ZIMBABWE has in the past week received at least 15 000 tonnes of maize from the region as Government intensifies efforts to augment local supplies.
GMB acting general manager Mr Zvidzai Makwenda confirmed that consignments were being delivered from Zambia, Malawi and South Africa.
Last Tuesday, GMB received more than 2 000 tonnes of maize. Aspindale Depot has so far received 390 tonnes, Banket Depot 120 tonnes, Hwange 180 tonnes, Chegutu 60 tonnes, Chinhoyi Depot 690 tonnes, Cleveland Depot in Msasa 150 tonnes, and Norton 90 tonnes, all from Zambia.
From Malawi, Norton Depot has received 300 tonnes while the Beitbridge Depot received 150 tonnes from South Africa.
"The programme on maize importation into the country is on course to ensure that there is enough grain in the country.
"The Government has paid for maize that is being imported from Malawi, South Africa and Zambia," said Mr Makwenda.
Although there had been some challenges in the movement of maize from these countries, the situation had improved over the past week.
"Maize is being moved by both rail and road trucks to receiving depots like Bulawayo, Aspindale in Harare, Beitbridge," he said.
GMB has added Gweru and Kwekwe to be receiving depots to cope with the increased movement of grain.
The national granary has also deployed its officials in Malawi and Zambia to mobilise transporters to ensure the smooth movement of the grain.
"Zimbabwe has some existing contracts in Malawi, Zambia and South Africa. To date, the country has received 40 000 metric tonnes of maize imports from Zambia from a total of 150 000 tonnes, and a total deficit of 110 000 is coming," he said.
However, Mr Kwenda highlighted that they are currently facing transport challenges with only 400 trucks presently bringing the maize in.
Speaking during a media tour of Aspindale Depot in Harare on Wednes-day, the depot manager, Mr Sam Matabeya, confirmed the deliveries.
President Mugabe last week also confirmed that maize had started coming in from neighbouring countries.
Monday, 17 March 2008
Guidelines sought for public–private partnerships in Malawi
The World Bank is inviting expressions of interest from eligible consulting firms or consortiums with experience in working in developing-country conditions to carry out a study that will develop the procedures, guidelines and regulations for public–private partnership (PPP) programmes in Malawi.
Malawi is moving towards the privatisation of power generation, transmission and distribution; water and sanitation; refuse disposal; prisons; pipelines; hospitals; stadiums; tourism facilities; air-traffic control; vehicle fleet management; information systems; telecommunications; toll roads; and billing systems, besides others, using the PPP model.
The World Bank is the major financier of the PPP programme through its public–private infrastructure advisory facility.
An official at the World Bank’s Malawi office, Ingrid Chikazaza, says the main task of the consultant to be engaged will be to develop principles and guidelines to aid in the preparation and implementation of a PPP programme.
“The importance of these procedures is to ensure that the implementation of PPPs is well structured and that PPPs are procured in the most cost-effective and competitive way. The procedures should be produced in the form of manuals,” says Chikazaza.
He says interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to render the required services.
“Staff to be proposed for the tasks must have an understanding and first-hand experiece of PPP transactions . . . and must be able to work in a developing-country environment,” says Chikazaza. The World Bank is working on the establishment of PPPs in Malawi in liaison with the Malawi government’s Privatisation Commission (PC).
The PC is currently working with the South Africa-based Southern African Development Community Banking Association in implement- ing an initiative in Malawi to enhance the knowledge and capability of key public-sector officials in the development and implementation of PPPs.
Commission CEO Jimmy Lipunga says PPPs are expected to accelerate infrastructure development.
“A PPP is not a divestiture because it does not involve the transfer of ownership and control of State assets to the private sector. “The essence of a PPP is the allocation of project risk to the parties best equipped to manage these categories of risk. Generally, political risk is allocated to the public-sector partner and commercial risk is allocated to the private-sector partner,” says Lipunga.
He explains that implementation of the PPP programme will help to improve the delivery of public services by creating opportunities for greater private-sector participation in the economy.
“We intend to achieve this by transforming the role of the government from that of provider and regulator to that of facilitator in order to attain its developmental goals in partnership with the private sector,” says Lipunga.
Malawi has already made advances in its efforts to involve the private sector in the running of the power generation, transmission and distribution sectors that have resulted in the unbundling of the State-owned monopoly, the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom), into three business units – generation, transmission and distribution – which are to be privatised separately.
With funding from the World Bank, the Malawi government has engaged international consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to validate the existing strategy of concessioning out to the private sector the transmission business unit only as recommended by earlier studies.
The studies recommended that the generation business unit should remain in government hands but that independent power producers should be permitted to roll out their operations and compete with Escom’s generation business unit.
“The PwC consultancy will confirm if this is the most suitable option for Malawi’s needs while ensuring that the electricity sector remains an attractive option for private-sector investment,” says Lipunga.
The Malawi government and the World Bank have also been advertising for several consultancies for reforms in the water and sanitation, and aviation sectors.
The ongoing reforms in the water and sanitation sector will culminate in the involvement of the private sector in the running of the water boards, starting with the major ones –the Blantyre and Lilongwe Water Boards.
Malawi is moving towards the privatisation of power generation, transmission and distribution; water and sanitation; refuse disposal; prisons; pipelines; hospitals; stadiums; tourism facilities; air-traffic control; vehicle fleet management; information systems; telecommunications; toll roads; and billing systems, besides others, using the PPP model.
The World Bank is the major financier of the PPP programme through its public–private infrastructure advisory facility.
An official at the World Bank’s Malawi office, Ingrid Chikazaza, says the main task of the consultant to be engaged will be to develop principles and guidelines to aid in the preparation and implementation of a PPP programme.
“The importance of these procedures is to ensure that the implementation of PPPs is well structured and that PPPs are procured in the most cost-effective and competitive way. The procedures should be produced in the form of manuals,” says Chikazaza.
He says interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to render the required services.
“Staff to be proposed for the tasks must have an understanding and first-hand experiece of PPP transactions . . . and must be able to work in a developing-country environment,” says Chikazaza. The World Bank is working on the establishment of PPPs in Malawi in liaison with the Malawi government’s Privatisation Commission (PC).
The PC is currently working with the South Africa-based Southern African Development Community Banking Association in implement- ing an initiative in Malawi to enhance the knowledge and capability of key public-sector officials in the development and implementation of PPPs.
Commission CEO Jimmy Lipunga says PPPs are expected to accelerate infrastructure development.
“A PPP is not a divestiture because it does not involve the transfer of ownership and control of State assets to the private sector. “The essence of a PPP is the allocation of project risk to the parties best equipped to manage these categories of risk. Generally, political risk is allocated to the public-sector partner and commercial risk is allocated to the private-sector partner,” says Lipunga.
He explains that implementation of the PPP programme will help to improve the delivery of public services by creating opportunities for greater private-sector participation in the economy.
“We intend to achieve this by transforming the role of the government from that of provider and regulator to that of facilitator in order to attain its developmental goals in partnership with the private sector,” says Lipunga.
Malawi has already made advances in its efforts to involve the private sector in the running of the power generation, transmission and distribution sectors that have resulted in the unbundling of the State-owned monopoly, the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom), into three business units – generation, transmission and distribution – which are to be privatised separately.
With funding from the World Bank, the Malawi government has engaged international consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to validate the existing strategy of concessioning out to the private sector the transmission business unit only as recommended by earlier studies.
The studies recommended that the generation business unit should remain in government hands but that independent power producers should be permitted to roll out their operations and compete with Escom’s generation business unit.
“The PwC consultancy will confirm if this is the most suitable option for Malawi’s needs while ensuring that the electricity sector remains an attractive option for private-sector investment,” says Lipunga.
The Malawi government and the World Bank have also been advertising for several consultancies for reforms in the water and sanitation, and aviation sectors.
The ongoing reforms in the water and sanitation sector will culminate in the involvement of the private sector in the running of the water boards, starting with the major ones –the Blantyre and Lilongwe Water Boards.
Malawi plans to prosecute ex-president for graft
Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) plans to prosecute former president Bakili Muluzi over $11 million in donor money it says was siphoned into his private account, its director said on Monday.
"We have applied to the courts to remove an injunction he (Muluzi) obtained stopping us from questioning him because we are now ready to prosecute him on the $11 million found in his account," ACB director Alex Nampota told Reuters.
The anti-graft body briefly arrested Muluzi in 2006 on 42 counts of corruption. But all the charges, except for one involving $11 million, were dropped for lack of evidence.
Muluzi, who remains chairman of the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) party and wants to run for president in elections next year, has denied wrongdoing.
UDF Secretary General Kennedy Makwangwala described plans to prosecute Muluzi as "political persecution" ahead of the 2009 elections.
According to official court documents, Muluzi is accused of diverting money from Taiwan, Sudan and several Arab countries.
A bitter standoff between President Bingu wa Mutharika and opposition lawmakers, including UDF members, has sparked a series of political crises in the impoverished southern African country that have threatened to derail the international donor programmes on which it depends for public spending.
DAD IS 'IMMENSELY' PROUD OF YOUNG COACH'S ACHIEVEMENTS
Young Emily Simpkins talks of her experience raising awareness of HIV among African girls with a passion and humility beyond her years.
She may have been given just one week to volunteer in Malawi to teach youngsters about Aids, using football to pass her knowledge on in a fun way, but it is an experience which changed her life.
And her father believes it is one which makes her an inspiration to others.
It was Emily's love of football which led her to Malawi through the Football Association's Changing Lives Saving Lives project.
She was chosen to represent Britain from 100 hopefuls after attending a national camp where she showed the skills of an exceptional young leader.
That led to Emily and three others being flown out last September to coach other young leaders in Africa.
She has achieved all this after securing a coaching apprenticeship 18 months ago at Derby County in the Community, where she now teaches schoolchildren the art of the beautiful game.
And she is still just 17 years old.
It is these achievements which prompted her dad, Michael Simpkins, to enter her into the Evening Telegraph's Community Champions Awards.
"I feel immensely proud of her as a daughter," said 47-year-old Mr Simpkins, of Long Street, Stapenhill.
"I just feel that her achievements over the last 12 months or so, including her Malawi trip, deserved some recognition."
The trip was the first time she had spent time away from home without her family but she was unfazed by the experience.
She said: "I think I'm very honoured to have gone to Africa and be chosen as a young leader.
"It was very hard and, though I'd prepared myself for it, when I got there it was a massive life-changing experience.
"The things I have taken away from Africa have been life skills for me."
Emily has always had a passion for football, ever since she kicked her first ball at the age of four. By eight, she was playing competitively.
Her love of the game continued to flourish and she says her future definitely lies in coaching and children.
"I have had so much enjoyment from football, and I still have. I just try to give that back to the children," she said. "I'm only 17 but I've had a great experience with football."
The awards, in conjunction with BBC Radio Derby, Derbyshire Building Society, Derby City Council and Derby County FC, give people a chance to nominate family, friends or neighbours for their work in the community.
There are 12 categories, including teacher of the year, great neighbour and children in the community.
Final 2007 Drill Results Enhance Potential - Kanyika Malawi
Globe Uranium is delighted to report results from the final holes of the 2007 drilling program at its
100%-owned, multi-commodity U-Nb-Ta-Zr Kanyika Project in central Malawi.
Broad widths and significant grades of mineralisation recorded from these holes in the Uzambazi and
Chikoka Zones have exceeded the Company's expectations. Mining consultant Runge Limited is
well advanced with estimation of the maiden JORC-categorised resource at Kanyika. This will be
reported by the end of March, 2008.
Globe Uranium's Managing Director, Mr. Mark Sumich, said "these results have exceeded
expectations. We are very confident that the JORC resource due at the end of the month will at least
meet our previously stated exploration target of 25 million tonnes".
Drilling Results
Results were returned from the remaining 20 RC holes, and one diamond core hole drilled in
the 2007 program at Kanyika. All results from the 81 hole, 9,000 metre program are now to
hand and form the basis of the imminent resource estimate.
The results reported below are from drilling which mainly targeted southern extensions to the
Chikoka, Uzambazi and Pangano Zones in the Central Area, with a number of holes also
testing the southern end of the Milenje Zone.
Uzambazi Zone
The Uzambazi Zone is located in the Central Area between the Pangano and Chikoka Zones.
Seven of the RC drill-holes targeted near-surface mineralisation and two targeted
mineralisation extensions at depth. All holes returned significant widths and grades of multi-
commodity mineralisation. Particularly important are the numerous moderate to high-grade
intercepts from surface, which are expected to add considerable tonnage to the upcoming resource estimate.
Chikoka Zone
The Chikoka Zone is located in the Central Area to the east of the Pangano and Uzambazi
Zones, and links into the Milenje Zone in the north. Seven of the RC drill-holes targeted near-
surface mineralisation and one targeted mineralisation extensions at depth. In addition,
diamond hole KADD001 twinned previous RC hole KARC014. Importantly, these holes also
show large widths of moderate to high-grade mineralisation from surface.
Conclusions and Discussion
Assay results have now been received for all holes to be included in the initial Kanyika Resource
estimate. The results from these latest holes have exceeded expectations, and provide the Company
with every confidence that the exploration target of 25Mt will be reached.
Sampling and Analytical Protocols
RC drill samples of each one-metre down-hole length were manually split on site through a three tier
riffle splitter. Diamond drill samples were halved on-site with a diamond saw. Samples from each
metre were submitted for analysis to Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd. in Vancouver, Canada (ISO
9001:2000 Accredited), via their preparation laboratory in Harare, Zimbabwe. Quality control
standards, blanks and duplicates are routinely included with the drilling samples by the Company's
exploration team. Rigorous QA/QC procedures are applied to all results returned from the laboratory,
prior to acceptance into the Company's database and subsequent reporting.
100%-owned, multi-commodity U-Nb-Ta-Zr Kanyika Project in central Malawi.
Broad widths and significant grades of mineralisation recorded from these holes in the Uzambazi and
Chikoka Zones have exceeded the Company's expectations. Mining consultant Runge Limited is
well advanced with estimation of the maiden JORC-categorised resource at Kanyika. This will be
reported by the end of March, 2008.
Globe Uranium's Managing Director, Mr. Mark Sumich, said "these results have exceeded
expectations. We are very confident that the JORC resource due at the end of the month will at least
meet our previously stated exploration target of 25 million tonnes".
Drilling Results
Results were returned from the remaining 20 RC holes, and one diamond core hole drilled in
the 2007 program at Kanyika. All results from the 81 hole, 9,000 metre program are now to
hand and form the basis of the imminent resource estimate.
The results reported below are from drilling which mainly targeted southern extensions to the
Chikoka, Uzambazi and Pangano Zones in the Central Area, with a number of holes also
testing the southern end of the Milenje Zone.
Uzambazi Zone
The Uzambazi Zone is located in the Central Area between the Pangano and Chikoka Zones.
Seven of the RC drill-holes targeted near-surface mineralisation and two targeted
mineralisation extensions at depth. All holes returned significant widths and grades of multi-
commodity mineralisation. Particularly important are the numerous moderate to high-grade
intercepts from surface, which are expected to add considerable tonnage to the upcoming resource estimate.
Chikoka Zone
The Chikoka Zone is located in the Central Area to the east of the Pangano and Uzambazi
Zones, and links into the Milenje Zone in the north. Seven of the RC drill-holes targeted near-
surface mineralisation and one targeted mineralisation extensions at depth. In addition,
diamond hole KADD001 twinned previous RC hole KARC014. Importantly, these holes also
show large widths of moderate to high-grade mineralisation from surface.
Conclusions and Discussion
Assay results have now been received for all holes to be included in the initial Kanyika Resource
estimate. The results from these latest holes have exceeded expectations, and provide the Company
with every confidence that the exploration target of 25Mt will be reached.
Sampling and Analytical Protocols
RC drill samples of each one-metre down-hole length were manually split on site through a three tier
riffle splitter. Diamond drill samples were halved on-site with a diamond saw. Samples from each
metre were submitted for analysis to Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd. in Vancouver, Canada (ISO
9001:2000 Accredited), via their preparation laboratory in Harare, Zimbabwe. Quality control
standards, blanks and duplicates are routinely included with the drilling samples by the Company's
exploration team. Rigorous QA/QC procedures are applied to all results returned from the laboratory,
prior to acceptance into the Company's database and subsequent reporting.
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