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(LUSAKATIMES) Zambia is not poor – NORAD Director General

Zambia is not poor – NORAD Director General
Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 13:36

NORAD Director General Poul Engberg Pederson has observed that Zambia has enough resources although the country is among the less developed nations. Mr. Engberg says Zambia must ensure that resources transform the entire country by changing the mind set over dependency on donor aid.

He was speaking during the Matatantala Rural Integrated Development Enterprise workshop held at the Southern Comfort Motel in Monze today. He said there was need to avoid aid dependency and corruption on aid in order to harmonize situations that would create an enabling environment where the economic would easily thrive.

Mr. Pederson noted that aid dependency would effectively be addressed with proper and responsible management of local resources. He said that for the country to overcome the challenge of higher poverty levels there must be change in the manner national affairs are managed. He added that dependency on donor aid, coupled with corruption must be avoided at all cost.

Mr. Pederson said this was the surest way to deal with poverty reduction in the country. And former Norwegian ambassador to Zambia Terj Vigtel who is currently head of civil society under NORAD commended traditional leaders for supporting the rural development through initiatives such as Matantala.

Mr. Vigtel said Matantala was able to bring development to the people of chief Chona with support from traditional leaders and stakeholders. He said traditional leaders must take the lead in critically addressing the wrong traditions that were obstructing development in their chiefdoms.

Meanwhile economic advisor Professor Oliver Saasa said during his presentation that Zambia is not poor but the people are poor due to lack of proper management of resources.

Professor Saasa said Zambia as a country has valued resources which have never been recognized as important to its economic development.
He said that poverty levels were very high in the country because the rural areas had been neglected in terms of development through failure by government to evenly allocate resources.

Professor Saasa said that government must ensure that people are able to meet the basic needs if poverty is to be effectively addressed.
He also said that donor dependency was not good for development of the nation adding if aid was to be received it needed to be received and managed within the policy.

The economic consultant said that government must ensure that a transparency and accountability are made priorities in the management of resources.

ZANIS

Labels: NEOCOLONIALISM, NORAD, OLIVER SAASA, POUL ENGBERG PEDERSON

posted by MrK @ 7:28 PM