• SOUTHERN Province Rural Roads Unit provincial engineer Edward Ntinda (r) takes Defence deputy minister Christopher Mulenga (in suit) and ZNS Unit Choma commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Jimmy Kafumukache (left) on tour of RRU offices in Choma. Picture by CHILA NAMAIKO

By CHILA NAMAIKO –

THE Government is set to equip the Zambia National Service (ZNS) with state-of-the-art equipment to help diversify agriculture and livestock production to boost economic growth.
Defence Deputy Minister Christopher Mulenga said President Edgar Lungu is committed to revamping the country’s economy by mobilising and utilising skills and expertise from various institutions.
Mr Mulenga said defence wings such as the ZNS had huge potential to increase national food and livestock production to realise revenue from exports in southern Africa.
He said the ZNS units particularly those engaged in agricultural and livestock production could significantly help to diversify the economy unlike continued dependence on the mining sector.
Mr Mulenga was speaking to journalists during a familiarisation tour of the ZNS unit in Choma.
“The defence force such as ZNS has greater potential to produce maize, wheat and livestock. That’s why Government is vigorously modernising and equipping it with more machinery to help diversify the economy from dependence on the mining sector,” he said.
The ZNS in Choma, which was at the moment engaged in agriculture and livestock production, could be one of the units with potential to become a major producer in Southern Province.
Mr Mulenga said it was for that reason that Government was taking a proactive role to equip the unit with modern machinery.
He said the incorporation of Rural Roads Unit (RRU) into ZNS would boost the construction sector and assured RRU employees that no one would be displaced as a result of the merger.
RRU provincial engineer Edward Ntinda said the unit was looking forward to working under ZNS to fulfilling Government’s implementation of various infrastructural projects.
ZNS Choma commanding officer Jimmy Kafumukache said the unit scored increased production of livestock as a result of unwavering support from Government.