Africa-Press – Zambia. Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane has said that the proposed 2022 National budget is anchored on the draft Eighth National development plan and some elements in the Seventh National Development Plan.
Dr. Musokotwane said that the UPND Administration used the draft 8th NDP because it was not completed in time by the previous administration and that it is a requirement of the law that the budget should be anchored on a National Development Plan of which, at the time the UPND ascended into office, there was a draft 8th national plan.
Dr. Musokotwane said that the Eighth National Development Plan is still a work in progress and has been referred to in the Yellow Book. The finance minister said this in a Ministerial statement today when he circulated the corrigendum to remove the reference to the draft 8th NDP.
And Dr. Musokotwane, who later responded to questions raised by Members of Parliament however explained that UPND incorporated into the budget some of the elements in the 7th NDP that were not actualized by the previous administration because they were still important such as the employment of teachers.
He said it was the only practical thing to do so that the country can have a budget for 2022. Meanwhile, Economist, Noel Nkhoma has said that the removal of subsidies on fuel is one of the government’s strategies for rebuilding the country’s economy.
Mr. Nkhoma told to ZNBC in an interview today that citizens will have to endure the impact for some time before positive results are witnessed in the UPND’s Administration.
He says the country has also undergone economic disturbances such as Covid-19 which has resulted into higher inflation the country has never experienced before.
Mr. Nkhoma however urged the government to find other fuel alternatives to keep people’s lives at ease during the economic recovery process. The hike in fuel prices has now resulted in public bus operators increasing fares. Some public transport users have received the increase in transport fares with mixed feelings.
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