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Banda bemoans lack of qualified professionals

Banda bemoans lack of qualified professionals
By Chibaula Silwamba
Saturday June 30, 2007 [04:00]

VICE-President Rupiah Banda has said Zambia is largely dependent on foreign expertise to run her economy. Officiating at the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) for the board of governors meeting at Mulungushi Conference Centre in Lusaka yesterday, Vice-President Banda said it was important for developing country like Zambia to have a enough trained professionals to move the country forward.

“No matter how elaborate our plans are, if we lack trained manpower that can efficiently execute our plans, nothing will happen,” Vice-President Banda said.

“It is important for a developing country like Zambia, after 42 years of independence, to have adequate doctors, engineers, lawyers, economists and other various disciplines in order to move this country forward.

However, this is not the case, as a country we still depend largely on foreign expertise to run our economy.”

He observed that foreign personnel were expensive and not sustainable for a young economy like Zambia’s.

Vice-President Banda also said Zambia pledged US $250, 000 to ACBF for 2008.
“This pledge is a demonstration of our commitment to the ACBF,” he said. “I am aware that ACBF’s present mandate is to build capacity in the core public sector, as well as the interface areas with the private sector and civil society, in training and research institutions and in regional organisations in sub-Saharan Africa.”
He urged other African countries to support the ACBF in its endeavour to develop capacity in Africa

Vice-President Banda thanked ACBF for its support to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to develop a macro-economic expertise.
“The non-government organisations have also benefited in a similar manner.

This has been a deliberate move by the CBF to strengthen the non-state actors in the governance of our country,” he said. “I am aware that there is further support that is coming our way from ACBF in the recently formed Zambia Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR).

This will be a semi-autonomous institute for use by government institutions responsible for macro-economic policy formulation and implementation, the private sector, civil society and academia in order to improve economic governance in Zambia.”

And ACBF chairperson Louise Clement said the ACBF played a major role in strengthening public sector capacities in Africa.

Labels: ACFB, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 3:20 AM