'Chinese firm hands over classroom block to Zambian school’ 14 July

CHINGOLA, Zambia, July 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese company on Saturday handed over a classroom block it constructed to the Mimbula Fitula community school in Zambia's Chingola district. The one-by-three classroom block, which was built by China Copper Mine (CCM) at a cost of 180,000 U.S. dollars, will improve the learning experience of 250 students in the community school. Minister of Mines and Mineral Development Richard Musukwa commended CCM for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) towards the construction of classroom block. Musukwa said apart from contributing to uplifting the education standards in Zambia, the Chinese enterprise is also contributing towards the economic growth of Zambia.

CCM was registered in Zambia in 2010 and has invested a total of 40 million U.S. dollars, creating 400 jobs for the locals. The minister called on the mining industry to ensure that communities benefit from the mineral resources by giving back to the communities in which they operate in. Minister of Energy Matthew Nkhuwa said the private sector should play an important role in supplementing the government's efforts to better the learning standards in Chingola and the country as a whole. "What China Copper Mine has done will go a long way in supporting education in the district," he said.

CCM director Zhang Mengtao said his company is involved in CSR as a way of giving back to the community in Chingola. He said the company wants to be among other private sector players supplementing the government's efforts to uplift the learning standards in the community. "We have created jobs for Zambians and we want to be part of the economic development in the country," he said.