Eastern Province Gender Principal Officer Warren Maimbolwa has urged government departments to be gender sensitive in the formulation of budgets.
Mr Maimbolwa says there is a need to budget with a gender lens in order to meet the needs of all people in the society.
Mr Maimbolwa said this during a sensitisation meeting with District Heads of Government Departments on Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting in Mambwe District in Eastern Province.
He noted that budgeting was not just a matter of coming up with figures of expenditure, but rather, the expenditure should speak to the needs of all persons in society.
He said the government was the biggest spender in every economy and as such, the expenditure should have a high impact on communities.
Mr Maimbolwa noted that gender responsive planning and budgeting aimed at ensuring budgets that work for the diverse needs and equal distribution of national resources are drawn up.
He observed that gender responsive budgets fosters a sense of justice, strengthen government accountability and support better alignment of national budgets with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said it was the hope of the government the initiative would enhance national development from the contribution of both genders.
