masebo urges civil servants to work hard

By Chali Mulenga in Sesheke district.

TOURISM and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo has urged civil servants in the country to ensure that they implement Government projects efficiently as opposed to slowing down the implementation process.

Meanwhile, Kavango Zambezi Tran Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA), which is potentially the world's largest conservation area, is planning to conduct a uniform-visa pilot project between Zambia and Zimbabwe to boost travels ahead of next year’s United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly.

Ms Masebo appealed to civil servants to work hard and stop slowing down the implementation of projects especially when the money was available for the implementation of the project.

 She was speaking in Sesheke on Tuesday during the launch of the infrastructure in the Zambian component of the KAZA-TFCA.

Ms Masebo, who handed over the newly constructed Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) Sesheke Office, said Government was happy that its vision was shared by different cooperating partners like KAZA TFCA.

She said her Ministry would ensure that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KAZA-RFCA, that had been outstanding for the past three years, was signed. 

“Sometimes civil servants drag their feet in implementing Government programmes. If there is a conditionality that is not good for Zambian people, you should say it so that money can return to its owners” she said.

Ms Masebo said KAZA TFCA programme was for the benefit of the people as it was about promoting tourism and observed that Sesheke was ready for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly in Livingstone next year.

 She also urged Sesheke residents to get involved in the running of tourism businesses adding that the people of Western Province were not poor.   

Ms Masebo said the PF Government under the leadership of President Michael Sata wanted the people of Western Province to have a better life than they had before.

“The PF Government under the leadership of President Michael Sata wants the people of Western Province to have better life,” she said.

Speaking at the same function, Western Province minister John Kufuna said that his province was endowed with a lot of natural resources and that the work that KAZA was doing was in line the PF Government.

Mr Kufuna noted that the natural resource had been with the people from time immemorial and added that the wild life in Sioma Ngwezi National Park was attracting tourists.

 He said that the local people could benefit from the tourism by offering tourism services like lodges, catering services and camping to the tourists.

He said that if the natural resources were not looked after well, they could be wiped out and hence that was the reason why KAZA had intervened.

World Wide Fund for Nature country director Patrick Matakala called on the Government of Zambia to ensure that they put in place a operational frame work as it has not been finalized.

Prof Matakala said the delay by the Government to put in place an operational frame work for the past three years would lead to the country losing funds for implementing conservation programmes. 

He noted that the partners had insisted that the operational frame work must be put in place.

 Prof Matakala said that his organisation would like to look on policy engagement, and would also support KAZA in the management of the human and wildlife.

Meanwhile, KAZA-TFCA executive director Victor Siamudala said his organisation was planning to conduct a uniform-visa pilot project between Zambia and Zimbabwe to boost travels ahead of next year’s UNWTO general assembly.

Mr Siamudala said the project would help tourists to use a single visa each time they crossed into another country.

Speaking in an interview in Sesheke, Mr Siamudala said the uni-visa pilot project, which was a KAZA initiative, would cost US $ 800 000 with support from the World Bank.

 “There is need for the KAZA uni-Visa that would help to easy the movement of the tourists,” he said.

 He said KAZA was working with the Governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe on the project.

Mr Siamudala said the lessons that would be learnt from the implementation of the pilot uni-visa project would be passed on to other countries in the region.

He said that his organisation was working on modalities that would ensure the program works before it could be rolled out to the other countries.

End