Africa-Press – Zambia. President Hakainde Hichilema has bemoaned wrong attitudes and misplacement of values by public officers and bottleneck within tender procedures. He says it is sad that public officers have appetite for extravagance at the expense of creating that extra jobs for the people.
Speaking when he opened the meeting for quasi-government institutions & statutory bodies organised under theme “working together towards a common purpose, Hichilema called for change of attitude.
“It’s our collective aspiration to deliver a Zambia that yields inclusive social & economic dividends for all,” he said. He added that the country’s tender rules must be revisited.
“Look at tender rules, laws, regulations & procedures. Selection criteria states that you must have 5 years of dealing with govt. This is made up of a small clique of people. How are we going to open business to other Zambians who were left out the last 7 years?” He queried.
Hichilema added that it is disheartening that Mpulungu Harbour in Northern Zambia hasn’t changed. “Why didn’t we improve it to have proper docking facilities in the last 7 years? This would attract more customers to move goods to Great Lakes region. Traders there know & understand that market well but we‘re failing them.
“That trader has been stopped from creating jobs in Mpulungu, that’s a connection. Your way of doing business has stopped that citizen entrepreneur from becoming a mega-supplier of soybeans & other goods. We haven’t facilitated him,” he said.
The objectives of the meeting were threefold: Understand role of government, different ownership models & structures and understanding state-board relations as they collaborate & advance people’s interests.
President Hichilema said the priority for every public institution must be on how to support the new administration’s agenda for business growth, job creation & poverty reduction among the people.
“Let’s focus on improving the culture & quality of public procurement, prevent & stamp out corruption in our public service and improve the culture of service delivery.
“Sometimes we forget that our differences are God’s gifts. When we focus on our common interest & bring all those differences together, we deliver better results for the people of Zambia.
“What will help us unlock our economy to create jobs, is to start spending on revenue-generating activities, instead of spending on consumption & wasteful related expenditure. Just 1 extra job makes a big difference in our country,” he said.
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