Back Grow Zambia Or Leave The Public Service, Civil Servants Told

Civil servants who cannot support the policies of the New Dawn administration should resign rather than frustrate national development programmes, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Mr Nicholas Phiri said.

Mr Phiri said public workers opposed to the Grow Zambia Agenda envisioned by President Hakainde Hichilema should not remain in office to obstruct its implementation. He was speaking in Kabwe at a phase one consultative meeting with town clerks and district commissioners from Western, Eastern, Southern, Central and Lusaka provinces, where he called for total loyalty and efficiency across the public service.

“If any public servant feels strongly against the government or its leadership, nothing stops them from leaving the public service to actualise their personal convictions,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary said that over the past six months, certain civil servants had shown conduct that undermined their oath of allegiance. He stopped short of naming any officers or institutions, and insisted his remarks were not meant to intimidate. But he was clear about the attitude he had in mind.

“This is not to threaten anyone,” Mr Phiri said. “Some officers appear comfortable seeing government programmes fail simply because their aspirations are misaligned. However, the core aspiration of every public servant must be to serve the public.”

He reminded the meeting of how the administration had treated the civil service when it first came to power. When the New Dawn Government took office in 2021, he said, President Hichilema extended the benefit of the doubt to all civil servants, and no one was removed on the basis of past political affiliation or conduct.

That patience, Mr Phiri suggested, now comes with an expectation of delivery. Government structures are being realigned to meet the President’s growth targets, known as “10-10-5-3-3-1-1-1”.

The figures set out the administration’s production ambitions: 10 million metric tonnes of maize, 10,000 megawatts of electricity generation, five million international tourist arrivals a year, three million metric tonnes of copper, three million metric tonnes of soya beans, one million metric tonnes of wheat, one million metric tonnes of sugar and US$1 billion in beef exports. The maize, copper and electricity targets are among the eight goals the Government has set for 2031.

Mr Phiri left no doubt about what would happen to anything standing in the way of those numbers.

“Any structure, person, system, law or policy that fails to align and assist us in delivering these targets will be gladly and proudly removed,” he said.

He was also candid about the Government’s own shortcomings. During the administration’s first term, he said, political will had outpaced the capacity to implement. He pointed to the first year of the enhanced Constituency Development Fund (CDF), when less than 40 per cent of allocated funds were used.

The message was echoed by Central Province Permanent Secretary Dr Milner Mwanakampwe. He said the national economy had stabilised after contracting by 2.8 per cent in 2021, and that the focus must now shift to accelerated growth.

Dr Mwanakampwe urged public officers to embrace the national transformation agenda. He warned that non-performing officials would be relieved of their duties, regardless of rank.

The Kabwe meeting marked the first phase of the consultations with town clerks and district commissioners on aligning local government structures with the growth targets.

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