ZDA WARNS AGAINST BOGUS OFFERS

THE

Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) has cautioned entrepreneurs that it is not disbursing any business grants to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

ZDA is not in any Savings partnership and with Credit an organisaBank tion called (NATSAVE) ‘BACC’ in will offering use a business credit association grants to to entrepreensure neurs, the K10 warns billion acting credit Manager facili- Communications ty is disbursed to and the Public needy Relations, Small and Kabwe Medium Phiri. Enter- prises Ms Phiri (SMEs). regretted that some

The institution is current-

unscrupulous people were try

ly assessing the Covid-19

ing to swindle entrepreneurs

impact on businesses to be purporting able to provide to be ZDA. suitable fi- nancial “ZDA assistance, has noted with SMEs. displeasure NATSAVE an has advert reached going out around to clients social across media the country purporting on the strains that the faced Agency during is disbursing the covid-19 funds difficult in form period of a grant so as in to structure partnership relief with pack- the Ministry age facilities of Commerce, approprietly, Trade and Industry, USAID and an

WHILE

it is true that in these can probably COVID- be argued 19 that the work times, of the Min- hygiene, ister particularly of Health in has form taken of washing on pre-eminent of hands, significance is one of the in the most light effective of the means corona- of preventing virus global the pandemic spread of that the

is also now affecting our

coronavirus, this cannot be

country. The man needs to

readily done everywhere, like

have his finger on the pulse upon of the entering nation, a form pardon of pubthe lic pun, transport. to keep abreast with all the Hand developments sanitiser should regarding be the portable rapidly unfolding solution for effects hand hygiene. of COVID-19 But soon in our upon country. the unfolding And apart of from the coronavirus overseeing pandemic the health in portfolio the region, which the is disruptions the primary that frontline followed minis- resulted try in in fighting the cost the of this coronavi- product rus shooting pandemic, up so he high could as to as render well also it unaffordable assume the to port- most commuters folios of Information on public transand port. Broadcasting, This called Transport, for urgent and Lo- immediate cal Government measures and to Home contribute Affairs to given stabilising the central the supply co- and ordinating therefore role the price he is of having hand sanitiser. to play This regarding is where the the pre- collaboration vention and of containment some members of of the the coronavirus. Zambia Association of Manufacturers We could as came well in. add Ed- ucation What contributed to those to portfolios the supply given of hand the amount sanitiser of not educat- meeting demand of the populace was the that fact is that in- of volved. the three But sources maybe of we ethanol, should also throw in Finance, what

one of the major ingredients in

with the fact that the single

hand sanitiser, two were not

most important item on the available national either finance due agenda to inputs at being the moment out of season is or COVID-19 imports being and its disrupted impact. by And COVID-19 what containment about Commerce? measures And Min- in neighbouring ing? Shouldn’t countries. it go without This only saying left then molasses that as one the Dr source Chi- of talu ethanol. Chilufya Yes, should molasses be does the not nation’s on face COVID-19 value, given unsung its texture, hero? colour and smell, lend itself Well, to be only a source if we of don’t the clear fac- tor in the fact that the single says the Bank’s Chief Exec- utive Officer, Ms Mukwandi Chibesakunda.

Ms Chibesakunda said NATSAVE was committed to funding SMEs in the pan- demic period.

“NATSAVE will strive to understand covid-19 impact on businesses in a unique fashion to be able to give loan repayment holidays.

organisation called ‘BACC’,”

“The Bank of Zambia she has said provided in a statement eased yestercapital

day. and provision requirement which Ms Phiri provide warned stimulus the memfor bers us financial of public institutions to be wary of to such pass offers benefits and seek to our confirmaclients tion through with the these ZDA holidays, or other lere- gitimate structures Government and refinance,” institutions she told before the they African could Leader- apply or make any payments. most prevalent and easily accessible means of main- taining required hygiene levels during this COVID-19 period is washing hands. hand Every sanitiser shop you that enter, we have from all seen Kalingalinga on the market. to shopping But ethanol malls can in be the produced suburbs, from every molasses. occasion for inevitable pub- lic But gatherings, making ethanol even market from molasses stalls, require presented that you some wash logistical your hands challenges. before you en- gage While or are Zambia served. Sugar Plc donated There 150 is even tons of a the militancy material about as part this: of A few the weeks collaboratago, ing I went efforts through by ZAM Chongwe members to and contribute when I stopped to normalising by the the roadside supply and of hand attempted sanitisers, to enter a shop, the gentleman

transporting the molasses

inside very sternly ordered

from Mazabuka to outside

me to go back outside and Chisamba wash my where hands. the Such ethanol spir- was ited to adherence be produced to guidelines proved a challenge. of preventing This is and despite contain- the fact ing that the coronavirus Surya Biofuels, is very another welcome ZAM indeed. member, had offered But to observe process that the donated all this 150 washing tons of of molasses hands into literally hand

everywhere in the country ship Magazine last week.

Ms Chibesakunda said her organisation’s partnership with Zambia National Mar- keteers Credit Association (ZANAMACA) will pave way for the institution to reach out to SMEs.

NATSAVE, she said, would use ZANAMACA to ensure that small businesses had access to the K10 billion

“The Agency condemns facility put in place by the in Bank the of strongest Zambia (BoZ). terms such heartless The BoZ acts on of the intent April to 3, swindle 2020 announced unsuspecting stimulus entrepreneurs monetary and measures the general to pubsup- lic port money financial and therefore system urges sta- the bility general and public assist to businesses take heed of not this to warning collapse as following the Agency the will outbreak not be held of the responsible covid-19. for any loss of money,” she said. has been made possible by a contraption made of a steel frame with the provision to hold a bucket above a basin such that the water filled sanitiser in the former without is any discharged charge. The through challenge a tap was into compoundthe lat- ed ter. by This the fact allows that the washing 210 litre of containers hands with initially water donated flowing by from ZamBeef the bucket Plc and and Zambia the Breweries used water Plc being were collected not suitable in the for receptacle delivering basin molasses to be to Surya. discarded What subsequently. was required were specialised This contraption tankers to has translit- port erary the become molasses. ubiquitous ZamBeef in and the Lafarge country. came And to without the rescue a by doubt, donating the hygiene tankers to levels transof port the the nation molasses. are being main- tained Thus, high Surya enough was able to con- pro

tribute effectively to the con- duce bulk hand sanitiser and

tainment of the coronavirus, other thanks members, to this contraption. ZamBrew, Coca In homes, Cola Bottlers, where hands etc offered used to bottle be washed and label in a basin the hand be- sanitiser fore having for a donation meal, and to usu- the public. ally following the order of age This seniority, is a very a little important old man milestone, from the village not only would in wash the

his hands first, then scoop

Ms Chibesakunda said through a revolving fund, NATSAVE provided finan- cial assistance to ZANAMA- CA and that repayments by members made liquidity available to other borrowers.

She stressed that it was critical too that the mem- bers of the fund must repay to make funds available for the next borrow to access funding.

”There has been a general outcry and call for the Cen- tral Bank stimulus emergen- cy package benefits to trickle down to the most vulnerable in society,” Ms Chibesakun- da said. fight against COVID-19, but also in the fact that the ZAM members, usually known for their feisty engagements with government regarding matters that affect their members, like over the GST, have now come together to work with government to contribute to addressing the challenges of COVID-19 in the country.

The ZAM COVID-19 Response Team, headed by the ZAM president, Mr Ezekiel Sekele, has mobilised its members to come together to contribute to government efforts to some fight water the coronavirus. from the basin to But rinse it is his also mouth. possible Being that this indoors, effort he by would the ZAM spit memthe bers water could from have his lasting mouth impact back on into the the production basin, from of ethanol which others were meant to wash their hands. But with our new handwashing contrap- tion impact of such uncouth behaviour has been put a definite stop to, especially in in these the times country. of COVID-19. While before the This lockdown handwashing of some system countries or product due to is the one coronavirus that we pandemic should all some be very ethanol proud was of imported as Zambians. into It the is country, a Zambian the thrust innovation, by the ZAM manufactured members may in Zambia, ensure that predominantly going forward, by informal the country businesses, is self-suffibut cient has assumed in this product, unprecedent- over and above ed prominence, stabilising for the a supply local chain product, during in the these fight COVID-19 against

times. the coronavirus. It is such innovation And while that will before be need- the COVID-19 ed even as the pandemic country seeks Surya to respond to the Minister of

was operating below capacFinance’s call for local prod-

ity, working with Tandem ucts to replace imported Consulting, ones that we it can’t has now get due put to in place lockdowns measures in some to ensure neigh- the steady bouring supply countries. of molasses to its It plant is therefore outside my Chisamba. humble Furthermore, opinion that the the original ZAM in- COVID-19 novator of Response this handwash- Team ing system be regarded as the pushing nation’s to unsung also expand hero for the production COVID-19. of Enock ethanol Banda, from

a retired technician from

cassava so that in so doing, it

the University of Zambia,

will bring on board the bigger

School of Engineering, in- constituency vented and of registered cassava farmthe ers design into the of the ethanol handwashing production value system chain. with the The Patents food grade and ethanol Companies that will Registration be produced in Agency sufficient (PACRA) quantities in 2001, will enas sure shown that in all the producers picture. of spirit-based He attempted alcohol in the to country set up would manufacturing not have to of import this sys- the product tem on going the forward. side while he maintained The other major his job developwith ment UNZA. from Unfortunately making the hand for sanitiser him, such from was molasses the pent-up is all the demand other co-products for his newly that de- can be signed produced handwashing in the process. system Two that of as the soon co-products as it was seen from the being molasses sold, to everybody ethanol process with a bit of steel fabrication skill

are liquid fertiliser and animal

started making and selling feed. them Carbon by the dioxide roadside. is also Imita- another tion is co-product one of the produced perils of in- in the novation process and and Mr this Banda could suf- be used fered in the manufacturing full brunt of it of with carbonated regard to drinks the as handwashing well as green house system. applications. With the onus to prove Full infringement capacity production of intel- of lectual the ethanol property from rights molasand ses seek could redress indeed through bring on the market courts lying a number squarely of products on Mr that Banda’s could shoulders, lead to cessation he had of importation no wherewithal of some to items. take this For Surya course itself, of action a by-product and com- of the pletely production lost out process on appropri- is gas which ating any is used economic for energy benefits in the plant, from his thus innovation. cutting back on the use But of fossil now fuels that for the its energy. hand- washing system is proving

The tragedy that the

such a major factor in fight- COVID-19 ing the spread pandemic of the coro- has wreaked navirus, on and the has economies generally and fortunes raised the of hygiene our economy, levels and in indeed the country, of many it ought others, to could be well fitting prove to to recognise be a source a of man significant such as inspiration Mr Enock and Banda innoas vation one of going the forward. heroes or hero- ines of the nation.