. Sikwela

By ESTHER NG’ANDU –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has given part of the Mwekera Forest land on the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway to more than 5,000 settlers who had encroached on the forest.
Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Howard Sikwela said this during an inter-ministerial committee meeting on land held in the Kitwe City Council chambers yesterday.
Reverend Sikwela said following the issuance of Statutory Instrument number 90 of 2015, the President pledged to offer 6,000 hectares of land to the Mwekera squatters.
Rev Sikwela said he was happy to finally hand over the long-awaited land to the 5,500 people in Kitwe.
He said the decision by President Lungu was prompted by his desire to diversify the economy from copper dependency to agriculture.
“I have noticed that Zambians’ focus is on minerals and not agriculture, and the country has been affected because at times copper prices will rise and later fall, hence the need to diversify, especially that Copperbelt receives good rains. People have to engage in serious agriculture,” Rev Sikwela said.
He said he was certain that the President’s decision would encourage small-scale farmers to engage in serious farming and work hard to increase the hectarage under cultivation.
Rev Sikwela said the Government was determined to empower the people through the allocation of land for farming purposes.
He appealed to the inter-ministerial committee on land to immediately start looking at the resettlement action plan.
“Let me remind the squatters that the decision to resettle them is also intended at protecting the remaining forest.
“The forest department will soon enforce the laws protecting the forest from any further encroachment,” he said.