Vice President Mutale Nalumango has called for strong partnerships between government and cooperating partners in eliminating hunger and all forms of malnutrition in the country.
Mrs Nalumango says government alone cannot manage to effectively and completely address issues of hunger and malnutrition as they negatively affect human development.
Speaking when she officiated at a high-level engagement on food and nutrition security in Lusaka yesterday, Mrs Nalumango noted that this is why there is need for government and cooperating partners to put efforts, intentions and resources together and come up with an effective multi sectoral approach to addressing the problem.
She explained that the Zambian government is committed to ensuring that it ends all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030, a global commitment that President Hakainde Hichilema made during a meeting on ending hunger and malnutrition on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last year.
She said with the political will that so far has been shown, Zambia will continue to implement programmes and projects that are tailor made towards achieving the set goals.
She cited the inclusion of a pillar in the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) and plans to include a component on addressing hunger and malnutrition in the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) as some of the ways that government is exploring to enhance and mainstream issues of food security at all levels.
“As Zambia we are committed to ending hunger by 2030 and we have influential leaders also committing to eliminate hunger and all forms of malnutrition. This vision is possible, it is very possible if we put our efforts and resources together and work toward our determination to achieve this goal,” she noted.
The Vice President added that there is a global call to action by harnessing the collective power that various stakeholders possess in responding to issues that affect the development of human capital, such as hunger.
She has since thanked the different cooperating partners for the continued support to programmes and activities targeted at improving the nutrition standards of vulnerable people in different communities.
And United Nations Country Coordinator, Beatrice Mutali, reaffirmed her organisation’s commitment to help Zambia attain sustainable food security by supporting initiatives that are targeted at fighting hunger.
Ms. Mutali noted that the UN will support programmes through its common framework activities such as enhancing literacy among vulnerable populations and the decentralisation of social services.
She further urged the Zambian government to also ensure that issues of nutrition are given attention by prioritising them in social programmes such as the social cash transfer, farmer input support programme and the farmer security park among others.
Meanwhile, a representative of the cooperating partners, Anne Wagner Wagner-Mitchell, has commended the government for including a pillar on nutrition and malnutrition in its Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).
Ms. Wagner-Mitchell, who is also Germany Ambassador to Zambia, said this is an indication of serious government resolution to address issues of hunger and ensure that there is good security at home and national level.
She pledged cooperating partners’ continued support to work with government in implementing programmes aimed at improving the lives of people in the country.
But you promised to end hunger.
Efyo napap naineWhy change of goal posts now?
Vice President Mutale Nalumango listen and understand that good and acceptable values are cardinal for strong partnerships between government and cooperating partners in eliminating hunger and all forms of malnutrition in the country. The way you open your mouth in parliament tells the world who you are. No values but a chief praise singer. Mutale Nalumango reform, reform, reform, reform….at your age, you have not time to be a praise a singer.
You said no more pamela in your campaigns. There now more Pamelas than we saw in Lungu. You promised 8 bags of Fertiliser but now you are giving medas. Mwalettushinga fye butter ba Mayo imwe.
We thought you indeed had a plan….bufi bwenu.
Mwalechimona kwanguka……Nipano tuli.
The carrot being dangled again. The translation of this statement from the so called “cooperating partners” or “uncooperative partners” as I call them is that they will not allow us to stay hunger free by controlling our water, food and resources. Our culture, traditions and people have existed for generations even in the harshest conditions under colonial rule, why do these people think hunger is our biggest en3my? Why do these ministers think making such statements is beneficial to us? Soon you will be importing bottled water in a country where God has blessed with every water feature apart from the sea.
Mwakangiwa…….just admit
Sometimes one size fits all does not work, just because the UN or CPs have prescribed strategies that worked elsewhere doesn’t mean it will work for Zambia.
Zambia is endowed with plenty of fertile land and abundant water and rainfall, empower the women with farming implements and inputs, let them grow local nutritious foods. Help them form nutrition groups and get training on how to prepare the local foods.
My grandmother used to say that she raised up all her children and none of them suffered from malnutrition. Let’s get back to the roots, it’s not prestige to give children carbonated drinks.