GOVERNMENT will spend over US$899,750 on 10,000 senior citizens under the social programme by 2012.
Minister of Labour and Social Security Austin Liato said Government and co-operating partners are in the process of introducing a social pension for senior citizens aged 60 and above.
He said the social pension programme will initially target Katete in the Eastern Province.
Mr Liato said this in a speech read for him by his permanent secretary Winnie Mwenda at the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Southern Africa regional technical cocktail on Wednesday.
“Government is committed to extending social security coverage and has agreed with co-operating partners to have a joint financing agreement to upscale the social cash transfers countrywide,” he said.
Mr Liato said the technical workshop had come at a time when countries worldwide are grappling with the challenge of identifying and drawing cost-effective strategies of extending social protection in the informal economy.
He said one of the key problems affecting social security is that half of the world’s population is excluded from any type of statutory social protection.
Mr Liato said in low-income countries such as those in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, more than 90 percent of the population is not covered.
He said it is important that policy-makers, pension administrators, social security experts and researchers meet regularly to share knowledge and experience on social security.
Mr Liato said Zambia has been implementing a number of programmes with a view to determining the most appropriate approach to cover workers in the informal economy.
He said studies in Luapula, Northern, Eastern and Lusaka provinces have been undertaken with interesting findings.
And ISSA regional chairman Joseph Ewane Ejuba commended the nine countries that are in Zambia to share knowledge on social security.
He said social security is important in every country because it does not only benefit the present but the future as well.
Mr Ejuba commended Zambia for accepting to host a three-day conference under the theme ‘Extension of social security coverage to the informal economy’.
Countries participating in the conference are Ghana, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Mauritius and Zambia.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
l-) Now, ba Senior citizen/Veteran, you have managed to get what you have always wanted. I just hope you will retire from blogging on LT with some dignity. Utuchawa twenu and licking seems to have paid off. Congratulations.
Now my question here is why Katete first?
😮
realistically where is zambia going to get the money? we fail to pay pensioners who have in essence been contributing to their retirement fund so how are we going to manage to pat pensioners from a fund they never contributed to? we shouls stop keeping up appearances as a country in front of the world, thats what led us to incurring the current debts. lets stop politcs of appeasement and lets get real.by the way why eastern province indeed?
this is good initiative. But why Katete? Is it because RB’s parents come from Eastern? Why were studies not done in all provinces? why not start will all senior citizens all over the nation? If you want to give 1000,00 pin to one SC, why not reduce it to 500,00 pini and give to all SC in all pronvices?
Just because developed countries do it should not mean we have to copy and paste.
That is if its not the usual rhetoric. And why start in Katete and not Nakonda or Sinazongwe
Source of funds?
Why Katete if it is a national programme?
Penshioned Civil servant have not been paid their due for years… why not start with them?
People of Zambeziland, something is not being said here…
Indalama shaibwa!
Implement social security in a country where addresses are a luxury and the government does not maintain a database of who is who? Wait ’till the Congolese hear about this. Just all our neighbors, they will be entering Zambia through our porous borders en mass and bribe their way to citizenship, begin getting a check and sit on their buns.
Let me not say too much. But I will say this, it will be good to have more information on the program than the little that has been presented in his article.
It is not going to work! GRZ have no planning capacity, hence its a non starter. They are trying to win votes from the oldies i guess. Shame on you MMD.
Education, Education, Education!
Healthcare, Healthcare, Healthcare!
So many projects I can think of which they can spend that money on. We all support our oldies and we are happy to carry on, please put that mouth of yours to better projects!! You lier!
#8 Kuomboka, you have a very strong point my friend.
Did I read the figures right US $899, 750 for 10, 000 people. Thats $90/person. Something can’t be right here
Did I read the figures right US $899,750 for 10,000 people. Thats $90/person. Something can’t be right here with the figures/ social programme.
#6-7-8…well said!! Just how is this programme going to be sustained in a country like ours? Is this Government for real or is just one of those dodgy political moves to exploit people…i.e. promisory notes?:-w