.Sichinga

By NORMA SIAME and JUDITH NAMUTOWE –

THE Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) funded value chain clusters were yesterday launched in Northern Province with a focus on empowering the economically disadvantaged rural applicants.
The shift from previous disbursement patterns that favoured urban applicants is in line with the re-organised CEEC that will ensure 90 per cent of the funds are distributed to rural applicants.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister, Bob Sichinga said this was in contrast to previous loans that were given out to individuals that had non-sustainable projects and mostly concentrated in urban areas.
The Minister was speaking when he flagged off the programme in Kasama yesterday.
He said the new approach was however, designed to provide strategic benefits available in each region that would have maximum economic impact.
For Northern Province, soya bean cultivation was picked for Kasama, groundnuts for Mungwi and aquaculture for Mpulungu.
“The Patriotic Front (PF) development agenda extends beyond party affiliation and is meant to benefit everyone more so our economically disadvantaged members of our communities who are the women, youth and the disabled,’ Mr Sichinga said.
As a result of high demand for loans, Mr Sichinga said more funds would be sourced to roll out the value chain cluster programme to the rest of the country by the end of 2015.
Between 2010 and 2012, the Government disbursed a total of K204 billion, most of which went to individuals and other projects which were not sustainable with only 42 percent being funded.
CEEC board chairperson, Kasuka Mutukwa said the clusters would propel industrialisation process and at the same time see more people benefit directly through the creation of industries that would be born as the value chains grew.
CEEC director general Likando Mukumbuta said the institution would continue exploring ways to enhance participation by entrepreneurs.
A total of  8,172 applications were received from the public in 2013 and currently stood at 16,000.
Northern Province Minister Freedom Sikazwe speaking at the same function encouraged successful applicants not to concentrate much on the amount they received individually but on how they could best utilise the resources to grow their business and create employment.
Mr Sichinga will today visit Mpulungu to flag off the aquaculture value chain cluster.