Zambia's key challenge is to reduce poverty, says Kapoo
Zambia's key challenge is to reduce poverty, says KapooBy Chibaula Silwamba
Thursday January 31, 2008 [03:00]
WORLD Bank country manager Kapil Kapoo has said there should be an agenda to include the rural population in economic activities to reduce rural poverty. In an interview in Lusaka on Tuesday, Kapoo said the key challenge for Zambia was to reduce rural poverty.
"I think there are several things that need to be addressed to reduce rural poverty. One, you have to ask yourself, how do we get the rural population to participate in economic growth? I strongly believe that lack of infrastructure, is an important constraint," he observed.
"If the rural population does not have access to electricity, if the condition of the rural road network is such that they (people) cannot get their produce to the market, if they don't have access to sanitation facilities, if they have limited access to drinking water - these are constraints that most people will find very difficult to surmount."
Kapoo said it was very important to improve infrastructure in rural areas.
"But infrastructure is one part of the solution and the other part of solution is to look at the overall investment plan," he said. "How favourable is the investment climate? About 60 per cent of the population of Zambia is not serviced by financial institutions.
How do you provide them with access to finance? How do you bring interest rates lower? How do you reduce the cost of doing business? I think there should be an agenda to include the rural population in economic activities."
Kapoo said the economic environment in Zambia was very favourable to reduce rural poverty.
"I am very encouraged by the recent developments that have taken place over the last five-six years. Your economic rates have picked up and investment levels have picked up, government's foreign exchange earnings are going up," said Kapoo.
Labels: KAPIL KAPOOR, POVERTY, World Bank
posted by MrK @ 5:53 AM
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