UPND expects 2018 budget to be pro-poor

UPND Chairman for Rural Reconstruction and Development Moono Mapani

The opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has implored government to come up with a 2018 national budget that is growth oriented and pro-poor to reduce the high poverty levels in the country.

UPND Chairman for Rural Reconstruction and Development Moono Mapani says this is because the 2017 national budget has been hectic for most Zambian people to survive.

Mr. Mapani says the people of Zambia expect the PF Government to walk the talk when it comes to the agriculture sector in responding to the diversification agenda by allocating not less than 10 percent of the national budget to the agriculture sector in line with the Maputo declaration.

Mr. Mapani has also observed the need for government to allocate reasonable funds towards education, manufacturing, health and education sectors.

He says there are a lot of challenges in the education sector like what happened recently where some students at the University of Zambia were almost blocked from writing their exams saying such things should be avoided by allocating more funds to the sector.

Mr. Mapani says the PF Government must put into consideration the fact that many people are finding it difficult to survive under the Zambia Plus as outlined by the Ministry of Finance for the 2017 national budget saying the 2018 one should be a pro poor one.