Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has received the government’s praise for giving out 160 cattle to 80 families in Nampundwe, 58 kilomemtres west of the capital Lusaka, in commemoration of Zambia’s 50 years of independence.

Deputy Minister for Gender and Child Development Obius Chisala who officiated at the recent handover ceremony said the gesture was a key element for empowering citizens and poverty alleviation.

The latest gifts brought to 494 cattle – 472 draft cattle and 22 dairy cattle – given to communities under KCM’s enhanced Sustainable Livelihood Programme, which seeks to empower communities, especially women, with livestock to create wealth in three of the four towns in which KCM operates.

“There could not have been a better way of rewarding women than empowering them with livestock. I must therefore commend KCM for tailoring this programme to target mainly women,” Mr Chisala said.

He said that the project was a clear demonstration of the value–based development model promoted by the mining company and its implementing partner, the NGO Village Water Zambia.

The government will fully support the project, which aims to increase livestock, agricultural productivity and sustainable livelihoods targeting 4,200 households in communities surrounding KCM mining areas, he said.

“Through this Sustainable Livelihood Enhancement Project, KCM is contributing towards the national strategic goal of poverty alleviation and the socio-economic development of the rural communities,” Mr Chisala said.

KCM Vice President – Mining Keith Kapui said in a speech read on his behalf that the company was committed to ensuring that communities around its mining areas were empowered so as to bring about all-round socio-economic development.

“We know that our success is intrinsically tied to the wellbeing and prosperity of the community that surrounds us. It is very much within our interests to see the community thrive and develop livelihoods that will continue to flourish beyond the life of the mine,” Mr Kapui said.

KCM is implementing a $2.5 million Enhanced Sustainable Livelihood Project, to run for five years to 2017, through which the company is providing livestock to women clubs and co-operatives in Chililabombwe, Chingola and Nampundwe.