Ndola City Council
Ministry of Information and Media – Zambia
@topfans Gary Nkombo Ministry of Infrastructure,Housing and Urban Development
PRESS STATEMENT
(For Immediate release)
17th October, 2024
GOVERNMENT CLARIFIES ON REMOVAL OF BOOTHS IN NDOLA
LUSAKA: The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) wishes to provide clarification regarding the exercise in which Ndola City Council (NCC) Management removed some mobile money Booths in the Central Business District (CBD) in Ndola.
The Ministry wishes to update the Nation that the Council management on 15th October, 2024, undertook an exercise to remove about 100 mobile money Booths in the CBD in line with a Council Resolution No. PHS/110/12/2023 and following months of engagements with the mobile money traders and operators.
The decision to remove mobile money booths was made way back in December 2023 to prevent the spread of diseases following the outbreak of Cholera and make Ndola Clean. This was because a huge number of booths were not in use, while many were being used for other purposes rather than mobile money transactions. Some booths are also used as toilets by unknown members of the public especially at night, and Council workers are made to clean the mess every morning.
In December, 2023, during the Cholera outbreak, the Local Authority under Minute Number PHS/110/12/2023 resolved to remove mobile money booths and directed that all mobile money transactions should be conducted under umbrellas and tables as one of the measures to curb and prevent diseases such as cholera.
The Department of Public Health, however, did not remove the booths in that particular month in order to allow for engagements and sensitisation of the affected people to give them room to adjust.
From January 2024, the Ndola City Council has engaged in THREE (3) PUBLIC MEETINGS with mobile money traders in which it communicated the decision to remove mobile money booths and further emphasised that mobile money trading would continue while using other means rather than booths.
The Local Authority also engaged the public through radio, Press release and media engagements. A Public Notice was issued in May 2024 communicating designated areas of operations and that mobile money booths were no longer permitted in the CBD.
Ndola City Council management undertook the exercise to remove all the booths that had not been removed by the owners and all those abandoned on 15th October, 2024. It is, however, regrettable that during the exercise, some booths were damaged.
Following the exercise and concerns raised by mobile money traders, a meeting was held on 15th October, 2024 addressed by the Town Clerk in which it was tentatively agreed that booths remained unaccepted in the CBD and that all mobile money traders could continue operating with umbrellas and tables.
A committee of concerned stakeholders was established to take stock of damaged booths and to do a report to the Town Clerk so that in cases where it was confirmed that the action by Ndola City Council officers was excessive and that the booths could not be recovered, the Ndola City Council management may replace the booths with the view of owners relocating elsewhere other than the CBD.
As at the time of this publication, mobile money traders are normally trading in the CBD.
As a Ministry, we wish to reiterate our support for all businesses, large and small, including mobile money trading in the Country.
Further, we wish to assure all residents and businesses that Ndola City Council, like any other Local Authority, is committed to providing an enabling environment through efforts to promote a cleaner, healthier and sustainable trading environment including in residential compounds.
Issued by:
(Original copy signed)
Mr. Nicholous Phiri
PERMANENT SECRETARY (TECHNICAL SERVICES)
MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT