State targets mining revenue for growth

GOVERNMENT will ensure that mining revenue is targeted to specific priority sectors that will maximise economic growth, North-Western Province permanent Secretary Willies Mangimela has said.

Mr Mangimela stated that it was for this reason that government has priotised economic diversification through value addition and industrialisation anchored on agriculture, mining and tourism.

He said the sectors were identified due to their high growth potential, competitive advantage as well as their potential in poverty reduction.

Mr Mangimela said the utilisation of copper revenue was government’s priority for economic growth while reducing poverty and inequality.

He was speaking in Solwezi during the multi-stakeholders lobbying meeting organised by the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) in conjunction with Civil Society for Poverty Observatory

Group with support from Oxfam.

“It is for this reason that government supports lobbying initiatives aimed at advocating for inclusive policy reforms for the use of copper revenue to justify and grow the identified sectors,” he said. The aim of the stakeholders lobbying meeting is to stir public debates around the use of copper revenue and the need to reinvest part of the revenue from copper mining in the key sectors.

Mr Mangimela called on the need to take advantage and engage newly elected Members of Parliament so that carry the position paper which will create another platform for further engagement.

CSPR board member Cranes Kasito said his organisation has been implementing the campaign dubbed ‘civil society copper for development

He said the goal of the campaign is to ensure citizens participate in demanding institutional and structural reforms, transparency and accountability from government in the use of copper revenue. “The campaign is anchored to diversify the agriculture sector and to improve service delivery in education and health sectors,” he said.