Fundanga, Mwanza call for implementation of indaba resolutions

Fundanga, Mwanza call for implementation of indaba resolutions
Written by Chibaula Silwamba in Livingstone
Sunday, May 24, 2009 7:12:47 AM

FORMER of the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) governor Dr Jacob Mwanza and incumbent governor Dr Caleb Fundanga have said it will be useless to hold ZIBAC, the indaba and other conferences if the recommendations from there are not implemented.

In separate interviews on Thursday at the end of the Zambia International Business Advisory Council (ZIBAC) meeting, Dr Mwanza, who co-chaired the meeting, said lack of implementation was a real problem in Zambia.

"I think it was right the President has clearly indicated that the civil servants should do something because if they don't implement, nothing happens and it's useless to have all these meetings, all these discussions and get very good recommendations which will help the country and we don't implement," Dr Mwanza.

"So I think there should be a checklist and who is the specified person responsible for implementation so that if it's not done there must be a way of sanctioning such people that 'if you don't do your work you must be punished' so that people know that 'I have the duty to implement. If I don't implement I will be responsible and I will get the consequences of doing nothing.'"

Dr Mwanza said the government and other concerned stakeholders should ensure that the resolutions were implemented instead of just wasting time and resources of conferences whose outcomes just gathered dust.

"Mostly in business you always have targets and you always have time when these targets should be met and who is supposed to take responsibility for implementing or supervising the implementation," said Dr Mwanza.

"So I think the government should also work in a similar way, where they have timeframe, clearly defined targets and the responsible officer to implement, in this case probably the permanent secretary and he should be told well in advance, 'if you don't implement there will be consequences and you will take responsibility for that.'"

And Dr Fundanga said there would be no need to meet if the recommendations were not taken seriously and implemented.

"Everywhere, if you are doing something you have to implement it. Obviously Zambia we are a poor country, we have to double our efforts if we want to catch up with those that are developed. This is the reason why implementation is important," said Dr Fundanga.

"Those [recommendations] were even in the Indaba, that's why even what the President was saying, 'implementation! Implementation! Implementation!' were said at the indaba, not here because in the end why do we meet? We meet so that we can work out a work programme to address problems. So that's the only thing I can tell you otherwise there will be no need to meet if we are not going to implement."

Meanwhile, ZIBAC advisors chairperson Lord Simon Cairns observed that implementation took a long period.

"Never is everything achieved; I think since the last ZIBAC some implementations have taken place," said Lord Cairns. "In my remarks I challenged the President, in a friendly way, to see to it that more of them [recommendations] are implemented."