The Ministry of Finance will this year provide over K3.9 billion for empowerment programs under various ministries and Governments spending Agencies.
Among the sectors benefiting from the empowerment program are the farmers input support program for the E Voucher system which will stand at K1.78 billion Kwacha, while over K500 million has been set for student loans and K176 million on skills development fund.
The Ministry is also expected to spend over K200 million Kwacha on Constituency Development Fund, while over K75 million will be given to educational support and grants in collaboration with the World Bank targeting 16,000 girls from extremely poor households in 16 districts and a further 75,000 women will be empowered with grants in 51 districts.
The Ministry will also disburse over K700 million under Ministry of Community Development for the Social Cash Transfer Scheme targeting 700,000 beneficiaries.
Over K100d million for the Food Security Pack for 80,000 vulnerable but viable farmers.This is contained in a statement released to ZNBC News by the Ministry of Finance Spokesperson Chileshe Kandeta.
And Minister of Finance Margaret Mwanakatwe has reiterated that the launch of Seventh National Development Plan in 2017 renewed Zambia’s commitment to the attainment of the Vision of becoming a prosperous middle-income country by the year 2030.
The Minister affirmed that there is need to learn from the country’s past challenges in managing empowerment funds if Zambia is to charter the desired path to a bright destination for all beneficiaries.
Hope we get proper accountability than what Margaret did at CEEC (Empowering the RICH than the Poor).
Pensioners and retirees money diverted for PF party activities and outright bribery …
Empower Mulyokela first as main example tumone.
The problem is empowering starts with MP.
Even ministers brothers are vulnerable. It’s hard to find a poor person in Zambia.
The minister affirmed that there is a need to learn from the past challenges in managing empowerment funds….
She has just said tha hon mutati mucked it up… ministers should support each other not throw your predecessor under the bus so to speak
More like campaign bribes and loans no wonder she was moved here as Mutati would have objected to this. I am sure her relatives who are named on her proxy companies will benefit from this loot.
I am so glad IMF never gave these crooks money….can she tell us how many have paid back these so called empowerment loans or people who have been empowered?
Will the school books with lungus face be charged to the same account ??
Please if you truly want to empower Zambians regardless of there political grouping please give this money to a bank and let the bank help you without involving any politician and trust me the government will benefit and so the Zambians.
The only issue with a bank is no one would qualify for a loan as these people have secruity no plan…the best the govt can do is offer services and leave this to NGOs.
**…no secruity
and where is the government going to get the money from…oh wait we can sell more land, trees, etc etc to the Chinese –
Jay Jay the problem with NGOs is that they can’t be trusted any more cause they have become personal to holder. May be the banks open accounts to the same people and control there funds till they are good to go.
In short this so called empowerment loan is just laziness by this reckless govt…govt should be involved in such things, just deliver front line services and provide a conducive environment to do business.
The working government peeing on the animalia kingdom Hagain!
HaJealousy kingdom of tribalism!
Zambians can no longer be fooled.