Mukupa Writes

By Linda Mupemo Some grass thatched houses connected to Mpanta solar mini  grid - Picture by Linda Mupemo     As the sun kisses the horizon giving birth to dawn, Damiano Bupe emerges in his boat on the shore of Chibesa -Wa- Mpanta.    Chibesa-Wa-Mpanta is at the furthest end of Mpanta village, a point where Lake Bangweulu tilts and drains into a channel later called Luapula River. The village is in Samfya District in Luapula Province, located 50 kilometers away from the Central Business District.    Going by the quantity of fish Mr. Bupe catches, the night was gracious to him.    His harvest is so evident to the eager fish traders who unreservedly swam around him with intent to get the freshest fish for sale.     At home, Mr. Bupe has ice blocks in a deep freezer which he later sells to his out of town customers to enable them keep the commodity fresh as they journey back to their destination.   This...

 By Linda Mupemo Inverters at Mpanta solar power plant Luapula Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Emmanuel Munsanje has commended the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) for incorporating renewable energy sources into its electrification projects.    Mr. Munsanje cited the 60 Kilowatt Mpanta Solar Mini Grid project in Samfya District which is providing electricity to the community as a game changer in the energy sector.    ZANIS reports that Mr. Munsanje said green and clean energy projects are welcome especially as the world strives to reduce carbon emissions.      Mr. Munsanje has since called on government to allocate more funds to renewable energy projects in a bid to increase access to electricity in an environmentally friendly manner.      "The Mpanta solar plant is a progressive project. We need more of such sustainable developmental projects, projects which neither harm the environment nor ...

 By Linda Mupemo Picture for illustration purposes Milenge District in Luapula Province has made headways in the implementation of the re-entry policy as 46 girls who fell pregnant in 2021 have returned to school this year.    Milenge District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Elie Shumba disclosed that 47 girls fell pregnant last year in the 60 schools across the district.      Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr. Shumba said from all the pregnancy related drop-outs which were recorded in the last academic year, only one girl is yet to return to school.    "This is an improvement in comparison to the previous years. For instance, 83 girls dropped out of school in 2020 due to pregnancies and only 16 returned to school in 2021," he said.    Mr. Shumba attributed the high number of re-entries to heightened sensitisation by stakeholders coupled with the introduction of the free education policy....

 By Linda Mupemo Milenge MP Saka Chonde Milenge Constituency Member of Parliament Saka Chonde has implored Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) engaged in environmental protection programmes to extend their services to rural communities such as Milenge district.     Mr. Chonde observed that lack of supplementary efforts from NGOs has contributed to insufficient access to information on environmental protection in rural areas.      Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr. Chonde noted that most NGOs involved in environmental sustainability activities are concentrated in urban areas resulting in rural areas lagging behind.    Mr. Chonde said there is need for concerted efforts from various stakeholders to eradicate environmental degradation.    "At the moment, there is no NGO involved in environmental protection in ...

By Linda Mupemo The  Rural Electrification Authority    (REA) has completed the Lwela-Milambo grid extension project in the western part of Milenge district.  REA Corporate Affairs Manager Justine Mukosa said the primary beneficiaries such as Lwela Rural Health Center and Lwela Secondary School are scheduled to be electrified by the end of July, 2020. Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr. Mukosa said the technical commissioning will be done in phases adding that beneficiaries should ensure they do internal wiring of their buildings.  He disclosed that over seven million kwacha has been spent on the project which has been implemented by Yengatech Enterprises Limited.  He added that the grid extension project commenced in May 2018 and is projected to benefit over eleven thousand people.  Milenge District Commissioner Mwenya Bupe has commended REA for its continued efforts in developing rural areas by increasing access to electr...

By Linda Mupemo Hey people! It has been forever, group hug! Group hug!! Oh well, I do not really know who is reading this. But hey, with an audience of one or a thousand, the show must go on.  The thing is I am already in Easter mode. You know the bringing dead things back to life type of mode? Yup! So I thought of channeling some of this energy towards breathing life into the skeletons of my blog. Breathe oh blog! Breathe!!!  I never even got to share my hair experience with castor oil hey, but  I am back now. And I will write all about that soon enough. You know how we make plans especially when you are in your final year of study? Like I just want to ace these examinations, get my degree, find a stable source of income and settle in one of the urban areas. Then bammmm! Reality hits you.  Let me just say God has a sense of humour. He has this funny but fulfilling way of unleashing me into my destiny.  So, I am out here in one...