Over 100 million people at risk of infection with river blindness in Zambia and other African countries

……as new drug that could dramatically speed up the elimination the disease begins clinical trial.

By John Chola -1 July, 2009:
Over 100 million people are at risk of infection with river blindness or onchocerciasis in Africa and a few small areas in the Americas and Yemen.

And a clinical trial is being launched in three African countries of a drug that could eliminate river blindness.

Onchocerciasis or river blindness is currently one of the leading infectious causes of blindness in Zambia and across Africa.

The drug, moxidectin, is being investigated for its potential to kill or sterilize the adult worms of Onchocerca volvulus, which cause onchocerciasis.

Director of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) Dr Uche Amazigo says river blindness is a devastating illness that has plagued Zambia and other 29 African countries for centuries.

Dr Uche Amazigo says populations in the most remote areas are the most affected.

Dr Amazigo explains that Onchocerciasis is also called river blindness because the blackfly which transmits the disease breeds in fast flowing rivers, and blindness is the most incapacitating symptom of the disease which also causes debilitating skin disease.

Dr Amazigo says the development of moxidectin for onchocerciasis is being conducted through a collaboration of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, which is executed by the World Health Organization (WHO/TDR), and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

The work ranges from the development of a formulation for human use and initial studies in healthy volunteers, to clinical studies and community studies in Africa.
WHO/TDR, working in partnership with African investigators and institutions, is building the capacity and managing the conduct of the clinical trials conducted in Africa.

If the development is successful and results in a positive scientific opinion from the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, Wyeth, with the assistance of WHO, will request approval by national regulatory authorities in the countries such as Zambia where onchocerciasis is endemic.

Dr Henrietta Ukwu, Vice President, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, said his company is committed to improving access to innovative drugs and biologics around the globe including in the developing world.

Dr Ukwu said the moxidectin data have been promising so far, and as the programme moves into larger phase III (3) studies, they are hopeful that moxidectin will constitute a significant advance against this devastating disease.

In conducting this trial, TDR will be working with African investigators and institutions.

Fifteen hundred people at 4 sites in Ghana, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo will be enrolled in the study.

Preparation has been ongoing since 2007, and included building a clinical research centre in Lofa County, Liberia, and in North-Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Buildings not used since the war in Ituri, DRC, have been renovated while all centers have been provided with necessary equipment and the research teams trained on how to conduct the trial according to international standards.

The trial will take place over the next two and a half years.

Currently, the disease is controlled by ivermectin, which has been donated for more than 20 years by the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc., for use in onchocerciasis endemic countries.

Treatment with ivermectin has enabled significant progress in the control of onchocerciasis, and currently reaches more than 60 million people in Africa annually.

However, ivermectin kills the O. volvulus larvae but not the adult worms.

This makes annual treatments for an extended period of time of between 11 to 14 years are required to ensure disease control.

If moxidectin kills not only the larvae but also sterilizes or kills the adult worms, it has the potential to interrupt the disease transmission cycle within around 6 annual rounds of treatment.

The drug could be distributed through the community-directed mechanisms set up in collaboration among APOC, African control programmes, and NGOs for the distribution of ivermectin.

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The 2009 Zambia Tourism Awards up for grabs ... as time ticks for recognition of excellence in tourism.

By John Chola -30/06/09

An initiative designed to promote and reward excellence in tourism operations has been launched in Zambia.

The initiative is also aimed at being recognised as a prestigious event hence attracting both public and industry-wide support and extensive media coverage.

Launching the initiative on Tuesday at Lusaka’s Southern Sun Ridgeway, the hotel’s general manager Adrian Penny said the initiative presented a high profile opportunity to showcase the best tourism operators in Zambia

Mr Penny said the Zambia Tourism Awards would motivate stakeholders to continue upgrading services in order to become globally competitive, inspire stakeholders to contribute to the development of the tourism industry in Zambia and help promote Zambian tourism to domestic and international markets.

He said that the initiative would recognise and ward categories such as best safari accommodation, best hotel, best guesthouse, best lodge and best back packer facilities.

Operators offering camping site and Caravan Park, heritage and culture tourism sports, clean and green as well as community tourism would be awarded accordingly.

“Other award categories included the best travel and tour operator, the best restaurant or catering service, the best tourism transport award, the best in tourism promotion and the guide of the year Award,” said Penny adding: “we also have awards for the best in adventure tourism, best entrepreneur award, tourism facilitation and the Zambia tourism special”.

The awards would be open to all Zambia-based tourism operators and application had been restricted to online participants.

Mr Penny encouraged businesses and the public to take part through a website www.thebestofzambia.com.
“Just visit www.thebestofzambia.com and click the Tourism Awards button on the top of the page between 1st July 2009 and 15th August 2009 to participate,” Mr Penny said.

There would be site visits commence in September and October 2009 while winners would be announced at the high profile awards night slated for November 2009 in Livingstone.

Mr Penny said that the 2009 Zambia Tourism Awards were a public-private sector partnership initiated by the public sector through the SEED Project under the Ministry of Tourism, Environment & Natural Resources and co-organised with the
Tourism Council of Zambia.

He said that the initiative was also supported by private sector agencies such as The Best of Zambia, Capacity Building for Private Sector Development, Southern Sun Ridgeway and Radio Phoenix

The initiators of the Zambia Tourism Awards encouraged more support from the private sector towards sponsorship of different awards, marketing and promotion of the event.

Meanwhile, one of the initiators Joseph Brown said that in order to encourage Zambians to sample the country’s tourism most operators had introduced special rates.

Mr Brown said Zambians visiting tourist resorts around the country would be charged a special rate different from those paid by foreign tourists.

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Zambia extends period for investors to bid for oil exploration

By John Chola – 11/08/09

Zambia has extended the period for interested local and international investors to bid for petroleum exploration from this August to November.

A Ministerial Petroleum Committee said that the extension of the bidding process had been necessitated by requests by some international investors interested in petroleum exploration in the country.

The deadline to bid for petroleum exploration had been extended to Friday, November 6, 2009.

Petroleum companies who had already submitted their bids were being allowed to retrieve and refine their documents without incurring any extra costs.

The Ministerial Committee chaired by Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Maxwell Mwale said investors that wanted to submit bids can obtain document from the office of the permanent secretary in his ministry.

Investors can also purchase the data package relating to the bidding process from the Geological Survey Department.
Other details of the bidding process can be accessed by visiting Zambia’s Geological Survey department website.

The results of laboratory analyses from Germany had indicated that there was potential for oil and gas in Zambia’s North Western, Western and Eastern Provinces.

The deadline for bidding process was supposed to expire on 7th August 2009.

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On June 25th 2009 Zambia invited bids from local and international companies for petroleum exploration licensing round for 23 blocks existing in three provinces.

Zambia’s Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development requested bidders to demonstrate a proven ability to raise the necessary funds, assets and machinery.

The bidding companies were also expected to have appropriate equipment, tools and technical expertise to explore, produce, sale and dispose of petroleum in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Zambia demanded that bidding companies purchase a complete data package in English and pay a non-refundable application fee of ten thousand US dollars or Zambian kwacha equivalent per block.

Interested investors had been encouraged to purchase some of the data by email through Zambia’s Geological Survey Department. gsd@zamnet.zm, seismic@coppernet.zm.

Interested investors had initially until 14:30 hours of Friday, 7th August 2009 to purchase and submit their bids to the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development in Zambia.

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Zambian President rejects calls for him to resign.

By John Chola - 25/06/09

Zambia's President Rupiah Banda has rejected wide calls by opposition politicians, civil society and other interest groups for him to resign.

Banda says those calling for his resignation are just wasting their time and cheating themselves as he will never bow down to their demands.

Banda says opposition politicians, civil society groups, striking civil servants and others calling for his resignation are unnecessarily inciting the nation.

He has described as untrue pronouncements by some media, politicians, striking civil servants and others that majority Zambians have lost confidence in his leadership.

Banda says he is well informed that majority of Zambia’s over 12 million people believe in his leadership and only want him to deliver by improving their welfare.

Recently many of Zambia’s over 30 opposition leaders have teamed up against Banda asking him to resign and allow new Presidential elections.

Banda has been accused of abrogating the Republican constitution by re-appointing a Minister recently found guilty of breaching the supreme law of the land by a judicial tribunal.

The Zambian President is also accused of being insensitive to the plight of thousands of government workers who receive meager salaries.

Banda administration has refused to award government workers have been demanding improved saralies and other conditions of service.

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South Africa's Eskom expected to set up a 400 megawatt power generating plant in Zambia.

By John Chola -23/06/09

South Africa’s energy company Eskom is expected to set up a 400 megawatt electricity generating plant in Zambia.

The 400 megawatt plant is expected to be established at Maamba which hosts Zambia’s Maamba Collieries Limiteds, a coal mining company.

Media reports in Zambia today indicate that Eskom will want to utilize the low grade coal of Maamba Collieries Limited which is ideal for the venture.

A Manager at Zambia’s Maamba Collieries Limited (a mine based in the Southern part of the country) has told a government ran media that Eskom is willing to buy and utilize the low grade coal reported to be lying idle at the mine.

There is currently 60, 000 metric tones of already mined coal begging for a market at Maamba Collieries Limited.

A total of 78.2 million tonnes of coal reserves is estimated available in the Maamba Collieries assigned area.

Over 60.2 million tonnes of coal is proven and 18 million tonnes is probable.
Further exploration and reserve development is in order as the underground potential may well be greater than known today.

There are two open cast mines operating at Maamba in the Kanzize and Izuma basins with an annual capacity to produce between 600,000 and 800,000 metric tonnes of saleable coal, depending on demand and other constraints.

The Zambian government says reserves in the Maamba assigned area can last for at least ninety seven (97) years assuming that the mine is operating at full capacity and producing 800,000 metric tonnes of coal per annum.

There is a Coal Preparation Plant (CPP) with a rated capacity to wash about 700,000 to 800,000 metric tonnes of coal per year.

The existing ropeway has the capacity to transport between 600,000 to 700,000 metric tonnes to Masuku Railway Terminal per annum.

A company called Scrirocca Limited was last April awarded a contract to mine Maamba coal.

Scrirocca Limited has invested US$ 7 million in Maamba.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), through the Zambia Privatisation Agency (ZPA) has put up Maamba Collieries Limited for privatisation through an acquisition of a controlling stake by suitably qualified private sector investors.

The government approved the sale of at least 70% shares by competitive tender.

Government says it is open to considering various innovative arrangements, as may be proposed by the potential investor that would result in control of mine moving to the private sector and result in the recapitalisation of Zambia's major coal producer.

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Zambia Police to circumcise all male recruits

By John Chola - 20/06/09

The Zambia Police Service is introducing a mandatory circumcision policy for all male recruits.

A Police training school commanding Officer (Malcom Mulenga) says male circumcision will help prevent HIV and AIDS cases in the Police service.

The decision follows evidence that Zambia Police Service has been losing a lot of qualified manpower as a result of HIV/AIDS.

And Zambia’s Home Affairs Ministry has welcomed plans by the Zambia Police Service to circumcise male recruits.

Police recruits will undergo circumcision at Zambia’s major hospital University Teaching Hospital, district hospitals and other police health centres being built with support from the United States at a cost of ZAR 2.5 million (1.5 billion Kwacha).

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100 million girls are involved in child labour, and many are exposed to some of its worst forms - ILO.

By John Chola - 19/06/09

The International Labour Organisations says most recent global estimate indicate that more than 100 million girls are involved in child labour, and many are exposed to some of its worst forms.

Meanwhile the prevailing global financial crisis will push more children, particularly girls, into child labour.

This is according to a new report issued by the International Labour Office (ILO) marking the World Day against Child Labour which fell on June 12.

The ILO report, entitled Give Girls a Chance: Tackling child labour, a key to the future notes that while recent global estimates indicate the number of children involved in child labour has been falling, the financial crisis threatens to erode this progress.

ILO Director-General Juan Somavia says in the report that there has been some real progress in reducing child labour in the recent past.

Somavia says the policies chosen in the present crisis will be a test of national and global commitment to take the child labour fight forward.

Somavia he says bemoaned that in many countries families still give preference to boys when making decisions on education of children.

He says because of the increase in poverty as result of the crisis poor families with a number of children are likely to make choices as to which children stay in school.

Somavia says that in cultures in which a higher value is placed on education of male children, girls risk being taken out of school, and are then likely to enter the workforce at an early age.

Somavia says anticipated cuts in national education budgets and a decline in remittances of migrant workers which help to keep children in school are other factors to push up the numbers in child labour.

169 member states have ratified the ILO Convention No. 182 on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour.

Fourteen member states are yet to ratify the convention in order to make it a universal ratification.

Somavia says protecting children from child labour calls for integrated responses that include jobs for parents, and social protection measures that help them to keep both girls and boys in school.

The ILO chief says girls around the globe face a number of particular problems that justify special attention.

The problems including much work being undertaken by girls is hidden from public view, which creates particular dangers.

Somavia says girls make up the overwhelming number of children in domestic work in third party households and there are regular reports of the abuse of child domestic workers.

In their own homes, Somavia notes, girls take on household chores to a much greater extent than boys.

He says combined with economic activity outside the household, this imposes a “double burden” that increases the risk of girls dropping out of school.

The ILO chief bemoans that in many societies girls are still in an inferior and vulnerable position and are more likely to lack basic education a situation that seriously restricts their future opportunities.

The ILO report has underscored the importance of investing in the education of girls as an effective way of tackling poverty.

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