Africa-Press – Zambia. President Hakainde Hichilema has urged senior government officials across the country to serve the Zambian people better. President Hichilema said the citizens have suffered for a long time and that it is now time to redeem the country and serve the public interests.
The Head of State said this after swearing in senior government officials at State House today. He urged the Controlling officers to respect public resources by growing them and not to deplete them.
“As you chair the tender committees, you need to protect the public resources and ensure they benefit all the citizens,” he said.
The President explained that from the meeting for Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, government has established where the problem was and have since sealed the leakages.
He said government has full control of the treasury and therefore will ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of all activities. President Hakainde noted that many things came out from the meeting among them highlighting the linkage between bad leadership and a decline in the growth of the economy.
He said the growth curve for the economy dropped but that the current government is working tirelessly to stabilize it so that it never drops again. The Head of State further encouraged the newly sworn in officials to work as a team and grow the country’s economy.
He said his government will always strive to do the right thing no matter what. “We will not get tired of talking and doing the right thing. Over the past seven years, the country was promoting wrong things and that saw many officers affected for doing the correct thing because they were used to doing the wrong things,” he said.
He urged them to ensure benefits go to the people who appointed them to serve. “I did not go to Prison 15 times to come into office and promote the interests of a small number but all Zambians. We must protect public interests at all costs,” he added.
He said his government will turnaround the economy and make the country better again. President Hichilema further explained that the 100 days in office indicates the re-alignment that his government has made so far and urged the citizens that they will soon appreciate once they see the results. He said the country was grappling with debt, corruption and high public expenditure.
Among the officials sworn in include, Siazongo Siakalenga as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet Finance, Norman Chipakupaku as Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defense, Patrick Mucheleka Permanent Secretary Special Duties Cabinet Office, Mainga Kabika Permanent Secretary Gender Division Cabinet Office.
Others include, Mwamba Peni PS Remuneration Division Cabinet Office, Kusobilo Kamwandi PS Management Development Division Cabinet Office, Maambo Hamaundu PS Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Evans Muhanga PS Tourism and Gabriel Pollen DMMU National Coordinator under the office of the Vice President.
For More News And Analysis About Zambia Follow Africa-Press
