Thursday, March 28, 2024

IFAD praises Zambia for the steps taken to diversify the economy

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President Lungu
President Lungu

THE International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has praised the Zambian Government for the steps it has taken to end over-dependency on copper mining.

IFAD president Kanayo Nwanze said depending on a single commodity to run the economy was not sustainable.

Dr Nwanze said the Rome-based organisation, which is the leading multilateral investor in the livelihoods of poor rural producers in developing countries worldwide, would back Zambia’s efforts to invest in agriculture.

IFAD’s work is directed by the needs and concerns of poor smallholder farmers, agricultural labourers, pastoralists, foresters, fishers and small entrepreneurs in rural areas.

Its highly specialised mission is to enable poor rural people to overcome poverty, and to help them improve their lives by building farm and non-farm enterprises that are viable, sustainable and integrated into national and global markets and value chains.

Dr Nwanze was speaking after holding private talks with President Edgar Lungu at the IFAD headquarters on Friday afternoon. The talks lasted about 20 minutes.

“I assured your President that we will fully support his efforts to diversify the economy because that is the right thing to do,” he said.

He also said IFAD had appreciated the positive impact of the Farmer Input Support Programme through which the Government had been supporting small-scale farmers with subsidised farming inputs.

Dr Nwanze said IFAD was working towards helping small-scale farmers in adapting to challenges resulting from climate change.

He said he had had a positive discussion with President Lungu, who was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba, his special assistant for Press and public relations Amos Chanda, special assistant for political affairs Kaizer Zulu, Zambia’s Ambassador to Italy Gertrude Mwape, and other senior Government officials.

Dr Nwanze said IFAD would do everything possible to help Zambia overcome its challenges in the agriculture sector as that would rejuvenate the country’s economy which had been dependent on copper for many decades.

14 COMMENTS

  1. You cant win election by not telling the truth becoz you will have nothing to say when the truth is known. Ghana, Angola, south Africa, kenya, Nigeria with new president are having economic problems. USA and Japan survive by borrowing. Tell us where lungu has gone wrong?

    • Yes we know there are problems, but in Zambia these have been compounded by lack of planning, vision, incompetence and misappropriation of borrowed money on the part of the govt

  2. which country in Africa has seen infrustructural development the way this govt has done in four years? We now HH should be given chance but not this time. Let PF finish their 10 year plan then we can bring HH. Bringing HH who has never worked in govt will delay the finishing of projects.

  3. I hope to see the change in the economic sector in our country after these tour our president and his team have made, because they bought the ticket in tax payer money.

  4. Image the whole president with his wife went to meet with a President of an organisation. ..something that a minister of agriculture could have done..lazy bum Edgar will do anything to avoid seating in his office.

  5. The president of Zambia should not meet the presidents of important organizations? Why not?
    The level of ignorance in the UPND seems to have no bounds, and it seems to be a common vein in the whole party from toe to head !

  6. @Crisis, yes of course you will see the change, that is the idea and that is what the two leaders discussed in their meeting. Thanks for your positive thoughts, always seeking to gain something for mother Zambia. And that is what we pay our President for.

  7. COUNSEL TO ALL ZAMBIANS

    Romans 13: 1-3
    EVERYONE must submit himself to the GOVERNING AUTHORITIES, for there is no authority except that which God has established. THE AUTHORITIES THAT EXIST HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED BY GOD. 2 CONSEQUENTLY, HE WHO REBELS AGAINST THE AUTHORITY IS REBELLING AGAINST WHAT GOD HAS INSTITUTED, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. NIV

    APPLICATION

    • EVERYONE i.e. [all Zambians including UPND cadres + there president]
    • GOVERNING AUTHORITIES [The PF government of HE Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, The Police Service even as they enforce the POA]

    • THE AUTHORITIES…

  8. Governing authorities-Mugabe, Jammeh, Nkurunziza, the Ayatollah, Kim Jong Un, Joseph Kony, Kadansa the drunk. There must be something wrong with the appointing authority.

  9. I wonder how many of them actually live in Zambia to be talking this nonsense. We are importing maize from Europe! Fools!

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