•President Edgar Lungu (right) confers the City Chain to Chipata Mayor Sinoya Mwale (left) during the Investiture ceremony at Civic Centre in Chipata after the President conferred Chipata Municipality to a City yesterday. PICTURE BY SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE

By REBECCA MUSHOTA and JULIUS PHIRI  in Chipata –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has declared the municipality of Chipata in Eastern Province as a city.
The President upgraded the municipality to a city status yesterday in Chipata at the council offices in front of an excited crowd.
“The municipality shall therefore be known the city of Chipata. Take note that the declaration only starts tomorrow (today) February 25, 2017 under the Statutory Instrument 13, 2017 in which the city of Chipata is proclaimed under my hand Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia,” he said.
Mr Lungu said the declaration was in response to the many requests from the people of Chipata who wanted their municipal council upgraded to city status for the two years he has been President.
He said the declaration was not a mean achievement as Chipata had come a long way from a British outpost in the 19th Century, to the capital of the North-West Rhodesia in 1906 as Fort Jameson and to a municipal council.
Mr Lungu said the city remained a major trading centre and the quickest route to Malawi and the Nacala Port in Mozambique.
It was for that reason, he said, Government before 2021 would establish the Mchinji-Petauke-Serenje railway to make trading more effective in the Nacala corridor.
President Lungu said investors should cease the opportunity of Chipata as a centre of trade and a gateway to Malawi and the Indian Ocean by maximising their opportunities.
The positive implications of the city were far reaching to all residents.
“All residents of Chipata and their partners should therefore work together to ensure that the city status of the town is a success,” he said.
Mr Lungu congratulated the residents of Chipata on their achievement and urged them to carry on with the momentum.

Chipata was declared a city because it achieved the requirements of having over 200,000 residents considering that it had a population of over 500,000.
It has a well defined Central Business District with 11 major banks and had improved road infrastructure.
The hotels, lodges, conference centres were of international standard.
The city is also mainly an agriculture town producing cotton, tobacco and maize.
Earlier Chipata Mayor Sinoya Mwale said yesterday was a special day made by the Lord for the people of Chipata.
Mr Mwale said it was a special occasion because the President was in town to attend the N’cwala as well as declare Chipata a city.
Local Government and Housing Minister  Vincent Mwale said the declaration was a dream come true.
Meanwhile, Paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni people of Eastern Province has hailed President Lungu for upgrading Chipata to a city.
Chief Mpezeni said he was happy the President had done what the people of Eastern Province had long cried for.
The chief said this yesterday when President Lungu paid a courtesy call on him at Laweni Palace in Kampala Village, his place of retreat before the Nc’wala.
Chief Mpezeni said President Lungu had also worked hard to take development to Eastern Province saying that Mr Lungu should not pay attention to people who spoke negatively about his developmental programmes.
President Lungu said he was working hard to develop the Eastern Province but unfortunately, some people were of the view that he was biased towards the East since that is where he hailed from.
He said he was going to continue developing Zambia.
The President also stayed for the afternoon programme at which many Ngoni groups sang and danced in front of all the chiefs attending the Nc’wala Mpezeni.
Several chiefs attended the afternoon meet and greet event including Paramount Chief Mbelwa of Zimba in Malawi.