FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WITH PICTURES
SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
Kagem partners with government to construct USD 2.5M Chapula Vocational Training Centre
LUFWANYAMA, ZAMBIA – On 27 September, Kagem Mining Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Zambia committing to fund the construction of the Chapula Vocational Training Centre in Lufwanyama, that will enable local people to acquire skills to improve their employability. The training centre is a pivotal project and, at an estimated cost of ZMW 52,750,000 (USD 2.5 million), demonstrates Kagem’s commitment to supporting the regional and national economic development and helping create successful and independent communities in its area of operation.
With a curriculum being designed to align with industry demands, the Chapula Vocational Training Centre will offer a diverse array of courses, with carpentry, plumbing, heavy earth moving machinery, computing and information technology (IT) skills training proposed.
Kagem is partnering with the Ministry of Technology and Science and, the Ministry of Agriculture to facilitate critical aspects of the initiative’s implementation, such as access to suitable land and comprehensive assessments to identify other specific courses that will best serve the needs of local communities.
Speaking during the MoU signing ceremony, in Lusaka, the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Reuben Mtolo Phiri MP said, “The land on which the training centre will be constructed has been made available by the Centre for Horticultural Training under the Ministry of Agriculture.”
He also expressed high hopes for the success of the centre, “We are also complimenting efforts in ensuring that our citizens, especially the youth, are empowered with practical life skills.”
Speaking at the same event, Minister of Technology and Science Hon. Felix Mutati MP said the MoU was a good example of effective public private partnership adding that his ministry’s goal was to take digital liberalisation to the people of Lufwanyama through the centre: “You cannot achieve transformation of the economy if you do not decentralise. What we are doing today is taking a centre of excellency to a rural part of Zambia. Distributing the resources of this country to include our boys and girls in Chapula. Let us empower future change-makers who are going to walk a different path enabled by technology.”
Kagem’s Head of Human Resources, Dr Wesley Chishimba, said that Kagem was pleased to partner with the Zambian government to better the lives of people – particularly the young – in its area of operation through the funding of various community activities.
“The issue of unemployment has long been recognised as a matter of concern – especially among young people. At Kagem, we are hopeful that by setting up Chapula Vocational Training Centre, our young people will feel empowered through gaining relevant and useful skills that will enable them to pursue job opportunities of their choice. We see the VTC as being instrumental in fostering the growth of the private sector,” he said.
Chapula Vocational Training Centre will be built on land that has been made available by the Centre for Horticultural Training under the Ministry of Agriculture, and will be located nearby the Chapula Secondary School, which was built by Kagem in 2016.
Once the construction of Chapula Vocational Training Centre is completed, the centre will be handed over to the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) who will conduct the training for local young men and women.
-Ends-
ENQUIRIES
| ENQUIRIES | Gillian Langmead Langmead & Baker Ltd Tel: +260 979 060705 info@langmead.com |
| HEAD OFFICE | Helena Choudhury Head of PR and Communications Tel: +44 (0)207 518 3420 / +44 (0)7493 237598 helena.choudhury@gemfields.com Albertina Namburete PR Manager Tel: +44 (0)783 325 7387 albertina.namburete@gemfields.com |
NOTES TO EDITORS
Kagem responsible sourcing highlights
- Kagem is committed to ensuring that the community continues to benefit positively from its operations through various sustainability programmes focused on alleviating poverty and aligned with government policies, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Vision 2030.
- The mine has spent USD 3 million on community projects (to December 2022), including:
- Rehabilitation of the 18.7km road connecting Chief Nkana and Chief Lumpuma’s chiefdoms from Kandole to Kafwaya village in Lufwanyama district.
- Construction of the Nkana Health Centre.
- Construction and equipping of a new Chapula Secondary School.
- Construction of new buildings at Chapula Primary School.
- Building of teachers’ accommodation at Kapila Community School.
- Construction of new buildings at Masasa Primary School.
- Support for the Blessings, Kafwaya, Kapila Green Farms, Nkana, Matafwali, Tweende and Twasanta farming associations.
- Improvements to Chief Nkana and Chief Lumpuma’s palaces.
- Previous partnership with the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) providing USD 150,000 over three years.
- One-off donation of USD 70,000 to North Luangwa Conservation Programme (NLCP).
- Previous partnerships with the Copperbelt University (CBU) and the University of Zambia (UNZA) providing USD 345,000 to sponsor students from the geological and mining engineering departments at the School of Mines at UNZA and CBU over a period of eight years.
- Pledge of USD 220,000 to support Lumpuma Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society farming initiative.
- Kagem has renewed its support for the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) providing USD 250,000 over a five-year partnership.
- Kagem has renewed its partnership with both the Copperbelt University (CBU) and the University of Zambia (UNZA), committing to new scholarship programmes totalling USD 345,000.
About Kagem Mining
Kagem Mining Ltd, based in Lufwanyama, is believed to be the world’s single largest producing emerald mine. Kagem is 75% owned by Gemfields, in a model partnership with the Zambian government.
Kagem aims to emulate the values of Gemfields and operate in a way that contributes positively to the national economy, while taking a leading role in modernising the coloured gemstone sector and building sustainable livelihoods for the communities around the mine. Kagem believes that coloured gemstones should be mined and marketed by championing three key values – transparency, legitimacy and integrity.
Gemfields is a world-leading responsible miner and marketer of coloured gemstones. In addition to Kagem, Gemfields is the operator and 75% owner of Montepuez Ruby Mining in Mozambique (at one of the most significant recently discovered ruby deposits in the world), as well as bulk sampling licences in Ethiopia, amongst others.
Gemfields has developed a proprietary grading system and a pioneering auction and trading platform to provide a consistent supply of coloured gemstones to the global jewellery market.
Fabergé – an iconic name with an exceptional heritage – is a member of the Gemfields Group. The beauty of Fabergé’s designs and craftsmanship, helps to raise consumer awareness of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones.
As well as supplying a significant share of the world’s rough rubies and emeralds, Gemfields initiates activations to build desire for coloured gemstones: for example, collaborations with international jewellery brands and other creative partners. Often surprising, unexpected and unique, these collaborations are chosen to promote consumer awareness and increase the appeal of coloured gemstones, raising their profile, and, in turn, providing greater benefit to their place of origin in Africa.
GEMFIELDS
GEMFIELDS.COM | INVESTORS |FOUNDATION
INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
FABERGÉ
FABERGÉ.COM | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
KAGEM MINING LINKEDIN
MONTEPUEZ RUBY MINING LINKEDIN