Vice President Ruphia Banda has bemoaned the lack of local expertise in most African countries, a situation, he said has retarded development on the continent.
Mr. Banda regreted that most African countries, including Zambia, still depend
largely on foreign expertise to run economies at a high cost.
The Vice President was speaking in Lusaka today when he officially opened the
African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) Board of Governors meeting.
“For unless we pay attention to this very important aspect of our national
development, all our efforts will be in vain.No matter how elaborate our plans are,
if we lack trained manpower that can efficiently execute our plans, nothing will
happen,” he said.
He said it is important for a developing country like Zambia to have adequate
doctors, engeneers, lawyers economists and other various disciplines in order to
move the country forward.
He said it is therefore important for African countries to train their own people in
order to acheive sustainble economic growth.
Mr. Banda paid tribute to the ACBF for the role it has played in Zambia and in
particular the support rendered to the ministry of Finance and National Planning in
capacity building.
“I am aware that thre is further support that is coming our way from ACBF in the
recently formed formed Zambia Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR).
This will be a semi-autonomous institute for use by government institutions
responsible for macro-economic policy formulation and implementation,” he said.
He urged all African countries to give the ZCBF all the support it needs in its
endevours to develop capacity in Africa.
Mr. Banda said African countries need to take full ownership of the ACBF and its
programmes, for it to be a relevant force to the challenges facing the African
countries in the new millennium.
In this regard, he said, Zambia has pledged US$250,000 to the Foundation.
And ACBF chairperson Louise Clement said the Foundation plays an important role in
the strenthening of public sector capacities throughout Africa.
She said good governance is key to the success of international, regional and
national development efforts.
Politicians politicians! Good at dishing out money to irrelevant bodies for an answer my pet dog could give them. RB claims we train more – true to a certain extent, however the MAIN PROBLEM lies with retention of the people you train!! RB, I’ll enlighten you, IT IS FAR MUCH CHEAPER TO HAVE A THIRD WORLD TRAINED PERSONS EMIGRATE TO THE WESTERN WORLD WHERE THEY’D HAVE 2 SPEND MILLIONS TO GET THE SAME EXPERIENCE. Instead of ploughing that money into schemes that will retain the much needed staff, you’re are pouring it into another academic exercise.
We self perpetuate the poverty we wallow in, it is precisely this type of thinking & actions we are stagnated or actually regressing! Zambia really needs to be bold & radical and try out new faces/names on the political scene.
What we need are:1] New faces @ helm of parties following free elections @ conventions 2]CV’s 3] Series of Live political debates(The interviews) to determine how they analyse, comprehend & execute initiatives.
The vice-president needs to be better informed about the plight of the educated/qualified and experieced people in zambia. Alot of qualified people – doctors,nurses,engineers have left the country to go elsewhere for better conditions. As much as they love their country, they also have a duty to their families. If the govt spends less on funding initiatives that do less to change the working conditions of the working class and concentrate on how to retain trained professionals we wouldn’t have to bring in the so-called foreign expertise of questionable value. Our professionals work in the developed countries in some of the best institutions, be it finance or health and here we have our VP taking about lack of expertise.. What a pity/ a shame really that we cannout even recognise our educated/qualified people.
The system colapsed and it will take years to recover sure I agree with you 2#retaintion of skilled workers is the problem. A quailified Zambian has not a duty to to his family but to his extended family. Its is this reason of expectation from an individual and stagnant wages that force many professionals to find their way outside Zambia. Better packages are good essentives to pull knowledgable pipo. Improve condition of services for workers you see a boom instead of a doom for country. Quality sells better.
I dont agree with the VP. Look at the human resource that we have. Its sad that Zambia fails to employ them including failing to support local businesses and at the end say we dont have enough human resource. Some of my friends who graduated 17 years ago as economists, engineers and of late including teachers, agriculturalists can hadly get a job. How else can a fresh graduate contribute to the economy if Government cant create employment. It is sad that the same people we fail to emplyee once emplyed in other countries, the are the best proffessionals. Sad!!!!
By the way did anyone realise that the money spent on by elections can build more Schools, universities, Hospitals and hence train more human resource ?. Mr. Money should be told this.
I feel very much disappointed and disgusted at the way the youths are treated in these developing countries, including Zambia in particula. Most youths who just join organisations including the Government and within a shot time when they aquire a schorlaship through their own efforts are usually asked to resine from their current positions. This is really nonsense and riduculous. Here is the Government complaining about having inadequate qualified personel and when people want to improve their CVs you fire them. Where do you think the qualified personnel will come from? Our leaders should learn and ask other leaders from develop countries in particular concerning the policies governing the education system and employment. We have too much crime and prostitution in the country due to poor policies addressing these cadinal issues. We do not need foreiners to run our economy. We have enouph human resource that can be trained and the already trained are just lying idle.
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