Group calls for detailed report on poverty levels in Zambia

The Civil Society Organisations Debt Alliance (CSO DA) has called on the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZAMSTATS) to produce a detailed report on poverty for the country to have a comprehensive understanding of the poverty situation.

CSO DA vice Chairperson, Edah Chimya, raised concerns regarding the rise in poverty levels in Zambia with 60 percent of Zambians living in poverty whilst 48 percent in extreme poverty.

Chimya told Journalists on Monday in Lusaka that a comprehensive understanding of the country’s poverty situation was required to ascertain the poverty levels in Zambia.

This, she said, could be done by ZAMSTATS through producing a detailed report on poverty as well the recently conducted national census as opposed to the preliminary results that have been published.

“Considering this poverty situation, there is need for a multi-faced approach to address poverty including access to quality education, skills development, and business opportunities.

“Hence, the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises Development has a key role to play in addressing poverty through the provision of opportunities to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES),” Chimya said.

On the 2024 national budget, Chimya described it as progressive and that it came with a nominal increase of K12.6 billion from K167 billion in 2023 to K178 billion in 2024.

She welcomed the revisions made to Pay as You Earn (PAYE) ceiling, especially considering the heightened cost of living.

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