THE people of Luapula Province have been crying for jobs for many years, with successive administrations doing nothing more than making loaded promises, especially during election campaigns.
As a result the people almost gave up the hope of seeing any meaningful development in the province until the Patriotic Front took over the reins of power from the MMD in 2011.
For the first time in decades the people of Luapula are seeing promises being translated into action.
In yesterday’s edition we reported that the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) has created 4,000 jobs for Zambians through the new plantation it has set up in Kawambwa district.
Out of the 4,000 jobs, 250 will be full-time while the rest will be seasonal, according to officials.
Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda drove home the significance of the occasion when he officiated at the official commissioning of the plantation.
Mr Chikwanda said the opening up of the timber industry in the district will boost the economy of Kawambwa and create decent jobs for the local people.
To give the people more hope, Mr Chikwanda, who is Zambia’s national purse-bearer, assured that the government will mobilise all the necessary resources to enable ZAFFICO to expand its plantations.
What an exciting way of entering 2014 for the people of Kawambwa.
The government deserves a big pat on the back for giving hope to the hitherto hopeless district.
We also commend the board, management and employees of ZAFFICO for coming up with this empowering project, which we are sure is a culmination of months, if not years, of meticulous planning.
What is heartening is that the company has invested in sustainable development because forestry and forest farming thrive on a renewable natural resource, unlike mining.
Like many other rural districts, Kawambwa has not been spared from the crippling effects of climate change and deforestation.
The plantation will definitely help to mitigate the wanton cutting of forest that has been going on unabated and provide a cushion against climate change.
The impact of this development will be immediate. The people ZAFFICO will employ will be receiving a monthly salary and other emoluments, which will help them meet some of the immediate needs of their families.
The workers will be able to send their children to school, acquire better shelter and buy decent clothing for their spouses and other family members.
In short the workers will have more money in their pockets and handbags.
Meanwhile, the government, through the Zambia Revenue Authority, will be collecting taxes from both ZAFFICO and the workers, thus boosting the national treasury.
We urge the people in the district to give ZAFFICO all the support it needs to ensure the project is successful. They must refrain from cutting trees from the plantation illegally because in the end such activities will harm them and their families.
We commend the hard-working Kawambwa district administrator, Ivo Mpasa, for the role he is playing in ensuring that the government uplifts the lives of the people in the district. He must not relent.
This is just the beginning of the good things President Sata promised the people of Luapula Province when he visited Mansa two months ago.
Only yesterday we carried another story in which Luapula Province Minister Brigadier General Benson Kapaya announced that the government has put in motion the process of reviving Mansa Batteries.
Then there are the Luena sugar project and the construction of Luapula University, which are also expected to create hundreds of jobs for the people in the province.
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