• 'Oldest wooden structure' discovered on border of Zambia and Tanzania
• Half-million-year-old wooden structure unearthed in Zambia
• Sisters in Zambia fend off hunger with organic farming

• Fresh from a deadly cholera outbreak, Zambia declares drought a national emergency
• Victoria Falls shrink to a trickle, feeding climate change fears
• Zambia: Minimum wage leads to steep food price rises

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

'Oldest wooden structure' discovered on border of Zambia and Tanzania
20 September 2023 - Researchers have discovered remnants of what is thought to be the world's oldest known wooden structure, an arrangement of logs on the bank of a river bordering Zambia and Tanzania that predates the rise of modern humans. The simple structure, made by shaping two logs with sharp stone tools, may have formed part of a walkway or platform for human ancestors who lived along the Kalambo River nearly 500,000 years ago. (more)

Half-million-year-old wooden structure unearthed in Zambia
20 September 2023 - The discovery of ancient wooden logs in the banks of a river in Zambia has changed archaeologists' understanding of ancient human life. ...The findings, published in the journal Nature, suggest stone-age people built what may have been shelters. ...Team member Perrice Nkombwe, from the Livingstone Museum, in Zambia, said: 'I was amazed to know that woodworking was such a deep-rooted tradition.' (more)

Sisters in Zambia fend off hunger with organic farming
16 July 2020 - Under the scorching sun on the outskirts of this town located 15 miles south of the capital, Lusaka, a group of religious sisters has slowly been practicing organic farming amid a biting drought that has affected millions of residents and their livestock countrywide. On their 15 acres, sisters practice organic farming, which excludes all synthetic chemical inputs. The farm bears a variety of indigenous vegetables, fruits, cabbage, kale, maize, tomatoes, onions, beans, and livestock that includes chickens. The Daughters of the Redeemer sisters do not rely on rainfall to farm due to shifting weather patterns. After drilling a borehole, they installed an irrigation system that has given their crops a lifeline. Even with temperatures soaring to nearly 38 degrees Celsius, 100 Fahrenheit, the lush green healthy crop of maize and vegetables stands firm. (more)

Honey project brings sweet success for families in Zambia
17 September 2019 - Beehives built out of scrap wood in the country's virgin forests have reaped rewards for 10,000 local families. A former hedge fund manager has become one of Africa's most prolific single-source honey producers through a social enterprise that impacts thousands of families. [Former trader Martin] Zuch said environmental concerns are also central to the project, explaining that lack of pesticides greatly increases the taste of the honey, enough of which is left in each hive to sustain production. (more)

Zambia targets 200 MW of solar power to reduce hydro dependency
27 November 2018 - Zambia is seeking proposals from potential developers of solar power projects with a combined 200 megawatt (MW) capacity as it tries to diversify its energy mix away from hydroelectric power. Zambia is heavily dependent on hydropower and faced electricity shortages following a drought in 2016. (more)

Massive 5,655-carat emerald unearthed in Zambia
30 October 2018 - The world's largest producer of green stones has unearthed a 5,655-carat emerald crystal at its mines in Zambia. The stone, which weighs more than 1.1 kg (almost 2.5 lbs), was found at the Gemfield mines in Kagem, the company said in a statement Monday (29 October). The emerald is being called 'Inkalamu,' which means 'lion' in the local Zambia Bemba language. It has 'remarkable clarity and a perfectly balanced golden green hue,' the statement said. (more)

Zambia tries new way to beat drought: solar grain mills
17 January 2017 - Across Zambia, drought that swept across the region last year, leading to widespread crop failure, has sent cereal prices soaring. the result of lack of rainfall hitting hydropower -- mean many small grain mills are charging higher prices for milling, or don't have sufficient capacity. But Zambia's government hopes it has an answer: Since 2015 it has been installing hundreds of small solar-powered mills in rural areas as a way to help hold down the price of producing food. (more)

Drought-parched Zambia turns to the sun to keep water flowing
8 June 2016 - Solar powered-boreholes in southern Zambia's drought-prone Kazungula District are providing local communities with quick and easy access to clean groundwater. The head teacher at Simukombo Primary School, Richard Simfukwe, said that since the well began operating, the rate of waterborne diseases within the community has fallen, while class attendance has improved to above 70 percent. (more)

Zambia: Saving Mothers partnership yields 'inspiring' results
10 January 2014 - A programme designed to save pregnant women from preventable death has yielded 'inspiring' results, says Rajiv Shah, administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The programme -- Saving Mothers, Giving Life -- resulted in 30 per cent fewer women dying during childbirth in its eight trial districts in Zambia and Uganda in its first year, Shah reported at a 9 January event at the Washington research institute Center for Strategic and International Studies. The positive results of the five-year, $200 million programme launched in 2012 mean that it can expand to at least three more countries, Shah said. (more)

Welcome to the 2014 Chinese Spring Festival Temple Fair in Zambia
3 January 2014 - To promote friendship, cultural exchanges, and mutual understanding between the Chinese and Zambian peoples, the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese Community in Zambia will organize the 2014 Chinese Spring Festival Temple Fair in Zambia one week in advance of the Chinese New Year. The Chinese Spring Festival or the Chinese Lunar New Year ushers in the year of the Horse, which starts on 31 January 2014 and ends on 18 February 2015. (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Fresh from a deadly cholera outbreak, Zambia declares drought a national emergency
1 March 2024 - Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema Thursday [29 February] declared the country's debilitating drought a national disaster and emergency, saying it has devastated food production and electricity generation as the nation battles to recover from a recent deadly cholera outbreak. (more)

Victoria Falls shrink to a trickle, feeding climate change fears
6 December 2019 - For decades Victoria Falls, where southern Africa's Zambezi river cascade down 100 metres into a gash in the earth, have drawn millions of holidaymakers to Zimbabwe and Zambia for their stunning views. But the worst drought in a century has slowed the waterfalls to a trickle, fuelling fears that climate change could kill one of the region's biggest tourist attractions. (more)

Zambia: Minimum wage leads to steep food price rises
27 September 2012 - The euphoria that greeted the government's imposition of minimum wage increases has quickly soured, with prices of food and other essential commodities escalating as higher wage costs are passed onto consumers. In July 2012, President Michael Sata's government upped the minimum monthly salary in line with the 2011 election promise of 'more money in the pocket' for poorly paid workers. Wages for domestic workers increased from US$30 to about $105, while general workers such as office orderlies, shop assistants, sweepers and farmworkers saw their monthly earnings more than quadruple from $50 to $220. In the past month, the cost of 25kg bag of the staple ground maize meal has increased by $1 to $8.50, while other farm produce prices have also risen. Daniel Mutale, social conditions programme manager for the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflections (JCTR), a local faith-based think tank, said the sudden cost increase in basic food items was putting additional stress on the poor. About 64 per cent of Zambia's 13 million people live on $1 or less per day, according to Zambia's Central Statistical Office. (more)

Western Zambia sees deadly protests over secession
16 January 2011 - Residents of western Zambia were barred from gathering -- even for Sunday church services -- after an attempt to debate secession led to deadly protests. It was unclear how long the restrictions, first imposed Friday, would last. Two days earlier, activists from the region's main ethnic group, the Lozi, had tried to hold a public debate on the region's status. Police banned the meeting citing security concerns, an order that set off protests. A debate over Barotseland's status has simmered for decades, and is so sensitive that the information minister has banned radio stations from holding phone-in programmes on the subject. (more)

Mining leaves toxic legacy in Zambian town
22 June 2007 - Mining is Zambia's economic lifeblood, but Kabwe's mineral riches dried up in 1994, when heavy financial losses forced the state-run Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) company to shut down operations. Once one of Africa's largest and richest mining towns, Kabwe was left with a legacy of toxic waste. Environmental groups have accused Zambia's government of ignoring environmental hazards in Kabwe. State authorities say they only became aware of the problem in 2000. (more)

Ex-Zambian leader stole millions
5 May 2007 - A British court found Zambia's first democratically elected President guilty of stealing $46 million in government funds Friday. Frederick Chiluba served as leader of Zambia's first democratically elected government following 27 years of one-party rule by Kenneth Kaunda. He had promised to introduce political freedoms and overhaul Zambia's debt-ridden, centrally planned economy. Instead, he oversaw corruption-ridden privatizations that failed to improve the lives of Zambia's 10 million residents. (more)

Rioting erupts in Zambia over elections
2 October 2006 - Rioting erupted in the Zambian capital after President Levy Mwanawasa surged ahead in presidential polls and his principal rival Michael Sata slipped into third place. Hundreds of riot police fired tear gas to try to disperse an angry crowd of Sata supporters. Sata's party has demanded that the electoral commission investigate alleged irregularities, including thousands of missing ballot papers. (more)