United National Development Programme (UNDP) assistant country representative Ian Milimo says President Sata’s creation of more districts will help bring efficiency in service delivery.
Mr. Milimo adds that Zambia needs to increase the participation of people in making decisions that affect them if in order to sustain quality service delivery.
He says it was for this reason that government needs to quickly implement its decentralization policy, which he said would create demand for services.
“ it will also provide space for private partners to get involved in service delivery and wealth creation, “ he said.
He said this on Friday when he flagged off the provincial launch of Zambia Human Development Report ( ZHDR ) for 2011 at Kansanshi Hotel in Solwezi, North western Province.
A number of new Districts have been established on the country an effort government sees will ensure that development is taken as close to the people as possible as well as to meet job creation needs especially among the young Zambians.
And quoting the ZHDR, Mr Milimo said Zambia has made considerable progress in its human development outlook in the last decade, with positive and sustained change achieved in the education, agriculture, health, water and sanitation sectors.
He said between 1990 Zambia experienced a decline in the Human development Index, reaching its lowest ranking on the HDI of 0.32 in the year 2000.
However, he noted that since the year 2000 there has been improvements in key dimensions of the index that include health, education and material wealth and as a result the country’s ranking has now risen to 0.395 on HDI rankings.
Meanwhile the Zambia Human Development Report hails the country’s increased investment in social service infrastructure development.
It says investment in education has resulted in more schools that has led to increased enrolment at primary school reaching universal level.
The report notes that desks and learning materials have been distributed including in community schools that have increased coverage and access to services.
Under health the ZHDR says essential drugs are now available, including medicine for diseases like HIV/AIDS which were previously not affordable.
It lauds the country’s supportive agriculture policies that have led to positive growth in maize production and nontraditional exports.
But the report has advised Zambia to remove structural bottlenecks and adopt broad based pro-poor strategies that address poverty in all dimensions, if the country is to realize its vision of reaching middle income status by 2030.
It also criticized the biased distribution of services, with provincial comparisons showing skewed economic and human development processes that give advantage to urban than rural areas.
It also says that improving the coverage, efficiency and effectiveness of essential services in agriculture, education, health, water and sanitation alone are not enough prerequisites for sustainable human development.
The 128 paged report calls for a different philosophy of increased participation of people and their institutions in decision making, saying people’s power to effect change is important to sustainability of service delivery.
ZANIS
Masushi fye aya yonse. Efficiency in service delivery kwambila with existing districts kaili
The words “efficiency” and “govt” are discordant and don’t quite mesh.Ask yourself why ZQ,zamtel and all govt related entities are either dead or on life support.Useless districts =Just more costs to zambian taxpayers.
Mr President, tell the Nation the full plan before you create these districts, otherwise Zambia will end up into pieaces of districts.
Tell the nation how much investment in each district interms of Health,housing,Education etc and also opportunities failure to do what has been mentioned, Ninshi tushime fye mudala.
Milimo of UNDP sees sense in the creation of more districts. But HH of UPND can’t see any sense, Why?
Because they are two different parties, you are reading wrong..