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Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) president, Sean Tembo, has urged the government to convene a multi-stakeholder national economic indaba, which would review Zambia’s economic trajectory.
Tembo in a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday said the indaba should chart a better way forward before the 2024 National Budget was developed.
He said it was a well documented fact that the cost of living had skyrocketed in the past two years or so, with a 25 kilogramme (Kg) bag of mealie meal doubling in price from around K120 to around K240.
Tembo said employment levels have dwindled due to various poor policies including the current impasse between ZESCO and Manganese mines.
He said in addition the total national foreign debt had increased by about US$3billion since 2021 instead of reducing.
“It is self-evident from the above that the United Party for National Development (UPND) administration by itself has failed to develop economic solutions that can turnaround our economy and improve the standard of living of our people,” he said.
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Tembo said this was the more reason and need for other stakeholders including opposition leaders to step in and assist government to formulate better economic policies, through a multi-stakeholder national economic indaba.
“As Patriots for Economic Progress, we strongly believe that it will be grossly unfair to the Zambia people for the UPND administration to put their pride above the interests of the masses, by refusing to convene a multi-stakeholder national economic indaba that can resolve Zambia’s existing economic challenges,” he said.
Tembo said the party remained hopeful that the call for a national economic indaba would receive a positive response from President Hakainde Hichilema.
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