We’re making strides to end poverty - Mateyo
Mr Mateyo says Government remains committed towards eliminating uncertainties that households face due to limited access to basic needs and community development services.
He said according to the Living Conditions Monitoring Survey of 2015, national poverty in Zambia stood at 54.4 percent with extreme poverty recorded in at 40.8 percent.
‘’In rural areas, the percentage of the population living in poverty was estimated at 76.6 percent while in urban areas the percentage was estimated at 23.4 percent,’’ he said.
He was speaking in Solwezi yesterday when he officiated at a consultative meeting for the National Policy on Community Development organized by the ministry of Community Development and Social Services.
He said once approved, the Community Development Policy will coordinate all community development interventions in the social protection sector for a comprehensive and multi sectorial response to poverty, deprivation and vulnerability in the country.
He stated that the absence of a holistic national policy on community development with an implementation plan to inform and guide the development implementation and coordination of public and private community development interventions has hampered the development of the communities.
“In this regard, the ministry of Community Development and Social Services has formulated the National Community Development Policy to provide a framework that will guide the implementation of sustainable community development programmes in the country,’’ he said.
He said the policy also identifies an appropriate institutional framework to facilitate implementation and address issues of resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation so that the country can begin to see inclusive development without leaving anyone behind.
Earlier Ministry of Community Development assistant director, Rita Mwale, promised that the stakeholders attending the consultative meeting reflect on whatever will be discussed in the document.