The Civil Society For Poverty Reduction (CSPR) says there is a need to review how the 8th national development plan and the 2023 budget are responding to the current poverty situation and harsh economic conditions that people are facing.
CSPR Executive Director Faides Tambatamba tells phoenix news that while it is too early to determine whether the 8th national development plan is responding to the needs of Zambians after its launch last December, there is need for consistent monitoring and evaluation to show its effect on poverty reduction.
Ms. Tambatamba argues that social cash transfer is not responding to the basic needs of its around 1 million beneficiaries which include shelter, decent food, and health services among others, while the country is yet to ascertain the number of people affected by floods amid other calamities like covid-19 and flash floods.
She notes that the reports that up to 64 percent of Zambians fall under the poverty bracket are worrying and indicative that the number of people living in poverty has increased by around 10 percent since 2015, with the situation at risk of worsening.
Ms. Tambatamba has since appealed to the government to regulate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to ensure that the private sector actively participates in addressing some of these challenges and aid social protection systems within their respective areas of operation.
