Chiefs and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkandu Luo says time has come for the ruling Patriotic Front to implement its campaign promises.
Addressing a royal council meeting in Macha chiefdom in Choma yesterday, Professor Luo said the PF has an obligation to deliver development to the people of Zambia as it promised them during the campaign period.
Prof Luo said poverty levels still remain high in the country hence the need for government to quickly address the situation as part of its fulfillment of the campaign promises.
The minister pointed out that the PF will in its remaining four years work on reducing the poverty levels as wells as uplifting the living standard of people.
Prof Luo explained that her ministry will work closely with chiefs in its quest to meet people‘s aspirations.
She added that government has identified the need to engage the traditional leadership in its fight against the high levels of poverty people have been subjected to in the past 20 years of the former regime because they are not voted like politicians.
The minister said traditional leadership does not change even if there is change of government hence the reason for any ruling party to recognize and work with it.
Prof Luo disclosed that government will next year set up seed certification in all chiefdoms involved in farming so as to increase accessibility of inputs to all potential farmers.
She said the idea is meant to reduce poverty by empowering chiefdoms through agriculture and as well as agro processing equipment that can be used to store and dry caterpillars as well as mushroom for export.
Prof Luo further urged people to identify projects that they can manage in their chiefdoms in order to improve their lives through exporting such products outside the country.
However the minister said issues of HIV/AIDS in the country have continued hindering people from being productive.
She said the PF government will strive hard to ensure that it helps its people to be productive as way of fighting poverty.
Meanwhile Chief Macha has called for concerted efforts among his subjects in the fight against poverty.
He said development is based on how much knowledge one has hence the need for government to adequately inform its citizens on all development programmes.
The chief cited water blues as among many other challenges his chiefdom is faced with that needs urgent government attention.
ZANIS
With a huge proportion of Zambia’s population living in the rural areas which unfortunately is largely illiterate, alot of programs by government need to be channeled into uplifting the lives of these rural dwellers and empower then by engaging them into economic activities that would raise their standard of living. The government should provide technical assistance in areas of agricultural extension services, simple irrigation expertise and finding markets for raw agriculture and those that some added value. What kills the hard working spirit of our country men in the rural areas is having worked hard during a farming season and for those that are lucky to have sold their produce and sit for months before getting paid and then the produce end up being wasted.
The Prof in Macha. lelo PF are going Mad before POWER Taken out from them. They are failing to GOVERN and JUST Bickering by the TOP heavy men.
Ukwa seem to be enjoying it as it has distracted attention from his failures.
If a father says to his children, through a distant Auntie, for that matter “I think it is time I started keeping my promises i.e. feeding you  and buying you clothes,” e.t.c. Would anyone be wrong in suggesting that those children be put in a forster home because the father sounds somewhat insane? Would that man be deemed fit to have custody of his children? Isn’t this the same position that the PF govt is in, one year after being elected? Just thinking….!
atase..just work..no more promises..chimulomo..
Ba Luo what are you still doing in this mediocre post…c’mon stop wasting your talent.Â
tell us when and how you will reduce poverty not just singing the same words everyday…..whats wrong with you pf boma kansi
“Prof Luo disclosed that government will next year set up seed certification in all chiefdoms involved in farming so as to increase accessibility of inputs to all potential farmers.” I have two problems with this statement. Almost all chiefdoms worth their salt are involved in one form of agriculture activity or another and the far more than the districts including the newly created districts. second seed certification is scientific can not be done at village levels. then there is the issue of agro-processing equipment for drying caterpillars for export. Has anyone done a market research on the demand for caterpillars in export markets. I feel so sad for Zambia because these pipo seem to have no clue what they are talking about.
#7 I couldn’t agree more…
I pity PF so much. They inherited a very corrupt system which has to be dismantled before we see any tangible progress. I was amazed to see my friends who are mere registry clerks in Goverment owning Mansions and a fleets of buses and trucks. Where in the world can this happen. RB??? Good that you were voted out.
@9 . Please give us a break. Sata has a history of corruption . Depositing money govt ministry money in his personal account. Raiding National Assembly accounts and withdrawing K2bn which he failed to account for! In a civilised this buffoon of yours would never be near any political office. Luo has a history also ICASA funds! Scott compensating himself with gov’t money over some none existent outbreak of swine fever! You must have been born in 1991 not to know these people. These are the criminals who were running Zambia in the lost decade of 1991-2001!