Global Utah Weekly

(Salt Lake City, November 19) – Her Excellency Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, Ambassador of Zambia, arrived in Utah this week to participate in fund-raising efforts and to celebrate the ten year anniversary of Zambia’s Scholarship Fund, a non-profit organization committed to education in Zambia. The scholarship program in the U.S. is entirely run by volunteers and supports education in the poorest areas of Zambia by hiring teachers for villages currently without teachers, supplying books, teacher kits and support materials to help those schools prosper. Since students in Zambia have to pay for high school education, the organization provides funds for deserving students who otherwise couldn’t afford to go to school at all. Furthermore, eager students are sent to teachers college to prepare them to become teachers themselves for rural villages, thus maintaining the education cycle that improves the overall quality of life for the local population. Education is a long-term solution to extreme poverty and Zambia’s Scholarship Fund increases hope and establishes self-reliance by providing the people of Zambia access to their educational system.

During a luncheon with representatives of the government and business community on Thursday, November 19, the Ambassador expressed warm gratitude to the Zambia Scholarship Fund for their commitment to progress in Zambia. She said that by educating the youth, the world provides for its future. She also mentioned that there are many opportunities for Utah businesses to develop connections with various industry sectors in Zambia, with the most prominent ones being mining (copper, semi-precious stones), agriculture (food processing technology, water distribution systems), and information technology. The Ambassador specifically addressed plentiful opportunities for tourism in Zambia where the natural environment is well-preserved. As she eloquently put it “while in other African countries 20 tourists watch a single lion, in Zambia, 20 lions watch a single tourist”.

The Ambassador enjoyed an opportunity to meet with the Utah community and is looking forward to working on strengthening connections between Zambia and Utah.

For more info on Zambia’s Scholarship Fund please refer to www.zambiascholarshipfund.org

About: Her Excellency Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, Ambassador of Zambia to the United States, previously served as an ambassador and special envoy to the Zambian president (2001-02), and a member of Parliament (1991-2001), serving on various committees specializing in foreign affairs, service, education, science and technology, children, youth and women. From 1980 to 1990, she was the UNICEF regional adviser and senior program officer in Eastern and Southern Africa as well as West and Central Africa.

Zambia is an export destination for Utah Companies. In fact, Utah exports to Zambia grew 36 times from 2004 to 2008, with major export categories of machinery manufactures and fabricated metal products.