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Government has prioritised economic transformation and growth through local and foreign direct investment.
This is meant to attain sustained industrial development and job and wealth creation, says Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane.
Musokotwane was speaking during a ministerial panel discussion in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday.
He briefed the high-level gathering that another priority of the Zambian Government was to grow the economy through local and foreign direct investment and create jobs and wealth.
“Zambia’s fiscal decentralisation drive through increased allocation of Constituency Development Fund (CDF), has helped to empower grass-root people with resources to implement interventions in health, education, and other needy areas at community level,” he said.
Musokotwane therefore called on more partners from the international community to take advantage of the friendly business and networking environment to invest in the country.
He encouraged them to collaborate with Zambian’s in developing the energy, agriculture, and mineral value-chain, manufacturing, and tourism sectors.
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“This is one way of ensuring that we develop internal capacity to help us sustain social sector investments,” he said.
The Minister also said although health care (and other social services) competed with other developmental priorities, it was a priority investment in which Government was applying concerted efforts.
Musokotwane explained that this was being done through interventions such as recruitment of health workers, regular release of funding for sustainability of hospital/health center operations, and supply of drugs.
“As a country, we recognise the turbulence related to access to health sector services due to infrastructure and supply chain challenges especially in rural areas but we are glad that the Ministry of Health is determined to overcome them to serve all our people better,” he said.
He added that Zambia was working towards augmenting social sector interventions and has initiated multiple schemes to strengthen systems and improve service delivery with a focus on quality, accessibility, and affordability by the ordinary people.
Musokotwane is currently attending key multiple sessions at the ongoing World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland – on behalf of President Hakainde Hichilema.
He is accompanied to the event by Zambia’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Eunice Luambia.
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