On the week of 26-30 July, His Excellency Ambassador Hallenborg travelled to Luapula Province accompanied by a Swedish Delegation.
The visit was Ambassador Hallenborg’s first in the province located in the northern parts of Zambia. The Delegation started off in the capital of the province, Mansa, to pay courtesy calls on the Permanent Secretary of the Province as well as the mayor. Following those meetings, a discussion with the mayor and councillors on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) took place together with the Embassy's partner Action Aid Zambia.
On the Thursday, the Ambassador and the CSOs Civil Society for Poverty Reduction and Care for Nature Zambia visited a manganese mine together with representatives from the mining bureau. During the site visit, they were shown best practices in terms of working with local communities, managing child labour and strengthen environmental sustainability.
The following day, UNHCR welcomed the delegation to Mantapala Settlement, a refugee camp that was established in 2018 to host refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who entered Zambia through Luapula and other northern border entry points. The programme included visiting the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) One-Stop Centre, interacting with the Gender Club in School, and meeting the Refugee Central Committee.
One of the highlights of the trip took place on the Saturday – the Mutomboko Traditional Ceremony in Mwansabombwe. It is the major festival of Luapula Province and is celebrated annually in July. The event involves enacting the migration of Luba Lunda and conquest of the valley by the chiefs of the tribe during historic times.
