LUSAKA, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Thursday started consultative engagements with various stakeholders to determine and agree on the priorities of the country's eighth national development plan.
Ministry of National Development Planning Permanent Secretary in charge of development planning and administration Chola Chabala said at the start of the consultative engagement that it was important for all stakeholders to contribute to the formulation of the next development blueprint.
"A national development plan is a key guiding document for the country. It is, therefore, imperative that all stakeholders are included in the preparation of the plan," he said.
He said the deliberations were vital in arriving at effective and practical measures in coming up with the priority areas of the development plan which will build on the success of the current plan which comes to an end.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet in charge of Finance and Economic Development Mike Masiye said the formulation of the eighth national development plan was important to the country's development hence the importance of consultative meetings.
He said the preparation for the development plan was challenging as they come at a time of the COVID-19 pandemic which has constrained resources.
The stakeholder consultations will also be conducted in all the country's 10 provinces to have input from a wide range of stakeholders, he added.
Zambia has come up with five-year development plans to guide progress towards the 2030 Vision of becoming a prosperous middle-income nation. Enditem
