As the corona virus pandemic thickens in Africa’s red metal hotspot Zambia, oxygen demand continues to soar. With Zambia facing a third wave with positivity levels of 28.0% in winter descent, healthcare facilities continue to bear the brunt of increasing hospitalisation cases competing not only for bed spaces but medicines and above all oxygen to keep patients alive. Oxygen has become ‘the diamond of the health sector’ and as such remains very scarce and costly. Africa’s 2017 FCMG Company of the year by African Leadership Magazine, the Trade Kings Group, through its Universal Mining and Chemical Industrials Limited – UMCIL Kafue Steel Plant, has yet again demonstrated its commitment to giving back to the community, through its Sustainable Responsible Investment – SRI providing a blank cheque towards free oxygen to Kafue General Hospital, Maina Soko Milliary Hospital and other Health Facilities across the Country.
STEEL PROCESSING CONVERGES WITH HEALTHCARE NEEDS, OPPORTUNITY FOR MINES TO SUPPORT
Being one of Southern Africa’s largest steel manufacturers, the group has sacrificed a portion of the oxygen it uses for steel processing to channel it to healthcare facilities to address an acute deficit the nation faces. This is an opportunity where steel mining and processing converged with healthcare to save lives in difficult times which mining entities should be able to emulate. Kafue Steel is traced as far as South Africa’s rail infrastructure managed by Mbombela (Gautrain facility).
________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Following the escalating COVID19 cases leading to higher demand for Oxygen, we are offering free oxygen to Individuals and Institutions that may be in need. We did this during the second wave and we are doing it again now.”
Kafue Steel Plant Operations Manager Imran Bhatti
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
UMCIL Kafue Steel Plant houses 300 to 400 oxygen cylinders daily for distribution to countrywide healthcare facilities at no cost at all.
UMCIL being a member of the Trade Kings Group, has demonstrated a selfless Sustainable Responsible Investment – SRI adding to earlier K28 million (circa $2 million) towards the pandemic in the first wave and similar oxygen supplies in the second wave. Other key donations include Zambia National Commercial Bank that handed over K4.56 million (circa. $220k) last week towards the third wave fight. Zambia continues to see the private sector complementing the public sector in the fight against the deadly pandemic.
Universal Mining and Chemical Industries Limited – UMCIL is an indigenous Zambian company incorporated in 1989 whose steel plant launched in 2008 and produces over 200,000 metric tons of steel annually. It is a subsidiary under the umbrella of the Trade Kings Group. The Group was awarded for contribution towards sustainable development by Zambia Association of Manufacturers in 2020.
The Kwacha Arbitrageur