THE British government through the Department for International Development (DFID) will provide Zambia with a Growth and Poverty Reduction Grant of K450 billion (£58m) over the next three years. DFID will this year disburse K194 billion (£25m).
Ministry of Finance and National Planning public relations officer Chileshe Kandeta said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that the grant would be delivered as general budget support to help the Zambian Government continue the fight against poverty.
Mr Kandeta said the funds would be used to deliver more and better essential services to poor Zambians in areas of education, health, water and social security, and also increase investments in infrastructure and agriculture.
“The money will ensure that an additional 54,000 rural people have access to safe water by 2014, keep an additional 50,000 children in school every year and provide an additional 42,000 households with access to electricity by 2015,” he said.
And in an official signing ceremony with the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Head of DFID’s office in Zambia Mike Hammond said the UK remained one of Zambia’s key development partners and was committed to working with the Zambian Government to deliver its programme, especially the reduction of poverty.
“I am pleased to announce our support direct to the Government’s budget which will help them to build on progress already made and deliver better quality basic services.
“Our support will complement other programmes which target aid resources at the most off-track MDGs, and is part of a total amount of Z932billion (£120m) that has been committed since the PF came into power,” he said.
DFID would provide £235million in development assistance to Zambia over the next four years (2011-15) and the focus of DFID’s programme was making growth more inclusive, tackling inequality especially in the rural areas, tackling corruption and improving accountability of Government to its voters so that all Zambians could benefit from Zambia’s development efforts.
[Times of Zambia]
Are these not the chaps who said we have to support homosexuality in order to receive any aid from them? Are we saying our government has succumbed to that condition? Please educate me.
At #1, You Zambians are difficult people. Is the word ‘thank you’ in your vocabulary? These are hard times in the world and even in Europe people do not have jobs. Do I need to spell it out to you that there are many people that are deserving of this assistance, who keep their bigotry to themselves?
thank you, you words are wise
absolutely – and one wonders why we are poor, too proud to say thank you – and consequently miss on our blessings
Thank You to the British goverment. This shows that the world out there is in support of our Partys policies including fight against corruption. Did it take Sata to go to UK to negotiate for this help?
This is where my 40%++ income tax is going!!!!
Corrupt G.B.M is happy that this huge amount of money wil cuming in his pockets.
No. 2 You do not seem to understand how this aid is given. For you all what they give us is free and all you say is “thank you”. These donations have conditions and all am asking is whether we have succumbed to what David Cameron said about British aid. He was very categorical and said that his government will only give aid to countries that recognise gay rights. So, has this stance changed or our government has succumbed?
so do you have any suggestions???
you have started borrowing and you hide in the names of grants……hope the money will be put to good use for the benefits of the zambian poor masses……if it was MMD…kwakana….
Yes!!
Is cameron trying to correct what he said or has the government promised the respect for homosexuals through their ” constitution experts”.
I am with you @ 6(Interested); As they say, “Thank you, but NO Thank you!” If this grant/donation call it whatever you like comes with conditions about anything not in our tradition, we should denounce it with all our mighty, and say “NO THANK YOU!” On the other hand, if it is a genuine contribution to better the lives of our people, then we whole heartedly welcome it. We have suffered enough over the centuries and we shouldn’t let anyone plot our future. There are things that should stay African and in the same vain, there are those that should remain European/Western. My post is based on “reading between the lines”
Good donation as long as it has no strings of Homosexuality attached.. because Zambians will never be Homosexuals (anus doers) like these white chaps.
generate your own, begging will reduce you to animals.
What are these grants? Are they handouts or what when they are looking for money to bail out their failing economies? MMD Chief Boot Licker can you give us some insight.
British will always support Sata because of his vice Guy Scot. The moment this man will be out of government you will see reduced from Britain. Thanks Guy Scott for bringing this amount of money, your position is working. I hope the money will not be misplaced and misused, knowing the people you are working with.
thats good news indeed.but then goverment should make sure that every kwacha and ngwe is accounted for.As long as corruption is eradicated we will see development. oonce again congratulations to Mr Chileshe Kandeta on ur apointment as the minisry of finance and planning PR.Viva ichi course!! Viva Dingo!!
what sort of Grant is this?
what are the conditions? as you know we obviously have to pay back, and surely Zambia does not need this kind of debt which has strings attached! strings like homosexuality! and by the way our budget this year was 27 trillion where will 190 billion take us? it will buy scanners???
Unfortunately it’s all going to end up in our corrupt politicians’ pockets, so that the fat cats get even fatter.
beggars, learn to generate your own income.
why are you in the UK or wherever you might be????????
That is a very big boost if indeed it is genuine. We thank you British people for helping mankind in the form of Zambians without any averse conditions to their belief and culture.
he he,here is manna again.Let us start looting the resources!.
May be this is British appreciation for Sata’s poodle-like behaviour when he licked the feet and kissed the fingernails of the Archbishop of Canterbury when he visited Zambia last year. Â Mr President that behaviour was a good investment; this is the pay-off. Â Don’t you say in your Bemba language about “Sebana wikute” or whatever?
Liato must be salivating. Had he been in govt he could have minted at least ka K20bn and buried it in his underground pocket.
Our former colonial masters are very mean. We receive more from USA and other countries than this greedy nation. K450 billion in the next 3 years. We divide K450b by 36 months what do we get per year? Not enough to construct one major road.
have you given them any???
Give some money to HH for 2016 campaign
Good afternoon
I equally share the skepticism of many bloggers towards the grant. We all know that there is nothing for nothing in the Western capitalist system and such assistance definately comes with ulterior motives.
Not long ago, I read of a “presidential memorandum” from David Cameron directing British agencies engaged abroad to ensure that human rights of gays and lesbians are protected globally. If this grant is aimed at buying out our values, customs and way of life, then they might as well keep it.
come on people, even you should give credit where its due, Sata and his govt are on to a good start here and it can only get better____________as long as we let them do the job we voted them to do, its not about PF but the zambian people
That Cameron speech was not set in stone. We are not obliged to buy into homosexuality.
It is very simple mathematics here. All we are asking is cameron said such aid would only come if you respect homosexual rights in Africa.
Now If angle A is equal to angle B, and angle B is equal to angle C in a triangle then obviously angle C is equal to angle A.
That should be known before you eat the money. However if there are no strings attached ..thank you on behalf of those who will eat.
It is a well known fact that PF govt has been good at exciting people with statements as if Zambians are unable to make meaning of the current state of affairs. The British government has always had a relationship with zambia way back before even a drean of PF. The 235 million Pounds announced by Mr Kandeta as British Grant to Zambia was presided by the British govt in their previous budget for International development fund. So is 125 million pounds aid to Zambia for MDGs objectives. The PF govt was non exist at the time these decisions took place in British politics. There is strong debate with the House of Commons in Britain about the moral obligations to foreign governments when British nationals are struggling economically. Its for this reason that conditionalities were resolved to
be attached to DFIDs. These conditionalities were well articulated by Cameron while in Australia during the Commonwealth heads of govts. Among the human rights conditionality was recognition of gay and lesbo rights as a prerequisite to qualify for aid. Since then, the position of PF govt under Mr Sata over there homosexual rights has not been definitive and Zambians are left guessing. We can now conclude that Sata capitulated and is rewarded by the giver of aid. Why this is so because other countries have stood by their moral standards and not exchanged with pennies that dont last. Malawi, Ghana and Uganda declined aid in exchange with values that have shaped their societies. We await Mr Sata to tell the nation where he stands on behalf of Zambia vis-as-vis aid condionalities attached.
Muna Dekhane – since you live in the UK, and mingle and possibly work with poofs and lesbos, do you also recognise their rights? Just checking!
May our Good Lord continue blessing these donors.. You are surely giving to the poor and that is the reason you will never lack Proverbs28:27
@28, Muna Dekhane, You make me lough, so what do you mean? that the grant was meant for MMD I suppose? Do you think if PF came up with poor policies they where going to get this money? One thing I can assure is if RB warn last yrs elections (God forbid), he was not going to recieve this money. Last year one of the scandinavian countries which has been supporting our budget for many years withdrew its support from Zambia why?
Dont kubeba continues .
Kulya nabo .
@6 and @10 you are not speaking with a mind void of discrimination. Grouping people in an opinion is discrimination. If you were a leader in the western world to be specific UK there could be calls for your resignation. people groups are different Not all Bembers or Tongas are the same there are those who are morally upright and those who are immoral. Calling whites as homosexuals is vulgar, abuse and racial discrimination to the upright ones. If David Cameroon say lets uphold gay rights that does not mean that the whole white community are gays or lesbians. I strongly disagree with the use of the terms whites, western culture or European. Homesexuality is a current phenomenon to the world with its wave to Africa.
honestly, there is no pride in receiving alms even if they are for free. After 48 years of independence we are still soliciting for grants? its a shame. I see this money being used to purchase luxury vehicles for the Govt officials, coz thats what Zambians know, luxury with no hard work. Its ironic that a Texas State Govt, with all its resources, buy basic toyota priuses (corollas), while a poor govt in Zambia buys very expensive VXs and other luxury jeeps. very surprising.*** for sure the poor will always be poor.Â
Where is dambisa moyo? Her work will never be appreciated. Too bad
@ #10 Is homosexuality a white man’s “disease”? Zambia i’m sure has quite a number of black homosexual men. Only problem is we Zambians tend to think we have this super high moral code that no other nation subscribes to. The so called declaration of Zambia as a Christian Nation is utter rubbish!
Let God judge the homosexuals and not you hypocrites.
No. 6 Interested,   So what if the government agrees to respect gay rights, ain’t the human beings like you, hypocrites those gays pay tax to their governments hence contribute to this aid you’ll be chewing, they have a say where its going. What have homosexuality got to do with you anyway…..Â
How much does Drogba earn at Chelsea? How much does Samuel Eto at his new club? The former colonial master can do better! Anyway, thank since its for public relations and British Employment creation! IF its not for British people to a greater extent, let a Zambian head DFID.
Is this FTJ’s looted money coming back in the form of aid.