Eastern PS implores civil servants to rally behind the Grow Zambia Agenda
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LifestyleEastern Province Permanent Secretary (PS) Paul Thole has called on civil servants and cooperating partners to ensure that President Hakainde Hichilema’s Grow Zambia Agenda translates into tangible development and delivers real benefits to ordinary Zambians. Speaking during the…
Eastern Province Permanent Secretary (PS) Paul Thole has called on civil servants and cooperating partners to ensure that President Hakainde Hichilema’s Grow Zambia Agenda translates into tangible development and delivers real benefits to ordinary Zambians.
Speaking during the combined Second and Third Quarter Provincial Development Coordinating Committee (PDCC) meeting in Chipata, Mr Thole said the country must build on the economic gains recorded over the past five years to achieve economic expansion, create opportunities and improve people’s livelihoods.
Mr Thole said the Grow Zambia agenda is aimed at increasing production in key sectors, including agriculture, energy, tourism, mining and livestock, to drive economic growth and prosperity.
He explained that the agenda, anchored on the 10-10-5-3-3-1-1-1 targets, seeks to achieve 10 million tonnes of maize, 10,000 megawatts of electricity, five million tourist arrivals, three million tonnes each of copper and soya, one million tonnes each of wheat and sugar, and one billion United States dollars in beef exports.
The PS said achieving these targets should result in improved access to reliable electricity, increased agricultural production, higher household incomes, job creation and expanded infrastructure development.
“We are the key to the government achieving this agenda. Its success depends on how we work,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Thole has expressed concern over poor attendance and failure by some Cluster Advisory Group (CAG) members to submit reports during meetings.
He said the trend was undermining effective performance assessment and coordination of development programmes in the province.
Mr Thole noted that CAG and PDCC meetings were provided for under the law and served as important platforms for reviewing government performance and ensuring transparency in the implementation of development programmes.
“Failure to submit reports and attend both the CAG meetings and PDCC amounts to a refusal to work with the government. I urge you all to reflect and change your attitudes towards these important meetings,” he said.
He further called on all stakeholders to demonstrate commitment to their responsibilities and ensure that government policies and programmes deliver meaningful benefits to the people of Eastern Province.
Meanwhile, stakeholders attending the meeting raised concerns over the anticipated effects of El Niño on parts of central Eastern Province, highlighting the need for preparedness measures to mitigate its potential impact on communities and livelihoods.
Stakeholders called for the establishment of RTSA offices in Petauke and Lundazi districts to address concerns over rising motorcycle accidents and low registration rates, saying the offices would improve access to registration services and road safety sensitisation for riders in the districts and surrounding areas.
The issues raised underscored the importance of coordination among government institutions and other stakeholders in addressing local challenges and ensuring that development programmes respond to the needs of communities.
Eastern province Health Director Matthew Ng’ambi said concerted efforts are key to addressing the concerns and push the development agenda.
“I would say about 80 percent of accidents involving motorcycles happen in Chipata, and we have RTSA here, we have the Police. We need to do more. When you go to Chipata Central Hospital, you will see how much of a sorry sight it is, young people are losing limbs,” he worried.
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