Zambia will not realize all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets by 2015 despite some noticeable progress that the country is achieving, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda has said.
Mr Chikwanda said the country would not be able to fulfill the tall order of the MDGs but that Government remained committed to sustain and increase the momentum of the progress by 2015.
He said in Lusaka yesterday at the launch of the 2013 progress-report on MDGs by the United Nations (UN) that the current difficulties on the commodity prices front could stiffen realization of the goals.
“We will most likely not be able to fulfill the tall order of the MDGs by 2015 but we have made noticeable progress. Our aim is to sustain and increase the momentum of progress. With the current difficulties on the commodity prices front, the going will be quite stiff but we will fight on to better the lives of the people,” Mr Chikwanda said.
He said Zambia had struggled on many fronts in social and economic spheres to work towards attainment of MDGs but there was still a long way even with stupendous efforts of 19 months Patriotic Front (PF) administration to revise the development script in order to accelerate the development process.
Mr Chikwanda however said, the overall objective of MDGs was to accelerate development and that Government remained committed to accelerate and foster development in the country.
He said Government was committed to improving the health and educational services, water supplies in rural and urban communities, infrastructure in roads, railways and investing highly in power sector.
“If we can marshal adequate resources to invest in agriculture, we can in the medium and long term eradicate poverty,” Mr Chikwanda said.
He said the international community especially the country’s co-operating partners had spared no effort to assist Zambia and that the country would remain grateful for their generosity.
Mr Chikwanda said the growth rates being attained, no matter how embellished they were, had no meaning if unemployment and poverty especially among the young people remained intractably high.
Earlier, UN country representative Kanni Wagnaraja said Zambia was however, making progress in realizing some MDGs targets such as those related to the health sector.
She underlined the need to address growing inequalities countrywide with a call for viable reforms and investments to realize goals like MDG One on decreasing extreme poverty of 29 per cent by 2015.
On MDG One, of extreme poverty, she said poverty was decreasing at slow pace as from 58 per cent in 1991 to 42 per cent in 2010 and there was need for more investment to realize the goal target by 2015.
She said Zambia was on right path in realizing MDG Six on HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis prevalence though two young girls were infected with HIV/AIDS every two hours.
The country was further said to be progressing well on MDG Four of Child mortality, MDG Three on Gender equality and MDG Two on universal primary education.
“Zambia’s recent progress on many of the MDG targets has been encouraging, and we are heading in the right direction, although the country is still confronted by challenges that slow the overall pace of implementation.
“This is why we see the impatience often articulated by national and local leadership and civil society alike, for it is quite clear that this country can get to many more of its targets by the 2015 deadline,” Ms Wagnaraja said.
On MDG Four, she said although there was a reduction, child and maternal mortality rates were still high as about 38 mothers die each month due to complication relating to pregnancy and childbirth.
Ms Wagnaraja said the top 10 per cent of Zambians shared over half of total national income while the bottom 60 per cent shared less than 14 per cent of the total income.
The report includes provincial data and analysis using current census and Living Condition Minimum Survey (LCMS) with global data sets and institutional practices that support MDGs acceleration.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country director Viola Morgan said the UN remained committed to supporting Zambia’s developmental agenda in areas such as ending early child marriage.
Health Minister Joseph Kasonde and his Chief and Traditional counterpart Nkandu Luo said the progress-report would give Government another insight to scrutinize failures and success of MDGs while Gender Minister Inonge Wina said her ministry would consider more empowerment projects for women.
Reason is you spent most of the resources on the following
1. Meaningless commission of Inquiries
2. Induced By elections by PF
3. Bloated cabinet with 800 litres of fuel to each whenthye use only 80litrs per month
4.Fake prosecutions which always end in no prosequi
what a shame, kano fye ukutukana insele and by-elections
You are a one term govt for sure
Ba Chikwanda ukwibwa mwachilamo ,how do you expect us to meet MDGs you kolwes?You have no development plan for the country apart from knee jerk reaction like someone with tetanus.Proper CNPs,thieves,you will see come 2016 or sooner.
Ukwiba nelyo mukotele,mwachilamo.
Ya think?!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a great shame! Blind respect is our Achilles heel in Zambia. We respect elders for their grey hair not what is in between their ears – do you get my drift? Just because someone has attained old age doesn’t mean that they mean well in all their doings – please understand that. We need to breakaway from that and start handing over power to youthful and energetic ladies and gentlemen in the country. Can someone tell me what the life expectancy is in Zambia? Would you believe it? 2011 = 47yrs, 2012 = 43. This is alarming with the advent of new life prolonging cures and medicines in the highly industrialised countries where life expectancies are in the high 80s we are losing lives needlessly. Our elders who are in the forefront are stealing our resources with impunity. Wh will cry for u
Correction: Zambia will not realize any one of the Millenium Development Goals.
Is this news?
It is obvious that Zambia is in reverse gear under this PF government.
SO where has the campaign promises gone to?? Well that means come 2016, you will be out because we want a Government that can deliver and achieve their objectives. IT’S A SHAME TO PF BECAUSE ZAMBIANS GAVE THEM A CHANCE.
SO where has the campaign promises gone to?? Well that means come 2016, you will be out because we want a Government that can deliver and achieve their objectives. IT’S A SHAME TO PF BECAUSE ZAMBIANS GAVE THEM A CHANCE.
SO where has the campaign promises gone to?? Well that means come 2016, you will be out because we want a Government that can deliver and achieve their objectives. IT’S A SHAME TO PF BECAUSE ZAMBIANS GAVE THEM A CHANCE.
That’s just the way it is. I can’t blame PF which has been in power for 19 months nor can I blame MMD which found it difficult to do serious things for Zambians. But we will get there some day. It may not be in this generation or the next. But we shall definitely achieve wonders even in the 20th generation.
Rome was not built in a day and all great nations of today did not just spring up in 49 years. Just play your part and have history and posterity judge you well. THAT IS IF JESUS DOES NOT COME TODAY.
You are all high in yo imaginations that PF will be out in 2016. U think we are fools to believe that failure to attain MDG’s can be blamed on PF. Did it start under the PF gvt?With so much real development under PF, na 2016 mukadabwa. U think every Zambian is thinking the way u are thinking. PF is th best gvt so far. We are not dull to be duped
Lets not behave like we Zambians we are dull. How do you expect all promises to be delivered within such a short period especially employment which can even take 50 years to be brought down 10%.We did not vote for magicians. No opposition leader can perform like Michael Sata in Zambia. U cant tell me its HH wu has failed to even develop his tribal small part, how can he develop Zambia?How is his background of leadership perf.0%- Kuwaya waya fye. And u expect us to vote for him kwati kwangala or lotto na Sangwapo.He cant unite a Nation with his hatred of Bemba speaking people on wuz philosophy UPND WAS FORMED. 2016 HH will officially be buried politically.