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(LUSAKATIMES) Musokotwane canes Magande

Musokotwane canes Magande
Thursday, January 27, 2011, 8:47

FINANCE and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has advised his predecessor Ng’andu Magande to appreciate the Government’s great efforts in building the country.

And Dr Musokotwane has explained that the Danish Government’s announced withdrawal of aid to Zambia would not be immediate but would be phased out over a period of three years.

Dr Musokotwane told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that President Rupiah Banda’s Government was managing the country through strategic planning which aimed at sustaining growth and development contrary to assertions by Mr Magande.

Mr Magande was in yesterday’s Post newspaper quoted as saying that Zambia was headed for a bad future because President Rupiah Banda’s Government allegedly lacked planning.

“It is not true that we have failed to plan, we are running the same Government under which Mr Magande served and he should know that the Fifth National Development Plan is a developmental plan which has been concluded.

He said the Government was on the verge of launching the Sixth National Development Plan which he said would be realized.

“Unless Mr Magande is telling us that after leaving office he has forgotten, there is planning,” Dr Musokotwane said.

On the Danish government’s withdrawal of bilateral aid, Dr Musokotwane said all the Danish projects would be completed and reasons given for the cut of aid were that the Danish Government was facing economic hardships because of the global economic crisis.

He said several other countries such as Ireland, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Greece were facing financial challenges because of the economic recession.

“If Mr Magande’s vision was to continue with the dependency syndrome, the vision of the current Government is to graduate Zambia from such dependency. Let him keep his vision as ours is for national planning and sustaining it,” Dr Musokotwane said.

He, however, said he was happy that Britain had not decided to cut its budgetary support to Zambia.

“Denmark was left in a tight financial corner by the global economic crunch. It is not like Britain which has chosen to maintain Budget assistance to Zambia. Denmark has noted that Zambia’s economy is growing steadily and that was why it had cut its aid,” he said.

He said the opening up of the new mining companies this year would increase Zambia’s copper production in two to five years, thereby significantly growing the national economy to self-sustaining levels.

“If Mr Magande’s vision was to continue with the dependency syndrome, the vision of the current Government is to graduate Zambia from such dependency. Let him keep his vision as ours is for national planning and sustaining it,” Dr Musokotwane said.

[Times of Zambia]

Labels: DONORS, NG'ANDU MAGANDE, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE

posted by MrK @ 1:37 AM