State keen to empower women - Mwanakatwe
By BUUMBA CHIMBULU GOVERNMENT is keen to advance the empowerment of women through prudent, transparent and accountable management of the funds, says Minister of Finance, Margaret Mwanakatwe, has said.
Ms Mwanakatwe said there was need to learn from Zambia’s past challenges in managing empowerment programmes if the country had to charter the desired path to a bright destination for all beneficiaries.
She said Government was aware of the importance of managing funds prudently and accountably.
“I am pleased to state that Government has put in place a numbers of policies and interventions to empower women in both rural and urban areas;
“These include, the agriculture development and value chain enhancement programme through which the Government had been providing agricultural equipment in chiefdoms to support women clubs and cooperatives,” she said.
She said recently in Rufunsa during the 2018 International Women’s Day celebrations that other interventions included the K42.7 million under the Citizens Economic Fund Commission.
Ms. Mwanakatwe further said women and youths could also benefit from the K38 million for the agriculture and industrial credit fund and for support to agro business.
“We have also set aside K16 million for the ministry of community development for the public welfare assistance scheme to enable 200,000 beneficiaries who will be empowered with productive grants and micro credit countrywide,” she said.
She further said Government had also put in place K140 million for the food security pack for 80,000 vulnerable but viable farmers.