FINANCIAL EXPERT EYES NDOLA CENTRAL SEAT

A FINANCIAL expert has joined the contest for adoption for the Ndola Central parliamentary constituency, with a pledge to develop a sustainable empowerment and development programme.

Mr Andrew Kalima said he was confident to scoop the seat on the Patriotic Front (PF) ticket once adopted and that he had already worked out an ambitious development agenda aimed at improving the welfare of the electorate.

Mr Kalima said in an interview that, through his Andrew Mustard Kalima Foundation, he had been empowering communities in various areas of the constituency and once elected, he would merely same programme.

He said he had been in good standing with the ruling party where he would use his vast experience in financial management to spearhead sustainable growth programmes.

Mr Kalima has since last year rolled out empowerment boost the programmes aimed at improving the welfare of mostly youths and women in high-populated settlement. “Through the development agenda pursued by the Andrew Mustard Kalima Foundation, a number of empowerment projects have been rolled out to ensure that youths and women were part of national development agenda. “Through the foundation, we have managed to reach out to women engaged in small-scale businesses in various parts of the constituency as well as offering opportunities to youths in a bid to ensure that they do not engage in illicit vices such as alcohol and substance abuse. As for girls, we are engaging them in activities so that they avoid teen pregnancies,” he said.

Mr Kalima said some of the projects being implemented by his foundation had been tailored to generate employment opportunities for women and youths. He said the empowerment programmes were been extended to benefit residents in mostly peri-urban areas of the constituency.