By ALICE NACHILEMBE
The Zambia Mining and Environmental Remediation and Improvement project (ZMERIP) has launched the second phase of the livelihood support subproject by the Government through the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development.
Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe said that the second phase of the livelihood subproject targeted to benefit 200 cooperatives equally divided across the four project areas which are Kabwe, Kitwe, Mufulira and Chingola.
Speaking in a speech read on his behalf by Chingola Member of Parliament Mulenga Chipoka, Mr Kabuswe said the project has three components, remediation of contaminated hotspots and improved environmental infrastructure, enhancing institutional capacity to strengthen environmental governance compliance and reducing environmental health risks through localized intentions.
Mr Kabuswe appealed to successful cooperatives to treat the grant received as seed, plant them and allow time for them to grow.
“Government through ZMERIP this is spending 58, 000 000.00 towards livelihoods support grants and these are public resources. Therefore accountability and transparency is priority in the management of the public resources “, he said
He said that Chingola has 15 different types’ business ventures in piggery, Chicken rearing, carpentry, fish farming, Metal fabrication, peanut butter production, restaurant and tailoring dominating.
And ZMERIP Project National Coordinator Pamela Mwanza said that ZMERIP is committed to ensuring that the income generation opportunities in contaminated areas are enhance in addressing environmental health risks.
She said 35 community groups have so far been funded across the project Municipalities with seven from Kabwe, 9 from Kitwe, 11 from Chingola and 8 from Mufulira.
“What we are witness today is an additional to many community groups that are yet to be empowered with skills and activities in order to uplift their livelihood”, she said.
Ms Mwanza said hope the empowered groups will live up to the task in realizing the intended objectives and show positive results from the empowerment program.
And Chingola Mayor Johnson Kang’ombe said that the Council is working with ZMERIP in ensuring the successful implementation of the activities for already supported projects in Chingola.
Mr Kang’ombe said the Local Authority is committed to ensuring the successful implementation of various businesses that are funded today.
