Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambia stands out as a stable, democratic and peaceful country in the region – DFID Chief Cameron

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DFID Director General LINDY CAMERON shakes hands with Minister of Finance MARGARET MWANAKATWE after a bilateral meeting in Bali-Indonesia

United Kingdom Department for International Development Director General Lindy Cameron has said Zambia stands out as a stable, democratic and peaceful country in the region.

Ms. Cameron has also commended the Zambian Government for the tough stance taken in protecting public resources and further stated that the effort is a huge signal to the local and the international community that the leadership is resolved to stem the wastage of public resources and advance public service delivery.

She said this during a bilateral meeting with Minister of Finance Margaret Mwanakatwe at the latter’s office in Lusaka, today.

The DFID Director General also stated that her organization is looking forward to the conclusion of the on-going audit process at the Ministry of General Education so that the partnership with Zambia is advanced with a special focus on private sector development and poverty reduction.

“It is inspiring to listen to your fiscal sustainability plans,” Ms. Cameron said adding that, “I am confident that working together, we will develop programmes that will achieve a better impact, not only on the growth of small and medium enterprises, but also on activities that will have a lasting positive impact on poverty reduction.”

The Senior United Kingdom Government official also took the opportunity to invite Mrs. Mwanakatwe to the UK-Africa Investment Forum which will be held in London in November, 2019.

She stressed that through events such as UK-Africa Investment Forum, DFID is willing to work with the Zambian Government in mobilizing partnerships with other bilateral and multilateral players to galvanize support for poverty reduction programmes in Zambia through private sector growth.

The DFID Director General also pledged her organisation’s assistance in helping Zambia to prepare for the 2019 UK/Africa Investment Forum and hoped that through the collaboration, optimal benefits would be derived for private sector players in both countries.

In addition, she stated that the authorities in her Government seek to use London as a hub for development of private sector partnerships. Mrs. Mwanakatwe added that the agenda for new partnerships with African private sector institutions is a priority in their aspiration to generate long-term development cooperation.

Among the other issues Ms. Cameron discussed with Ms. Mwanakatwe were the 2019 budget measures, debt management, and the social sector investment.

Speaking at the same meeting, Ms. Mwanakatwe said Zambia is rationalizing taxation levels to ensure that optimal revenue mobilisation is attained in the quest to achieve the country’s aspirations espoused in the Economic Stabilization and Growth Programme and the Seventh National Development Plan.

The Minister informed Ms. Cameron that through quarterly reports, the Government has embarked on a progress tracking system that will help to strengthen expenditure monitoring and demonstrate that tax-payers money is being used prudently for sustained economic growth.

“We need a clear picture on the size of the economy,” she stated, adding that, “due to its changed structure from 2010 to date, we have set aside funds in the 2019 budget to rebase the Gross Domestic Product in order to attain an all-round measurement about what is happening in our economy.”

Mrs. Mwanakatwe also told the DFID Director General that the Zambian Government has in 2019 decided to systematically scale down its borrowing from the market in order to create room for the private sector to access affordable credit and expand their businesses.

The Minister said the Zambian Government will remain firm in its resolve to ensure that fiscal consolidation has a resounding impact on implementation of the Seventh National Development Plan, the Economic Stabilisation and Growth Programme, and the National Budget – manifested through an improved macro-economic environment, enhanced public service delivery and the uplifted well-being of the citizenry.

Mrs. Mwanakatwe, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Edgar Lungu, and on her behalf, took the opportunity to assure fellow citizens and the international community, through DFID, that the measures that have been put in place in the 2019 National Budget and the Economic Stabilization and Growth Programme, were undertakings to set a sound foundation for improved economic management, sustained growth and enhanced well-being of the people – without leaving anyone behind.

This is contained in a statement issued by Ministry of Finance spokesperson Chileshe Kandeta.

27 COMMENTS

    • Nothing new how many times have we heard this story …. tell us something else. I find it nonsensical and repetitive without any outlined outcome of these prolonged conditions … it is like we are Babies that need to be constantly reminded of our good behaviour compared to our naughty siblings … eventually the child should grow up and realize they don’t need these praises to behave well but actually these are principals that become integral live by that make a decent person. We dont seem to be growing

    • Let’s stick with the Chinese. The English can come if they want, we will colonise them after all no one else wants them and their Brexit project is in tatters.

    • “Zambia stands out as a stable, democratic and peaceful country in the region.”
      Positive reading! Okay this is who we are.

      We have a bunch of spoilers too. Like a grouping of disgruntled individuals who would rather you said the opposite. Spoiled spoiler brats and a handful of kleptomaniacs both in Government and Opposition I love it when Zambia makes positive reading. This is who we are.

    • Zambia was once a beacon of peace until PF arrived and messed it all.

      Please lets not be f00led by this LT spin. When has LT condemned PF for its actions? If you want to know the true picture of what the UK thinks about Zambia just read the UK foreign office travel advice on Zambia and it with one on Zimbabwe. You will be shocked that they are similar!

      Just look at the comment by the UK ambassador to Zambia; It clearly shows that Zambia is not exactly what LT has written here.

    • Who is cheating you? How many Zambians are returning to a country where you can be killed for putting on and=n opposition T-Shirt. Just because politicians are quarreling put s Botswana below Zambia. How many people have been killed during elections in Botswana? Watch what happens in this year in October when Botswana goes to polls.

  1. That was before the violent PFoools and there thieving kaponya’s destroyed a functioning democracy, with looting of national resources

    • Your brothers are the new imperialist, they beat, teargas and shoot you in broad daylight. Look at Mugabe and his successor Mnangagwa who have inspired as well as mentored Lungu. They have brutalized their own Zimbabwean brothers and sisters through the use military force, and other means.

    • Ba Yangu – When did Mugabe and Mnangagwa mentor Lungu? Isn’t it your HH who was celebrating the takeover in Zimbabwe and praying that the same happens here? Aren’t you the ones who were saying that Mnangagwa was angry at ECL? Today you are changing goal posts to suit your game?

    • @ abilima
      It looks that your memory follows quality of your gray matter. Already forgotten where did Endemically Corrupt Leader got money before 2015 election?

  2. You mean the whole of Ministry of Finance does not have a PR team that should take care of the photos that are displayed in the media of the Minster? Look at Lindy and look at Margaret!

  3. Thank you, but please recall The British Ambassador to Zambia Fergus Cochrane-Dyet. He has shown himself Anti Zambian Government and pro regime change by his defiance of Government pronouncements including our President. If this man remains in Zambia his hidden agenda through NGOs and media houses to discredit the Government and Zambia and bring about regime change will bring confusion in the upcoming General Elections. We thought Hon Malenji had clipped his wings but it’s clear from his recent defying pronouncements and masked guest of honor appearances in anti government media events that nothing more than expelling him will restore good relations with Britain.

  4. Government coffers are empty, Margie will soon make history as the worst Finance Minister. Institutions have not received their grants for 5 months now, chayuma! Money is now in the hands of the cadres, suppliers are suffering while Edgar is busy downing jemasoni with Freedom and Kaisala

  5. HH and his UPND sycophants and zealots and enemies of progress are really sadists and they think they can win the hearts of the majority of Zambians never.

  6. Thanks to the Opposition, Zambia is where it is now, still limping along! If the Opposition were not Nationalistic, Zambia would be in flames!

  7. Lusaka Times, Chileshe Kandeta, if the reporter attended the meeting of the two, why did s/he fail to get a recent photo of the the minister? We saw this photo taken in Bali some time back when the same British people were asking for their money to be refunded. This is fake news. Lusaka Times does not seem to know the value of a photo in news. Stop throwing photos which have no relevance to the news items.

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