ZAMBIA RANKED A-PLUS INVESTMENT DESTINATION

Despite the increasing cost of doing business in Zambia, some international firms like SAFAL Group of companies is happy with the investment climate the Southern African nation provides.
An international Investments firm has ranked Zambia as an A-Plus investment destination.
SAFAL group to which SAFINTRA Zambia local Steel is a part has identified Zambia as an investment hub in Southern Africa because of its conducive investment climate.
SAFINTRA Zambia Limited Director Ashok Kumar Sood says this has seen the group of companies intensifying plans of setting up a nail and terrace manufacturing plant in Zambia. He says his firm is also looking at increasing its 5million US Dollars investment in Zambia to five fold in the next five years.
The SAFINTRA Director also reveals that his firm has been sourcing for funds from various financial institutions.

“SAFAL has borrowed some finances from the International Finance Corporation –IFC- which is a member of the World Bank as part of its investment strategy in many nations, but as SAFINTRA we have borrowed some money from Stanbic Bank Zambia” says Mr. Sood.
Meanwhile Mr. Sood has appealed to the Zambian government to consider standardizing the sector. He says introducing standards will protect consumers from exploitation.
Mr. Sood says government should take a leaf from Kenya and Uganda which have an effective standards system. Mr. Sood further notes that he has since made a recommendation to the Zambia Bureau of Standards –ZABS- for the matter.

“I have submitted some papers on how standardization has been working for countries like Kenya which I feel would work well for Zambia……..if this happens many firms will be looking at providing quality goods and not compete on prices,” adds Mr. Sood.
He was speaking during a conducted media tour of the firm in Lusaka today.
By Brian Mwale.

MMD PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL MANHANDLED BY PARTY CADRES AS MUVI TV NEWS CREW GETS DEATH THREATS

An effort aimed at paying respect to the deceased found former Finance Minister and MMD Chilanga Member of Parliament Ngandu Magande in a physical fiasco with angray cadres turning the mourning house into a fighting zone.
Movement for Multi Party Democracy –MMD- cadres in Lusaka has physically manhandled the party’s presidential hopeful Ngandu Magande when he visited late Mpulungu Member of Parliament Lameck Chibombamilimo’s house of mourning.
Mr. Magande who is Chilanga Member of Parliament says he was blocked from entering the yard by cadres who were chanting funeral songs outside Mr. Chibombamilimo’s premises.

He says his jacket has been torn and cell phone stolen from him.
Mr. Magande has attributed the fiasco to certain top party officials who are jittery that he will take over national leadership.

And efforts to get a comment from MMD Lusaka Province Chairperson William Banda who was at the scene proved futile as he was heavily protected by the cadres.
And MMD Lusaka Central Youth Chairman Chilekwa Munkonge who was also part of Mr. Banda’s entourage refused to comment despite having approached the Muvi TV Crew as he stated that it was in his constituency.

“How can I help you? You are in my constituency, I am not aware about any incident her,” said Mr. Munkonge before he moved away straight to his car and drove off.
Meanwhile, a three man Muvi TV Crew was issued with death threats should pictures of MMD Cadres singing in buses air on the TV station’s news bulletins.
A grey haired MMD Cadre who emerged from Mr. William Banda’s car threatened to grab the camera and ordered the Muvi TV cameraman to give him the tape.

However, when he was told that the camera was digital and did not use any tape, the man said he knows where to find the crew and that politics is about life and death and he will deal with them should they report about the incident.
“I know all of you and where you are found……if you run anything on Muvi TV tomorrow I know how to get to you, politics is about life and death,” threatened the old man.
The crew was saved by another cadre who was civil in his dealings.
Police officers stationed at the funeral house watched helplessly as the MUVI TV crew was harassed despite them being a meter away from the scene.