The Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) has advised Government to attract more private sector-driven investment in the Agriculture sector, if poverty is to be completely eradicated.
CSPR Executive Director Patrick Mucheleka has said private sector investment has proved to be an effective tool in fighting poverty in any country.
Mr. Mucheleka called for good and workable mechanisms to be devised to help reduce increasing poverty levels in the country.
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He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka, that Government should devise systems that could attract more investment in various sectors.
Mr Mucheleka said without private sector investment in the Agriculture industry, it was difficult for Government alone to provide all the needed solutions that were aimed at addressing the problem.
He said that escalating poverty levels especially in rural areas were due to lack of adequate private sector investment in key economic sectors.
Mr. Mucheleka added that this was why Government should also identify key economic areas that could create an enabling environment for attracting more investors.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mucheleka has also called on financial institutions to play role in addressing poverty problems by increasing access to micro finance for small scale famers.
He said small holders were main players towards enhancing the country’s food security but lacked skills and resources that could help them sustain their produce therefore reducing poverty.
Mr. Mucheleka observed that an average of 85 percent of people in rural and 34 percent in urban were still living under the poverty datum line.
He further recommended that Government should increase expenditure towards capital development to at least a third of every annual budget adding that capital investment was vital to reducing poverty.
ZANIS
The problem is this thinking that gov’t is the solution to all problems when it is only supposed to provide an enabling environment.Most have failed to work on enhancing entreprenuerial and other skills.When it comes to poverty blame most individuals first and gov’t last.Aren’t the zambian indians in the same country yet they thrive economically?