Government is aggressively pushing the Grow Zambia […]

Government is aggressively pushing the Grow Zambia Agenda as a national development blueprint, yet experts say its message has become so diluted that the average citizen remains unclear on what exactly is being grown.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times-ZBT, economic expert, Salwindi Notulu stated that the majority of Zambians cannot clearly explain what the agenda means because its message is being driven from the top rather than built around citizens’ understanding and participation.

Notulu said the problem begins with a top-down communication approach, where the original message risks losing meaning as it moves through ministers, Permanent Secretaries, directors and other levels of Government before reaching ordinary citizens.

“If you go to any Zambian on the street and ask them what the Grow Zambia Agenda is, most of them will be blank, and even in some Government offices, you may find people who cannot properly explain what it means,” he said.

Notulu argued that the agenda will only gain public support if citizens understand its targets and see how they can personally contribute, instead of simply being told what Government intends to achieve.

“The idea is that if you want this to work, you must start from the bottom going upwards, because there must be buy-in from citizens for them to feel part of the development process,” he said.

Notulu questioned how ordinary Zambians will participate in ambitious targets such as producing 10 million metric tonnes of maize, generating 10,000 megawatts of electricity and increasing copper production to three million tonnes, when many of these sectors require substantial investment and commercial capacity.

He said most small-scale farmers remain subsistence producers, while private investors are primarily driven by profitability, making it necessary for Government to explain what opportunities and benefits ordinary citizens stand to gain from the agenda.

“When you tell investors to produce 10,000 megawatts of electricity, their first question will be what is in it for them, while ordinary Zambians also need to know whether they can participate and benefit from such projects,” said Notulu.

He urged Government to take the agenda beyond announcements and national production targets by translating it into practical opportunities for households, small-scale farmers and local businesses, warning that development cannot be inclusive if citizens do not understand their role in achieving it.

Article by Philip Sinkala