OVER US$100 million, released for agricultural projects countrywide, is still not utilised two years after the money was given by donors.
Government is concerned that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has failed to utilise the US$115 million which was released for irrigation projects by the World Bank.
Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda said out of the total facility given by the World Bank two years ago, only US$11 million has so far been used.
“At the moment, as a ministry which disburses funds and also which is accountable and responsible for national planning, we have worries at the ministries’ capacity to generate bankable projects.
“At the end of the day there is a lot of unspent balances and also even external borrowings.
“For instance, the World Bank gave us a loan of US$115 million two years ago to use for irrigation facility. So far as at April only US$11 million has been used which is 10 percent of the total fund,” Mr Chikwanda told a media briefing in Lusaka recently.
He said it was very embarrassing for him after the information was given on the unspent balances as he is planning to travel to Washington DC to attend a spring meeting this month.
“We have since put pressure on the ministry to have the money utilised and it is currently moving fast. The ministry should ensure speedy implementation of projects,” he said.
Zambia, together with the World Bank, is implementing a US$115 million irrigation development and support project targeting small-scale producers.
The project involves the provision of bulk water infrastructure through construction of dams, establishment of canals and irrigation schemes.
Meaning it has gone in people’s pockets!
Even $11 million in 2 years is a lot of money, its better to disclose how the PF mismanaged the 10%, than encourage that the $100 million should be withdrawn for nothing.
@nubiana princess.iam sure you were in a hurry to comment so that your are the first one.Chikwanda didn’t say money is missing but is sitting idle and only $11million has been used out of the total given.
This , by their own admission demonstrates that PF has no capacity to run a government. I won’t be surprised that this happening at other ministries.
The issue bwana minister is that you rushed to borrow before planning. PF please learn that you first plan and weigh the merits of a project before you can borrow. Please do not through Zambia back into a debt trap like you did in the 70’s.
Money sitting idle in some ministry’s account in Zambia! I don’t believe a word Chikwanda says on this. The money in question has already found its ways in people’s pockets in form of loans and hefty allowances.
This is another BUFI to pre-empt an investigation about this money.
PF is rubbish at everything they lay their dirty hands on.
How can the money be utilised for the intended project when the president whose job is supervise these people is hiding?
PF wawa.
HH has been vindicated again. PF is simply a party in government without a credible plan.
PF is a party of Chimbwis no plan for sure. And its proper name on wards is PF – CNP
PF – CNP = BUFI +THEFT.
What do u expect from useless ministers and an absent president.unfortunately weather the money is idle ,interest has to be paid to the world bank.pf had no plan of running the affairs of the nation hence such are the results.
“We have since put pressure on the ministry to have the money utilised and it is currently moving fast.” Fast to where? By- elections?
No in ministers pockets!
The World Bank does not work like that you ignoramus. Fund are paid directly to contractors or suppliers after invoices have been verified. Chikwanda has no access to the money unless you, as the end user, connive with him.
US$115m still lying idle- meaning Zambia has been getting a negative return and payin interest.I now see Sata’s agenda of transforming Zambia to a poorer state.
Chaps especially those ho have not been in government feel running a government is synonymous with ukuchema, thereis inertia bwana. You may plan but youn discover hiccups in implementation, hat more with borrowed money whose terms must not be altererd. I am just thinking loudly but I do not subscribe to keeping borrowed money in the bank accruing interests but not amassing the envisaged profits. Remember the burk stops at the minister of agriculture a former UPND member and now its your kith and kin in office, querry him or get reshuffled again
Indeed the PF is a chimbwi no plan govt. Keeping all that money for 2yrs and the minister of finance is not aware of that,I now I agree with the Post that Chikwanda must go!! We have been saying agriculture is the only hope for this nation and these guys are failing to use $110 million. Iam shocked! This reminds me of a story in the bible where 3 people were given different amounts of money by a king who left for a remote place .two invested and one hid it in soil.when the king returned,he was pleased with the two guys who invested the money and jailed the one who just burried the money.
Should have clarified that the “only US$11 million has so far been used” to purchase project vehicles and pay for trips to Washington for review meetings with the World Bank. Of the project vehicles that were purchased, three have been written off in accidents unrelated to the project while the rest are in need of spares. The Ministry has requested for release of funds from the loan to purchase replacement vehicles!!!!
Paya Farmer nizoona, when they say PF is disorientated this is proof of it. These guys have no capacity to develop agric in zed. they are best known for more money in their own pockets. i will not vote for PF come 2016 or even in an by election. amafi ya mbushi is better than them
If PF spent $11m in two years, how will they utilise the balance of $115m in one month in order to impress the World Bank? This points to the money being stolen ASAP because they did not realize there was still some money around. These Pathetic Fools have been sleeping on the job. They have concentrated on roads where the Chinese are giving them kickbacks, bribes and commissions – as the PFost is revealing.
In other words this govt is useless. This money could have been loaned to responsible countries where sustainable projects and loan repayments could have been started. But this government keeps sh!tting about unprecedented development with borrowed money it can’t even utilise responsibly!
Hopeless uncoordinated-non-strategic-thinking government.
The only time PF are organised is when they are mobilising cadres to go and do violent issues kuma Bye-elections.
Zambians we are intellectually lazy, talk aloooooot like mad people but do liiiiiiiiitle. Until the mindset change, we will not develop. This explains the negative sentiments of MCS against his Ministers and civil servants he used to Fire in the past that won him the nickname, King Cobra. Laziness, Laziness, Laziness but Talk talk day and night but no work done!
i bet the government has chewed the funds and forgotten about agriculture; useless pigs. evans mfula at evaduco reporting live from the suburbs of lusaka
i bet the government has chewed the funds and forgotten about agriculture; useless pigs. evans mfula at evaduco reporting live from the suburbs of lusaka
They should redeploy Kapoko who will expediciously ‘utilise’ the funds to build lodges and guesthouses! The properties will subsequently be seized by ACC from Kapoko under some compulsory buyout scheme (no court order necessary) and Kapoko will be acquitted and non will be the wiser!
Look who is talking about unspent money, the finance minister himself. And now the money is moving fast. Chimbwi no plan arrangement, he doest even care how the money is spent, or the I.d.I.o.t care about is to see that the money is finished. We are in total shit
We told you so!!!!!! Rubbish PF Party = BUFI
@Mr T, which is a better party kanshi, I need to join it. You seem to be bitter with the current party and its government. Slow down, speed kills. Yashani up to now you are not yet awake from your slumber of 2011?
This what we mean when I say we have utterly clueless empty tins in power, farming requires hardwork, patience,dedication and strategic…something a lazy corrupt sponge individual like Fossil Chikwanda and co. do not have..if these funds was for something as easy as laying tarmac these funds would have disappeared through the single sourced their proxy companies.
STUP!D !! You r lying and you r taking us for a horse ride….!!!
Ba kawala imwe GO TO HELL CHIKWANDA you r fetid !!
As long as he is Bemba he is a presidential material. This man only talks about business. He has a heart for the country. He puts people first not cattle like what our colleagues from the southern region are known to practice. what he is saying is that we have money meant for water reticulation but no one is coming up with a tangible project of how to utilize it. He wants to solve the problem of water shortages in the country. Please heed his plea. He is crying out to the nation. I doubt if UPND can follow this path. If none has sacrificed the midterm gratuity to donate to their voters, I doubt how they would spare this money if they were in government. UPND chaps are only good in violence which is their political weapon to get into power. Stone age behavior. They belong to Shaka Zulu era.
Hahahahaha, I love your analysis Jojo. Only Bembas are presidential material for sure.
Stup!d and stup!dier. I had a feeling I would find you two here.
YABBA! Bloggers commenting and condemning out of ignorance and hatred…sorry
I now see how we as citizens rush to speak on things on which we do not have full understanding. I have a little knowledge on this and I know the project has been delayed because the construction of dams requires relocating of the locals. As you can imagine negotiations have taken long. These people have buried relatives on this land and they also need some compensation and support wherever they will be relocated to.
Granted there is a lot of things wrong with the system but not everything is corruption or government. I appreciate the role that the internet and social media is playing in the dispersion of information but it also exposing the laziness we have in getting to the facts. And also how uncivil we are, busy insulting each other on things we don’t really understand at times
If you are not in government and you know this, why should we not insult the government if they did not know what you know when they should have had this knowledge in the first place? Does Chikwanda’s statement bespeak someone who has this knowledge or does it unmask the fantastic incompetence of the PF government? You tell me brother.
Mr Chikwanda statements take Zambians by surprise to mention underutilized world bank funds as if the country has not identified its priority needs. Mr Chikwanda talks like a novice as government administrator. ABC now runs the PF government as Sata has gone into hiding ( Wanzelu term). Who is Chikwanda telling that incompetence of running government, exposing ignorance with majority poor Zambian. Chikwanda lives in ivory towers and decides to politik over poverty in Zambia. World bank has put up accountability measures PF is finding hard to burst rendering Chikwanda to utter self-targeted statements like a mad person. Reminder! Chikwanda is in government and fails to utilize World bank Africulture funds, in any case PF has no agriculture persuasion. Funds remain.
All you illiterate Nigers, the World Bank does not releases the whole amount, the money is released in bits in a local special account. The Ministry has to justify how they spent the money before the account is next replenished. How is HH going to run government with illiterates on his side.
Yaba. Do you know that a mute person makes more sense than you ayi?
Sadly LT has become a platform where to spit your hatred, bitterness and insults. The only difference with ZWD in that anyone can comment without being blocked. No wonder level minded bloggers no longer comment.
This P.F. Government, has Useless Ministers, which means P.F, is hopeless.
What has the Agriculture minister been up to, whilst drawing a Government salary for doing Jack- Sh*t. This by definition is FRAUD!
Next that Money will be”KAPOKOD” if its not already been, as we blog.
Talking about the Minister…. How do you expect him to perform when his wife has already told us that she spends hours in front of the mirror pampering herself for his eyes “only” ? The guy is dazed with the “beauty” of his lovie rendering his head disfunctional ministerially. ….
Ba Chikwanda, you are telling that, the money was just laying idol? And yet you are the ministry of Finance. Why did you not tell Wilbur Simusa about it. Busy yapping in the offices. Ba Zambia
That’s criminal.There are several irrigation projects that are not moving on account of lack of funds and yet money is idling. When the World Bank and the Ministry of Agric become transparent about those funds then things will start moving. Let the funds be advertised for the farming community to apply. You should also broaden the administration to include serious stakeholders like Commercial farmers, not just Civil Servants.
Ask where the interest earned has been going. That is how they steal.
Bembas now left alone are starting to point fingers at each other. This old witch who was Finance minister in the 19702s and led Zambia to being a highly-indebted country due to his monkey economics, has again been over-borrowing in this government. He is a thief on top of that. Now he is blaming another minister. Whnat is the point of telling us what they should be fixing among themselves? This is again chikwanda diverting attention from his born-with dullness and incompetence by blaming another person. I don’t know why Sata brought in this neanderthal nutcracker monkey to serve as minister. To him everybody is wrong EXCEPT himself. what is his job if he hasn’t been discussing with his counterpart to resolve the problem. Yaba, no brains, except when it comes to stealing…monkeys.
@Chitapi, assuming you’re African, how do you call an African a monkey when there is a whole race dedicating that epithet to all that is African? Why do you repeat what you hear without thinking? Do you realize how insulting calling an African Monkey is to an African including your folks? Your comment would amuse an Aryan,’a monkey calling a monkey monkey’? I guess you see nothing wrong there.
Note to Editor: “Spring Meetings are held in the spring, hence the term.” Chikwanda will be attending the Annual Meetings to be held in DC in September. As for the unspent funds, I know this comment will be unpopular amongst most bloggers but the truth is that we need to understand how the World Bank works before we post comments about stolen funds. It is not the easy to steal from the World Bank as someone pointed out earlier, money is only disbursed to a designated account upon evidence of utlization of funds from implementing agency. Not even Chikwanda has access to those funds and neither is he a signatory to those accounts. Let’s develop a serious culture of truly understanding how things work and we will be able to speak from informed positions and make meaningful contributions.
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