PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Analysis Part I

It is with utmost satisfaction that many people got to watch the most anticipated debate of this year, President Obama vs Mitt Romney. The two fine schooled men squired it off quiet well with Romney coming out smiling as winner, at least in the eyes of many bloggers and media houses. Many people were perplexed at the lack of confidence and loss of words by President Obama, who many regard as a natural public speaker and fine one. Well he did not shine on this day am sorry to say. Mitt Romney articulated issues according to what electorates wanted to hear even though he seems to be inconsistent with certain policy issues.

But what was the highlights of this anticipated debate, President Obama opened the debate with a casual reference to what to he expects from the date as opposed to Mitt all out attack on Obama's record and emphasizing the weakness in his leadership in the last 4 years. In order to look more humane and in touch with people's challenges, Mitt referred to a mother that came to him requesting for help in securing a job for her husband who  has not been on a permanent job for a couple of years. This shows how prepared the Republican candidate was in capturing emotional appeal from the citizens, then in went to elaborate his overall economic plan. President Obama was largely defending his policies of the last 4 years while making sure that he does not raise the temple of attack on Romney lest ye invites a similar approach, this is demonstrating by his continuous reference to common beliefs that the two candidates have. Well this strategy did not go well for the President, because the more he did that the more he Mitt room to back with other veracious attacks. This was debate was largely President Obama on defense and Mitt Romney on offence, this is the exact position that he placed his opponent four years ago. Sam Tanenhause, Editor of Book Review said, "the better known and more seasoned candidate had more to lose than his opponent" referring to a debut Presidential debate televised in 1960 between Vice President Richard Nixon and the challenger Senator John F. Kennedy. This situation could be related to the unseated composure that President Obama exhibited during the 2012 opening debate.

Look out for Part II

Zambia Among the TOP Economies on GCI

The areas that Zambia needs to improve on is Productivity!! I keep on emphasizing Productivity.
Global Competitiveness Index 2012-2013: Africa rankings

Country	Africa ranking	Overall ranking 2012-2013 (of 144)
South Africa	1	52
Mauritius	2	54
Rwanda	3	63
Morocco	4	70
Seychelles	5	76
Botswana	6	79
Namibia	7	92
Gambia, The	8	98
Gabon	9	99
Zambia	10	102
Ghana	11	103
Kenya	12	106
Egypt	13	107
Algeria	14	110
Liberia	15	111
Cameroon	16	112
Libya	17	113
Nigeria	18	115
Senegal	19	117
Benin	20	119
Tanzania	21	120
Ethiopia	22	121
Cape Verde	23	122
Uganda	24	123
Mali	25	128
Malawi	26	129
Madagascar	27	130
Côte d'’Ivoire	28	131
Zimbabwe	29	132
Burkina Faso	30	133
Mauritania	31	134
Swaziland	32	135
Lesotho	33	137
Mozambique	34	138
Chad	35	139
Guinea	36	141
Sierra Leone	37	143
Burundi	38	144

Unemployment a time bomb - sata

PRESIDENT Michael Sata says youths in Zambia will turn against the government if the high unemployment levels are not addressed immediately.

And President Sata says the Zimbabwean International Trade Fair he attended in Bulawayo recently was better organised than the one he officially opened in Ndola yesterday.

Speaking before the luncheon hosted in his honour sponsored by First Quantum Minerals (FQM) at Mukuba Hotel in Ndola yesterday, President Sata said it was unfortunate that he was invited to dine with investors when a majority of Zambians were going for many days without a meal.

He said he was disheartened to see thousands of youths fighting for recruitment in the Zambia Army when the government was previously pleading with citizens to join the defence forces.

"We cannot be here enjoying this lunch while the youths are fighting for employment. We should be ashamed as Zambians because in the past, the army brass band would have to perform to encourage youths to join them," President Sata said.

He said the unemployment levels in the country were a time bomb and warned that if nothing was done about it, youths would turn against the government.

"When you see children fighting over recruitment in the army, it means they
are warning us. If we are not careful, these young people will beat us one
day with these flags we are carrying on our vehicles," President Sata said during his address to senior government officials, exhibitors and organizers of the 2012 Zambia International Trade Fair.

"When we are sitting here and eating what First Quantum is giving us, let us think of how many of our relatives have gone for three days without a meal. Yesterday I was in Chama, I saw Mr.Tom Mtine's relatives, they are as thin as a thread. They don't even know when they last ate. And here we are eating. We don't even know what to do with what is going to remain."

He said Zambia would not survive if all stakeholders, both public and private, fail to join hands to end the high levels of unemployment among young people.

ZAMBIA-SINGLE DIGIT INFLATION FOR JUNE 2012

BANK of ZAMBIA
Communiqué
Released at 15 hours on 31st May 2012
The Monetary Policy Committee has maintained the BoZ Policy Rate at
9.0%
The Monetary Policy Committee met today the 31st May 2012 to review recent
economic developments and assess the upside and downside risks to the endyear inflation target of 7.0%.
The Committee observed that  global economic growth  continues to be  weak
underpinned by the continued sovereign debt crisis affecting the Eurozone
economies.  Nonetheless, Zambia’s international trade performance is expected
to remain favourable in June 2012, mainly due to an expected increase in
merchandise export volumes. In addition, the  continued favourable
macroeconomic environment and the seasonal improvement in food supply will
all have a moderating effect on inflation.
In the money market, liquidity conditions are not expected to pose a threat to
inflation in the month of June 2012. Further, the improved supply of maize,
fish and fresh vegetables on account of seasonal factors and the expected
reduction in meat prices following the ban of maize and wheat bran exports will
have a dampening effect on food inflation.
Overall, the above developments are expected to mitigate the lagged passthrough effects of the depreciation of the Kwacha experienced in  recent
months. Given the foregoing, the Committee has weighted the risks to inflation
and has determined that inflation during the policy-relevant period would remain largely consistent with the end year target of 7.0%. Accordingly, the
Committee has decided to maintain the Bank of Zambia Policy Rate at 9.0% in
June 2012.
The next meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee to review the Bank of
Zambia Policy Rate will be held at the end of June 2012
Bank of Zambia
31st May 2012

IMF VISIT TO ZAMBIA

Statement by the IMF Staff Mission at the Conclusion of a Visit to Zambia

Press Release No. 12/77
March 13, 2012

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission visited Lusaka February 29–March 13, 2012 to conduct discussions for the Article IV consultation.¹ The mission had fruitful discussions with Hon. Alexander Chikwanda, Minister of Finance and National Planning; Dr. Michael Gondwe, Governor of the Bank of Zambia, and other senior officials as well as representatives from the private sector, civil society and labor unions.

At the conclusion of the visit in Lusaka today, Mr. Trevor Alleyne, mission chief for Zambia, released the following statement:

“Macroeconomic performance in 2011 was positive and is expected to remain robust this year. Real GDP growth is estimated at 6½ percent in 2011 and is projected at 7.7 percent this year, reflecting strong growth in copper production and non-maize agriculture, and an expansionary fiscal policy. Inflation declined to 7.2 percent at end-2011, broadly in line with the authorities’ target, and is projected to end this year close to its February 2012 level of 6.0 percent. The 2012 budget targets a widening of the fiscal deficit to 4.1 percent of GDP driven by a significant ramp up of investment. Despite copper prices rising to record highs, the external current account surplus narrowed substantially last year, mainly reflecting a strong expansion in imports and a decline in grants. For 2012, the current account surplus is projected to remain broadly unchanged, while gross international reserves are expected to continue to grow, reaching the equivalent of 3.3 months of prospective imports.

“There are near-term downside risks arising from the uncertain prospects for the global economy and from domestic policies.Although the crisis in Europe has had little spillover to the Zambian economy to date, a further deterioration in global economic conditions could squeeze trade credit lines; reduce demand for Zambian exports; and lower copper prices. On the domestic front, policy measures will be needed to ensure that fiscal targets are met; and careful implementation of the planned financial sector reforms will be necessary to safeguard financial sector stability. On the other hand, Zambia’s solid macroeconomic management, the large investments in the copper sector, and recent strong growth in non-maize agriculture all auger well for the country’s ability to withstand global shocks and sustain the growth momentum into the future.

“Maintaining a positive investment climate for current and potential investors should be an important component of Zambia’s growth strategy. As traditional concessional financing phases out and Zambia relies increasingly on international markets and foreign direct investment, it will be important for the government to implement and communicate clearly a consistent set of policies related to foreign investment. This will enhance Zambia’s international reputation as a destination for investment flows by reducing uncertainty.

“Despite the favorable macroeconomic results, there is an urgent need to re-orient policies to ensure that economic growth and macroeconomic stability are accompanied by strong employment growth and poverty reduction. Looking forward, it will be important for the Government to implement policies to diversify the economy and ensure that growth is more inclusive. Key areas will include: (1) tax policy, tax administration, and public financial management to create fiscal space for increased infrastructure spending and improve technical capacity to efficiently administer a larger capital budget; (2) maize marketing and pricing policies and the development of a broad-based reform strategy for the agricultural sector; (3) increasing access to financial services by small and medium enterprises without jeopardizing financial sector stability; and (4) removing the incentives for the proliferation of informal business and employment arrangements.”

The 2012 Article IV discussion by the IMF’s Executive Board is expected to take place in May, 2012.

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¹ Under Article IV of the IMF's Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country's economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board. At the conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chairman of the Board, summarizes the views of Executive Directors, and this summary is transmitted to the country's authorities.

Funding Opportunity

The Cities Alliance, a global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development has issued its second call for proposals under its Catalytic Fund.

The theme under which the funding would be provided is “Youth and the City: Challenges of and Visions for Demographic Change.”

The thematic call has three main objectives in line with the ‘catalytic’ nature of the Fund:

• To raise awareness of the role of youth in urban development at a time when cities, grappling with an historic urbanisation process, appear ill-prepared to provide improved governance, meaningful representation, or economic and social roles for their youthful populations.
• To select and support, both technically and financially, innovative youth-focused urban projects and to revisit traditional Cities Alliance areas such as city development strategies, slum upgrading and national policies on urban development with an emphasis on youth.
• To provide a flexible platform for successful projects to develop peer-to-peer learning networks and to systematically extract and share knowledge that both informs and influences urban practices as well as policy dialogues at the local, national and global level.

The proposed project must be implemented in countries that are on the OECD DAC List of Aid Recipients.

Grant size requests must be limited to between US $50,000 – US $250,000.

DEYOS-ZAMBIA
Network Dept
deyos.zambia@gmail.com

Funding opportunity

The Government of Sweden has decided to continue the special initiative for democratisation and freedom of expression launched in 2009. The initiative aims at supporting actors for change, individuals, groups and civil society organisations working for democratisation and freedom of expression.

The objective of this Call for Proposals is improved conditions for actors for change to work for enhanced democratisation and freedom of expression. The interventions shall contribute to improved conditions and increased opportunities for actors for change to work for enhanced democratisation and freedom of expression and the reduction of various forms of discrimination and oppression.

Sida invites organisations and other relevant actors to submit a Full Application for programmes/projects which might be considered under this support mechanism. Please read theGuidelines for Applicants (pdf). The Full Application Format and its Annexes can be downloaded from this page, to the right.

Application deadline April, 15

This Call for Proposals is open 9 March – 15 April 2012. Applications submitted beyond this deadline will not be considered.

Questions can be sent to callforproposals_demo1@sida.se

DEYOS-ZAMBIA

NETWORKING DEPT