prospective participants are encouraged to follow updates of the campaign via social media using hashtags #WinaNjila, #InvestWithPremierCredit. and #YouCan.

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