Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Republican President Edgar Lungu
President Edgar Lungu has urged all regulatory agencies to work towards the common goal of promoting safe and healthy exploitation of the mineral resources.
Speaking during the official opening of the 2018 Copperbelt Mining, Agriculture, Industrial, Networking and enterprise Expo in Kitwe, the Head of State says it goes without saying that strategies, which promote sustainability in the mining sector through binding regulatory frameworks, will optimise gains from the sector for the benefit of the country.
President Lungu says this is why his administration has been enforcing legislation to ensure that exploration and mining only takes place upon approval of the relevant environmental impact assessments.
He states that in this regard, the ministry of mines and minerals development is working closely with respective authorities to ensure that mining companies with environmental liabilities are provided with a framework to guarantee environmental security.
On the agriculture sector, President Lungu notes that this sector continues to offer the greatest potential for economic growth and poverty reduction in the country.
He says government will therefore continue with viable programmes to grow the sector, which offers immense opportunities to improve the wellbeing of the majority Zambians especially in the rural communities.
President Lungu laments that the changing climatic conditions have continued to threaten the agricultural sector.
The Head of State says the magnitude and frequency of negative climatic conditions such as droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures have continued to impact negatively on food and nutrition security, as well as livelihoods of the rural communities.
He says government has responded to these challenges of climate change through the national adaptation plan of action, the climate change response strategy, and the national policy on climate change.
President Lungu says these national policies and plans promote climate-resilient agricultural practices, and adaptation to climate change through technologies and services to enhance productivity, sustainability and resilience of smallholder production systems.