LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – Zambeef Products has put its corporate weight behind efforts to ensure the safety of learners and teachers as they start the 2021 academic year.

“Schools are an integral part of our society, therefore, they represent an important front in the country’s war against COVID-19,” said Zambeef Chief Executive Officer Walter Roodt, who stressed the importance of offering pupils peace of mind as they attended class.

“This outbreak is unprecedented and affects every aspect of our lives including how we interact and deliver education.”

“The benefits and spill-over effects of education to our communities are enormous in that they increase a child’s prospects, giving them a fighting chance against poverty. It is therefore imperative that we plough on with deliberate and cautious action to ensure learning continues despite the pandemic,” added Mr Roodt.

Zambeef is of the firm belief that concerted and sustained efforts from all will prove critical in ensuring a safe environment for Zambia’s learners.

“We believe that strict adherence to safety guidelines from the Ministry of Health is key to keeping our teachers and learners safe as they return to school,” added Zambeef Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager Chishala Malekano.

Zambeef has been playing an active role in augmenting local authorities’ capacity to fight the spread of COVID-19 in its areas of operation through the donation of items including hand wash stations, hand sanitisers and facemasks.

Beneficiaries include Mupama Pamo Primary, Liteta Primary and Mwayasunka Secondary School, as well as the Zambeef-sponsored Nampamba Private School in Mpongwe.

Mwayasunka Basic School is the largest learning institution within a 10-kilometre radius from Huntley Farm which serves an ever-growing population of learners in and around Chibombo.

Nampamba Private School in Mpongwe – which is fully funded by Zambeef – is equipped with a computer lab to facilitate Information Communication Technology exams. It is also one of the few rural schools with waterborne toilets.

School head teacher Boas Wasuka thanked Zambeef for its continued support, saying that the company had demonstrated the value it places on children through its actions.

“Zambeef appreciates the Zambian child, and is adding value not only in terms of crop production but also in educating our children,” said Mr Wasuka.

The school has gone further to incorporate COVID-19 awareness programmes into its daily lesson plans, with teachers starting and ending their classes with virus-related activities such as poems and songs.

He urged pupils to strictly follow the COVID-19 prevention guidelines, saying it was the only way the fight against the virus could be won.

Zambeef has always demonstrated unwavering commitment in its support for rural education – particularly in areas in which it operates.

Its investment over the years includes construction of classroom blocks and teachers’ houses as well as donation of educational materials to schools in remote areas.

Working with the Ministry of General Education, the company has also helped provide qualified teaching personnel to several schools as a way of improving the quality of education in far-flung areas.

About Zambeef Products Plc
Zambeef Products Plc is the largest integrated cold chain food products and agribusiness company in Zambia and one of the largest in the region, involved in the primary production, processing, distribution and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, milk, eggs, dairy products, fish, flour and stockfeed, throughout Zambia and the surrounding region, as well as Nigeria and Ghana.

It has 228 retail outlets throughout Zambia and West Africa.

The company is one of the largest suppliers of beef in Zambia. Five beef abattoirs and three feedlots located throughout Zambia, with a capacity to slaughter 230,000 cattle a year. It is also one of the largest chicken and egg producers in Zambia, with a capacity of 8.8m broilers and 22.4 million day-old chicks a year.

It is one of the largest piggeries, pig abattoirs and pork processing plants in Zambia, with a capacity to slaughter 75,000 pigs a year, while its dairy has a capacity of 120,000 litres per day.

The Group is also one of the largest cereal row cropping operations in Zambia, with approximately 7,973 hectares of row crops under irrigation, which are planted twice a year, and a further 8,776 hectares of rainfed/dry-land crops available for planting each year.

Zambeef employs over 7,400 people with a total wage bill of K38 million per month.

More information is available at www.zambeefplc.com