Govt at risk of not attaining aspirations of vision 2030

Government says the country’s progress so far, is insufficient to realize the aspirations contained in the vision 2030 of becoming a prosperous middle-income nation.  

Speaking at the National Development Coordinating Committee meeting on the validation of the eighth national development plan in Lusaka today, Acting Secretary to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa says strides have been made towards achieving the socio-economic development targets set forth in the vision 2030 despite lagging behind on most of them. 

Mr. Kangwa has however, disclosed that nearly half of Zambians are facing deprivation in the very basic of needs that entail a decent standard of living, health services, education opportunities and other essentials such as access to clean water and electricity as enshrined in the multidimensional poverty index, which in 2018 was estimated at 44 percent.

He has explained this indicates that unemployment as of 2020 was estimated at 13.8 percent, with youth unemployment even higher at 19.9 percent. 

Mr. Kangwa says in order, therefore, to accelerate efforts towards achieving the broad goals of the vision, there is need to implement wide-ranging reforms and interventions that will build on the achievements of the previous national development plans and define a different way of doing things in order to build better. 

And Mr. Kangwa says the eighth national development plan (8ndp) has been developed through a rigorous consultative process that has been defined by both a bottom-up and top-down approach. 

He says the 8ndp proposes economic transformation and job creation which aims to transform the economy through increased trade and investments in mining, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing, catalysed by the key enabling sectors of energy, technology, transport and logistics, and water development infrastructure. 

Speaking on behalf the Cooperating Partners Group (CPG), Chairperson, Anne Wagner-Mitchell says the planned debt restructuring and the International Monetary Fund (imf) staff-level agreement should be used by government as a key anchor for the eighth national development plan (8ndp) reform agenda.

Ms.  Wagner-Mitchell who is also Germany ambassador to Zambia says it is important for government to be transparent and align the macroeconomic framework agreed with the IMF with the medium term expenditure strategy and the 8ndp.

She says emphasis should be on restoring budget credibility through improved public financial management as this would go a long way in addressing past implementation weaknesses.

Speaking earlier, Secretary to the Treasury, Felix Nkulukusa, said the process of developing the 8ndp draft has undergone various consultations, including the lowest decision making bodies.