GERMANY’s Dormagen city in has donated 50 laptops to its twin city of Chipata in Zambia.
On Friday, Kalemba reported a story where the city of Dormagen donated a fire engine to Chipata city.
Chipata mayor George Mwanza disclosed that the fire engine is worth about 150,000 euros (K2.9 million).
Mwanza is in Dormagen, Germany, where he is leading a seven member delegation from the Chipata City Council.
The visit, which is at the invitation of Dormagen city mayor Erik Lierenfeld, runs from April 16, 2023 to April 24, 2023.
Lierenfeld stated, in his invitation letter, that the visit will deepen the friendly relationship between the two cities.
Today, Lubinda Kashewe, the first secretary for press at the Zambian Embassy in Berlin, Germany, stated that 50 laptops valued at €50, 000 (K973, 893) were handed over by Lierenfeld at the Dormagen city town hall yesterday.
Receiving the donation on behalf of the Zambian government, charge D’Affaires at the Zambian Embassy in Germany Dorcas Chileshe said the donation will go a long way in improving service delivery to the people of Chipata.
She called on other city councils in Zambia to emulate Chipata City Council, by initiating partnerships with other cities in Germany.
According to Kashewe, Lierenfeld pledged to help connect other German cities with Zambian cities.
Chipata and Dormagen cities signed a twinning agreement in October 2022 and are focusing on exchange programmes for health workers and teachers .
Meanwhile, Chipata city mayor George Mwanza, who is in Dormagen with a team from his council and officials from Local Government Service Commission (LGSC), said the partnership between the two cities will see Dormagen city investing in a solar power plant in Chipata, which will produce electricity for local people.
The twinning programme will also promote tree planting, to address deforestation, which has been a big challenge in Chipata.
Mwanza also explained that the human resource exchange programme will start with a small number of teachers and medical personnel, who will work in Dormagen city for a year to three years.
Kalemba April 23, 2023
