The Center for Trade Policy and Development has called on Government to seriously rethink its definition of key economic sectors.
The CTPD is of the view that whilst calls to re-open certain sectors amidst COVID19 are welcome, there was a need to clearly define what constitutes key economic activities and differentiate those that are social in nature.
CTPD Senior Researcher Dr. Simon Manda says key economic sectors are those that contribute immensely to the country’s GDP, job creation, domestic resource mobilization and help to reduce poverty and inequality.
Dr Manda said the sectors which were recently announced by the President fall short of that definition.
“When we talk about economic sectors, we have in mind sectors such as agricultural food production, mining and local manufacturing”, he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Manda has also called on the Government to consider the vulnerable, poor and equally food insecure urbanites as it comes up with interventions aimed at protecting the affected populations from COVID-19.
He has observed with concern that the scaling down of economic activities and restrictions on social movements could create a new stream of urban poor as they face financial constraints due to reductions in or loss of jobs in the wake of COVID-19.
Dr Manda also advised Government to identify needy urban households especially in high density areas and consider introducing support such as through food banks.
“Such food Centers can act as fall back strategies for struggling urbanites,’’ He noted. Dr Manda and disclosed that for Lusaka alone food banks could play a pivotal role in closing gaps in food access to the majority of who do not have reliable access to food and that this raises the need for not only government support but also food charities and ordinary individuals.
Dr Manda added that recent records show that close to 1 million people (between 23 – 30%) are characterized as poor, the majority of whom live in high-density areas.
“These face unique livelihood challenges due to their close connections to markets on the one hand and generating incomes from informal opportunities. These dynamics make food access through markets and most importantly capacity to switch food preferences difficult’’, He added.
Dr. Manda stressed that this can help address not only food insecurity but also food waste by distributing food which otherwise would have lost.
He further added that food banks can play a vital role in supporting and sustaining vibrant local food systems and can leverage their purchasing volumes to support urban food security and regional economies.
Dr Manda has however urged government to consider working with different charities, churches and other key actors to find actual modalities and pathways for delivering food to needy households.
Another useless article by some Doctor, without any specificity. Why not specify which ones the President should have specifically addressed or mentioned?
If you read the full article he gave examples of Agriculture, food production and manufacturing as economic sectors contributing largely to GDP and also employment creation unlike petty businesses like salons and barber shop which can not be defined as economic sectors, please, let’s learn to read more before commenting issue we don’t understand.
When orders are unclear or being revised that means its the Generals fault….Lazy Lungu has absolutely ZERO qualities!!
Imwe……..Lungu has no idea what sectors are economically vital for Zambia , he thinks praying is vital for Zambias economy……
I mean , here is a president that has just woken up to the importance of
” buy Zambian, build Zambia ”
only after some 8 years of what must be the longest hangover…..
So Edgar Lungu was dreaming!
The is what happens when you go and wake up a clueless guy in state house and ask him to read a speech he has absolutely no clue about…..
Even the a primary school kid would know that a church is not a economic sector…
PF needs to serious think of getting rid of this MORON
The President’s enemies wrote that speech with sole aim of alienating the President from the masses so that they could later turn around and claim that the President is not saleable so they could front their candidate.
This why Sunday and Tony were busy typing rubbish all weekend…everything is mess the man relies on foooolish individuals like Russian trained economist fatboy Lubinda
For God’s sake – either wear a mask properly or don’t wear it at all! Is this the example to set for the nation?
Let me guess, your Excellency. You touched your excellent face with unwashed hands when you put your mask back on? Maybe even after touching your microphone, pen, notes, and table? Maybe you coughed or even sneezed? I know you are excellent, but those are human functions and is why YOU ORDERED WEARING OF MASKS IN THE FIRST PLACE. Never mind, of course, that less the less than excellent people surely breath near you and the outside of your mask is now resting on your lip.
Eish!
But ba Lungu bena kuwayawaya fye, chipantepante government.
This “abilima” moron is definitely at sea with a brilliant article by Dr Simon Manda. Are you sure he is not Sunday picnic or Tony trying to justify their existence in PF but end up embarrassing their excellent? But his excellent also, you mean he didn’t think about the prepared speech that he was reading? Or was it an incompetent speech writer? Or wrong advice? Or the habit of directing backfiring in a most embarrassing and actually reckless manner?
Your excellent, I suggest that you copy and paste what the prime minister of New Zealand that brilliant young lady is doing, and NOT what the now discredited President Trump is doing.
@ Mr Teacher,
Your reasoning does not cut it…… This guy is paid enough money (flying in a Gulfstream), We cam only conclude two thing.
1. He read through the speech before hand but he he so dull that he does not know a church is not an economic sector.
2.Lets say he his not dull, then he reads speeches with out having first gone through it.
It can only be one of the two. My guess is its 1. This is the reason he avoids press conferences and foreign media, his DULLNESS will be exposed.
Mr Swale may be vindicted… this man stole the identity of the real Changwa. All the signs are there. No one who has gone to university can be this DULL
@ Mr Teacher,
Your reasoning does not cut it…… This guy is paid enough money (flying in a Gulfstream), We cam only conclude two thing.
1. He read through the speech before hand but he he so dull that he does not know a church is not an economic sector.
2.Lets say he his not dull, then he reads speeches with out having first gone through them.
It can only be one of the two. My guess is its 1. This is the reason he avoids press conferences and foreign media, his DULLNESS will be exposed.
Mr Swale may be vindicted… this man stole the identity of the real Changwa. All the signs are there. No one who has gone to university can be this DULL
Lungu’s speech and i quote….
“President Lungu further asked: “What about the money for social cash transfer?” asked President Lungu. “(E) Where will we find money to buy the much needed drugs for our hospitals? (F) What about debt repayment obligations? (G) What about fuel importations? (H) When and how will the children get back to school? It is now over a month since schools were closed and the children are locked-up in homes. Some of them literally with no modern facilities such as internet. (I) Who will harvest the crops for our national food security? (J) Who will deliver farming inputs? (K) How will we distribute food relief?”
Well opening churches will not help much in answering the questions posed by Mr Lungu.
Why does opposition in Zambia think they can do better than President Lungu? He’s doing fine in very difficult circumstances. No one else would be doing better than he is currently.
Zambians kunya lelo, you have a full cycle dickhead running cycles around you, bukuba bwamina bu tulile mungomo wa mutoho, lyanganu tuni mu nyelile unomwaha,
Bridget – I thought I said “specificity” — so you tell me that according to your Dr. Manda the President should have said “we are going to open “Agriculture, food production and manufacturing sectors”? You see, what I am saying is that if you are going to write a critique, write with specifics. Dr. Manda has failed to state what he would have said if he were the President. By the way, I agree with what Teacher Mr has written. That poor speech sounded like a conspiracy by the President’s advisers – it was too hollow.
As for Junior jj – your absence of intellect is so clearly visible. The moron can’t even see that I am talking about the inability of a critique to serve it’s purpose even when clearly the President’s speech was so hollow. Such a moron this character Junior jj.
Very true, CPTD. But sectors like manufacturing, agriculture food production never closed. It is bars, gyms, betting halls, cinemas that were closed, nothing else. Farmers are still supplying Shoprite, PnP etc, Soweto is buzzing with 2cm social distancing.
Patriot Abroad – Championing Mental Health, Democratic Rights, Inclusion & Participation
“Why does opposition in Zambia think they can do better than President Lungu? “
Are you mad ? 2% GDP from RBs 7 , kwa 17 to the $ , unemployment sky high , debt sky high , inflation double digits ……
All this before C19 ?
Pleas dust Your self out of mediocracy and taking failure as the normal
Minister Yaluma says Tongas are bad people.
Yaluma says he hates Tongas because they are bad people
– Yet he is married to a Tonga woman.
In the midst of the COVID 19 fight, Minister of Commerce and Industry Christopher Yaluma goes tribal at Mumba village in Malole constituency as he launches his re-election bid as area Member of Parliament in 2021.
Yaluma distributed over 3000 bags of mealie meal brought by a Chinese truck from CNMC mining of Kalulushi. Yaluma’s wife is a Tonga from Monze. The wife’s father was at one time Mp for Monze. One wonder how their wives, children, in-laws from both sides feel with such characters..
Who is supposed to give us answers to the questions the President posed at the beginning of his speech?
Edgar Lungu is undoubtably the worst president this country ever had. He has addressed the nation on Covid-19 3 times and on all occasions, he has been late and uninspiring . He is just no presidential material, he lacks basic understanding.
Lungu is a big fraud ,
he addressed the nation 3 times regarding C19 , yet not once when Zambians were being burned in our streets by fellow Zambians for the first time in our history…….
Sad that we can’t even correctly sectorise our economy. The more reason we cannot appropriately allocate resources deservingly
Why don’t Presidents write their own speeches? At the rate iare going, someone will one day read his resignation letter … Kikikiki