There is a city in the south of Zambia; a city of the future, called Choma. It has the profile of a city ready for rapid development, and hosts lucrative resources, and is populated by a people willing to relate.
Choma is the capital of the Southern Province, which hosts pillars of the Zambian economy, that include Maamba Collieries, Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba, and Kazungula Bridge.
Southern Province has the only large source of fossil fuel in Zambia, the Maamba coal mine in the Zambezi valley, served by a branch line of the railway. Southern Province is one of Zambia’s ten provinces, and home to Zambia’s premier tourist attraction, Mosi-oa-Tunya (Victoria Falls), shared with Zimbabwe. The centre of the province, the Southern Plateau, has the largest area of commercial farmland of any Zambian province, and produces most of the maize crop.
The Zambezi River is the province’s southern border, and Lake Kariba, formed by the Kariba Dam, lies along the province’s south-eastern edge. The eastern border is the Kariba Gorge and Zambezi, and the north-east border is the Kafue River and its gorge, dividing it from Lusaka Province. The Kafue Flats lie mostly within the province’s northern border with Central Province. In the north west lies part of the famous Kafue National Park, the largest in Zambia, and the lake formed by the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam.
All this is hosted by its Capital, Choma.
Choma is a market town in the Southern Province of Zambia, lying on the main road and railway from Lusaka to Livingstone. It is home to a small museum dedicated to the cultural heritage of the Tonga people of southern Zambia. The population of Choma town is said to be about 40,000 people and it serves as the commercial hub for the central region of the province.
Choma is not only the name of the capital of the province, but also the name of the District within the central part of the province. Choma District forms the heart of Southern Province because of its central location, but more so due to its important role in the economy of the southern province within the Republic of Zambia.
Like every district in Zambia, there exists a traditional authority (chiefdoms) in Choma District. The main chiefs’ areas are Macha, Mapanza, and Singani (Cooma). The chiefs’ areas are further administered according to villages under the leadership of village headmen who act as the chiefs’ representatives. There is a total of 446 villages in the district which can further be broken down as follows: Macha chiefdom has 72 villages, Singani chiefdom has 137 villages and Mapanza Chiefdom has 56 villages (CSO, 2000).
Most of the district lies at 1400 metres above sea level. This district is found on the high ground with a typical climate of southern Zambia of temperatures between 140c and 280c, Sunshine ranging between 9 and 12 hours per day. The highest temperatures occur between the beginning of October and the end of December. In normal instances when the rains start, temperatures tend to fall, partly because of the rain and partly due to the often-heavy cloud cover. The lowest temperatures are usually recorded in June and July.
The rains generally start in the middle of October and continue through up to the beginning of April. Rainfall reaches its peak around January after which it diminishes slightly up to the beginning of April when usually it ceases entirely. There is an average rainfall of 800mm, of which 369mm, fall between January and February. There are, however, variations in total rainfall and rainfall patterns from year to year and even in a particular season. These variations can have a major impact on crop yield in the different zones in the area
The district projected population for Choma is 269,963 (2015 CSO Census) of which 134,640 49% are males and 135, 724 which is 51% are females. The population density stands at 28% per square kilometre.
A large part of the district population is found in rural areas (80%) as compared to urban areas (20%). However, there is a high concentration of the population along the line of the rail where most of the economic activities take place.
The most dominant ethnic group in the district are the plateau Tonga who are found in every part of the district. A mixture of the Ila and the Bawe, which are dialects of Tonga exist mainly in the eastern part of the district. However, recent migrations from other parts of the country have brought a representation of most tribes, especially in urban Choma.
The pattern of settlement has been highly influenced by the existence of a number of commercial farms, which surround the district especially along the line of rail. The Great North Road passes through the district, dissecting it into two uneven parts. Within a radius of up to 100m, farms surround the district while the rest of the hinterland accommodates arable land for the small-scale type of agriculture.
The majority of the population in Choma is engaged in agriculture as a source of income. The main economic sectors in Choma are driven by agriculture, trade and commerce and tourism. The agricultural sector plays a significant role in the local economy of Choma and Southern province in general. This is seen in the number of both commercial and small-scale farmers we have in the district.
The informal sector is characterised by fish trading, trading in second hand and new clothes and footwear, trading in vegetables and other food types, beer brewing, carpentry, trading in groceries, restaurants, bars and charcoal burning and selling.
Choma district consists of both commercial and subsistence farmers. Most commercial farmers are located along the main road and near the central business district. While the majority of the small-scale famers are situated along the line of rail and in the outskirts of the district. Most of the farming communities in the district are in the category of small-scale farming. They cultivate a wide range of crops such as maize, sorghum, vegetables, groundnuts and cotton grown in the district.
Choma District has a total of 835 Primary Co-operative Societies and one District Co-operative Marketing Union which is open for all Primary Co-operatives to affiliate its membership.
Choma has five agricultural blocks and 27 camps that have a total of over 49,000 farmers.
Choma district has a total land area of 4278.04 square kilometres with a population density of 34.0/ km2 and has 17400 farming families of about 30% are female headed house-holds. More than 70% of the livestock belong to the traditional sector. The livestock production in Choma is in three categories; namely commercial, emergent and small-scale.
Choma has over 130,000 cattle, over 60,000 goats, over 6,000 sheep, and over 280,000 poultry.
Choma town has seen an increase in the number of developments coming up from 2012 to date. This increase in both population and economic activities has result in the growth of the energy sector. The demand for power and other energy products in the district has resulted in a number of filling stations coming up and also the demand for charcoal has also increased. Choma town has five filling stations which are operating and one is under construction just as you enter the township from Lusaka.
Wood fuel (firewood and charcoal) remains the dominant source of energy in the district, accounting for almost 70 percent of total energy consumption. Firewood is predominantly consumed by rural households while charcoal is a major source of energy for urban households. The annual loss of forest cover which has been on the increase is due to land clearing for agricultural use rather than energy purposes.
Choma District is an agriculture area with good soils and favourable rain pattern. It is centrally located within the region with four major roads leading to Lusaka, Namwala, Livingstone and the Valley. The district lies on a plateau with receiving above average rains each year, and has relatively humid temperatures. The soils are fertile enough making agricultural activities quite profitable. It is therefore, the main producer of maize; and with commercial farmers around, tobacco and cotton are leading cash crops produced in the district.
The province is identified with some minerals which are mainly exploited only in Southern Province. Southern Province is home to the Zambian Coal, Tin, Amethyst and the unique Siavonga slates (natural flat stones). The other minerals currently under exploration and exploitation include Uranium, Gypsum, Limestone, Fluorite and Feldspar.
Siavonga District has four known Uranium deposits. The Njame and Dibwi deposits are located about 30-40km north of Siavonga. The Njame deposits containing less than 1000t uranium at 0.1% UӡO8 (Watts, Griffits and McOuts, 1991). The Mutanga deposit, estimated 2000t uranium at 0.1% UӡO8 (Watts, Griffits and McOuts, 1991) then, the largest of all is located 31km north-west of Siavonga, and the Chisebuka deposit, 80km west of Siavonga.
Southern Province is currently the only coal producing province in Zambia. The coal deposits are located in the Mid-Zambezi Valley. The most recent estimates of the resources at Maamba Mine, the largest producer, is 166 million tonnes at Izuma and Kanzinze Basins. Currently active exploitation of coal is at Izuma Basin and Nkandabwe by Maamba Collieries Limited (MCL) and Collum Coal Mining Industries Limited (CCMIL) respectively. The other coalfield within the Zambezi Valley include Mulungwa, Siankondobo and Siambabala.
With the known deposits of Uranium and the abundant Coal resource, coupled with the already existing larger percentage of Zambia’s hydro-power generation sitting in Southern Province, the province is poised easily assume the status of being “The Power House of Zambia”.
The provincial office of the Southern Province is on an investment opportunity mapping and promotion, inviting local and international investors.
Amongst many reasons why invest in Choma and the Southern Province, the office says they include “Political stability and favourable National Investment policies; a preferred Tourist Destination; Home to the Mighty Victoria falls “ MOSIO TUNYA” the smoke that thunders; Transitory Province to Southern, Central and Eastern Africa by Air, Railway and Road Transport; Proximity to the Southern Central and Eastern African Markets and Airports of Lusaka; Fertile soil, favourable climatic conditions and plenty of land; Unexploited opportunities for Agriculture, Agro-processing and Industrial Production; Unexploited Tourism potential, Fisheries and Livestock, Forestry, Energy, Mining and Tourism; Large pool of labour force; Favourable environment and supporting infrastructure; and Many Water Bodies”.
Choma is a must invest city of the future in Zambia.
Source: Choma Provincial Office
