Stakeholders challenged to understand 7NDP
UNLESS citizens and stakeholders at provincial and district levels appreciate the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP), it will be difficult to execute it, so lets get on the ground, says PF southern province information and publicity secretary Trymore Mwenda. And Mr Mwenda said that civil servants at all levels should lead the way in ensuring understanding and appreciation of the contents and objectives of the 7NDP.
He commended the Ministry of National Planning for the successful conclusion of the national dissemination of the plan to all the ten provinces last week.
Mr Mwenda said in a statement that the successful dissemination had set in motion the implementation of the plan country wide.
He said that the expectation was for civil servants, stakeholders and every citizen to follow and implement development plans as outlined in the 7NDP.
Mr Mwenda reiterated that President Edgar Lungu was in a hurry to take development to all corners of the country and that citizens were duty bound to carry on the President’s vision.
“It is prudent that civil servants at all levels lead the way in ensuring understanding and appreciation of the contents and objectives of the Plan and aggressively sensitise the masses so that no one is left behind like the President has been emphasising time and again,” he said.
Mr Mwenda pointed out that the 7NDP was built on the principle of decentralisation, sectoral integration and overall development planning in a comprehensive manner.
He said that this would see power devolved to local authorities which he said meant citizens themselves governing.
Mr Mwenda emphasised that unless citizens and stakeholders at provincial and district levels appreciate the plan it will be difficult to execute it.
Meanwhile, Mr Mwenda said that the country was already behind time as the year 2030 was just about 12 years away from now when the country should be a successful middleincome. He charged that could not afford to procrastinate as it was time for everyone to hit the ground running in implementing the plan now that it was in the provinces and districts.
Mr Mwenda said that the 7NDP had received voices of approval both locally and internationally as a wellarticulated document that addresses issues of sectoral integration and development planning in a comprehensive manner.