Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Intellectual Forum Institute of Zambia (IFIZ) has bemoaned the absence, from the public arena, of statistical data on the economic impact of load shedding on the country.
IFIZ President Dr. Alex Ng’oma has therefore urged government to take the lead in ensuring that the economic impact of load shedding is documented and the information made available and interpreted to the public.
Dr. Ng’oma has stressed that such information is critical for effective decision-making by the
government and other stake-holders as well as for informed public comment and participation.
He adds that it is completely necessary for the relevant institutions of government to quantify the socio-economic loss that the country is likely to suffer, both in the short- and long-term, and to provide such information to the public.
Dr. Ng’oma points out that citizens need to be informed in absolute and relative terms, by how much the country will fall foul of its economic targets as a result of the current power crisis.
The IFIZ President says that the public also needs to know, in figures, how much of economic output, industry production and jobs, among others, will be lost in the wake of this crisis.
He says that the importance of documenting information on the social and economic impact of load shedding cannot be over-emphasized in assisting the country to formulate strategic responses.