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Minister opens state-of –the-art college, as investor predicts growth, jobs for Luanshya


Minister of Higher Education Brian Mushimba has commended the China Nonferrous Metal Company for the turning the Luanshya Skills Training Centre into a Centre of Excellency College for Science and Technology.
And the multi-national mining conglomerate China Non-ferrous Metal Company (CNMC) Group of Companies, which owns Luanshya Copper Mines have predicted positive growth for the local mining sector with indicators showing increased copper production and hopes for more job opportunities for the locals.
Speaking when he officially Commissioned the modernised and upgraded Sino-Zam College of Science and Technology in Luanshya, Dr Mushimba said Government has happy with the China Non-ferrous Metal Company’s move to invest in the empowerment of youths with training which place them in a better position to contribute to national development.
Dr Mushimba said the new college was now a model training centre offering various professional training using modern technology and start-of-the –art equipment.
Speaking earlier when he paid a courtesy call on Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda, Dr Mushimba said Government wants to ensure that sanity returns to all universities and other tertiary institution through dialogue and engagement of all stakeholders.
Dr Mushimba said students were potential national leaders who should be assisted to release their role in national building through a continues consultation process which should not leave our lecturers and other stakeholders.
And Speaking during commissioning of the Sino-Zam College, Mayor Chanda called on the CNMC Luanshya Copper Mine management to introduce scholarships meant to carter for some deserving students from within who come from less privilege families like those of poor mine workers to be granted bursaries to be trained for free or less fee as a way of creating a win-win situation between the investor and local people, through ploughing back part of the profit. 
He said the newly commissioned Sino-Zam College of science and Technology has brought quality education and hope for bright future for the many youths in the mining town.
Mayor Chanda appealed to students to avoid being engaged in retrogressive activities such as unnecessary riots and causing anarchy once they were enrolled in colleges and universities.

CNMC Group Deputy Chief Executive Office Zhang Junjun said his company was happy to work with the Zambian Government to contribute towards the country’s social and economic development.

Mr Zhang said business trends in the mining sector were indicating that the mining sector was heading for growth. 
He said cobalt production was expected to increase to 25,000 tonnes, while copper production was estimated to be heading to 55,000 tonnes per annum a situation which will see CNMC create 3000 jobs in Luanshya. Mr Zhang said US$ 1.88 million was in 2018 spent on Corporate Social responsibility by Luanshya Copper Mines and that a total of US$ seven hundred and eighty-nine thousand was spent t on Corporate Social Responsibility in the first half of 2018.
A total of eight vocational college from China have partnered with Sino-Zam College of science and Technology offering training in various courses after entering into an agreement for a pilot vocational training package which would in future culminate into offering undergraduate post graduate degree courses to the locals.
After being modernised and upgraded to the new Sino-zam College of Science and Technology will now have training and accommodation facilities to carter for more students and lecturers.

For a start the students have been increased from 140 to 260, the number of lecturers has increased from 14 to 26 offering 11 different courses.
The course includes six new diploma training programmes and a new craft certificate training programme has been added to the four courses already existing.
The introduction of the new training program and the modernization and expansion of the college which was constructed in 1950 has cheered the minister who also took time to thank the people and government of china for being Zambia’s all weather friends which the friendship which draw from as far back as 1964 when the two countries opened their diplomatic relations.

Copper belt Province Permanent Secretary Bright Nundwe and Luanshya District Commissioner Patrick Malipambe also thanked CNMC for investing heavily in the Sino-Zam College of Science and Technology.

Representatives of the Beijing Polytechnic College and China’s Confucius Institute were among the local and foreign dignitaries, who witnessed the commissioning of the Sino-Zam College of Science and Technology in Luanshya.

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