Five new ministries created

President Edgar Lungu addressing the National Assembly

Republican President Edgar Lungu has announced the creation of five new Ministries in his inaugural State of the Nation Address, under the theme: “Embracing a Transformational Culture for a Smart Zambia Now”.

Opening the fifth session of the eleventh National Assembly today, President Lungu said he has moved the function of national planning from the ministry of Finance to create a new ministry of Development planning, split the ministry of Education, sicience, vocational training and early education into the ministry of general education and the ministry of higher education.

He said he has also split the ministry of mines, energy and water development into two, creating the ministry of mines and mineral development; and the ministry of energy and water development.

President Lungu has further split the ministry of transport, works, supply and communication to create the two ministries of works and supply and transport and communication.

The Head of State has also split the ministry of agriculture and livestock into two to create the ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the ministry of Livestock, while cooperatives will now fall under the ministry of commerce, trade and industry at a director level.

He has further moved the function of mother and child health to the ministry of health and reverted the function of child development to the ministry of youth and sport to become the ministry of youth, sport and child development.

Mr Lungu says the two ministries were the functions have been removed will now be called the ministries of community development and Gender respectively.

The President says these changes are a start pointing in promoting dynamic and strategically focused diversification and rapid growth to promote synergies in the planning implementation,monitoring,evaluation and coordination of the national programmes.

On Energy, President Lungu government has partnered with the Government of Zimbabwe to explore the possibility of developing a 1,800 Megawatts power station at Batoka Gorge in southern province by 2019 at an estimated cost of Four Billion United States Dollars, as part of long-term solutions to the current power shortages being experienced in the country.

He says in addition,governmeent is working with the private sector to expand power generation at the Kafue Lowe Hydro power plant which, upon completion in 2018,will generate 750 Megawatts of electricity.

He adds that a refined petroleum multi-product pipeline worth US$2.5 billion will be built from Lobito Bay in Angola to Lusaka, whose promoters are a private company.

President Lungu says the pipeline,whose construction will commence in 2017,will deliver refined petroleum products as well as gas for power generation for the country estimated at 500 to 1,000 Megawatts.

He states that under this project,Zambia will become a distribution hub for petroleum products in the SADC region.

On employment creation, President Lungu says the economy has over the last four years created over 480,000 jobs in various sectors.

He says in its effort to diversify the economy and create jobs, government is committed to ensuring that people have access to descent jobs.
Mr Lungu notes that while 480,000 jobs have been created,too many people still remain outside the formal employment sector.