Something from the past...The Times, November 2005

SEED project: Livingstone council disappoints Levy

By Times Reporter

PRESIDENT Mwanawasa has directed the Southern Province Permanent secretary’s office to takeover coordination of the World Bank Support to Economic Expansion and Diversification (SEED) from the Livingstone City Council.
Mr Mwanawasa said the local authority had failed to show accountability in executing the task.
The President said last evening at Wasawange Lodge in Livingstone during a meeting with tour operators and the business community that he was disappointed with the manner in which the council had been handling affairs.
The World Bank has staked US$6.5 million for the improvement of infrastructure in Livingstone under SEED project.
He said his Government was eager to facilitate successful businesses and urged Zambians to utilise tourism opportunities instead of leaving everything to foreign investors.
He said people should take advantage of the SEED project and commended Sun International which had done so much to market tourism for Zambia abroad.
The President also announced that the Legacy Group from South Africa had recently called on him and expressed interest in building two high-class hotels in Livingstone, on the Copperbelt and in Lusaka.
President Mwanawasa also assured tour operators that all their concerns ranging from taxes to incentives would be considered but advised them to also make submissions for the next Budget.
During the same meeting, Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) chairman Nicholas Katanekwa urged Government to intervene in preserving the wilderness value of the Victoria Falls whose waters had gone down because of Zesco rehabilitation works in which water had been diverted.
He said Zesco rehabilitation had discouraged many tourists from coming to view the falls because it was dry and called for a balance between Zesco’s interests and the falls.
Mr Katanekwa also commended the Government for the tremendous efforts made in improving tourism in Livingstone through the uplifting of infrastructure at the Livingstone Airport.
Mr Katanekwa said the improvements at the airport, due to Government’s good policies had facilitated tremendous rise in tourism arrivals.
He said there was also need for better roads, as infrastructure was vital to the tourism promotion in the tourist capital.
Mr Katanekwa who also praised on Sun international for marketing Zambia’s tourism abroad, asked the Government to increase the tourism development credit facility (TDCF) to enable many more locals to access the fund to further improve tourism.