We have done very very well, possibly we’re at 80% pass mark – State House

We have done very very well, possibly we’re at 80% pass mark – State House

By Fanny Kalonda(The Mast)

THE UPND has published its mid-term achievements fact sheet “against its 2021-2026 party manifesto”.

According to Special Assistant to the President for policy compliance, Joseph Lungu, the new dawn administration’s performance must be judged against the party manifesto promises.

“And fulfilling manifesto promises is a process, and not an event. And we have a five year mandate to fulfill the manifesto promises. So far we have done very very well. Possibly we are at 80 per cent (estimate) pass mark. The next two and half years will even be better. We are certain that we shall deliver on the outstanding items,” Lungu told The Mast. “I was chair of UPND policy and research committee responsible for the manifesto. Now I am [in] charge of policy compliance. My job involves the monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the manifesto promises, ensure that we are in course. You may call it internal checks and balances to ensure that what we promised is done. And we stay on course.”

And President Hakainde Hichilema says in the last two and a half years, the country has faced numerous challenges including a significant debt overhang and a drought during the 2023/2024 farming season, which impeded the resources needed for planned reforms, development projects, and programmes.

“However, amidst these challenges, the new dawn government has made significant positive strides,” he says in his forward to the mid-term achievements of the UPND government fact sheet. “The United Party for National Development (UPND)’s new dawn government is committed to working tirelessly to realise the dream of a prosperous Zambia, anchored on mutual understanding, love, and national unity for rapid economic and social development. We aim for a targeted economic growth rate of 10.0 per cent per year to achieve Vision 2030, as outlined in our 2021-2026 party manifesto.”

President Hichilema says Zambia’s vision of economic growth rests on three pillars of peace, security, and economic diplomacy.

“In the two and a half years we have been in power, we have taken many positive and transparent steps toward an ambitious economic and social transformation to move Zambia forward and achieve overall poverty reduction. Our manifesto was designed to unlock the country’s immense prospects across all economic sectors for sustainable, holistic, and inclusive national development, returning the country to its trajectory of becoming a prosperous middle-income nation by 2030. During the first two and a half years of our term, the implementation of the UPND manifesto took into account the available resources and capacities, as well as potential risks. The mid-term review reflects the progress made in implementing both our campaign and UPND manifesto commitments we made to the Zambian voters in the run-up to the 2021 elections,” he explains. “This review comes against the backdrop of renewed hope for economic recovery and stabilisation, based on the UPND government’s resolute policy direction to steer the country back on track after years of accelerated decline and fiscal distress due to rapid debt accumulation and imprudent use of public resources. With fiscal prudence and investment promotion as key strategies, the country is poised to benefit from these efforts on its path to economic transformation and job creation. The government’s resolve to decentralise decision-making has been strongly demonstrated by ensuring robust participation of sub-national structures at zone, ward, constituency, and district levels through the expanded Constituency Development Fund (CDF) programme. This expansion has significantly contributed to achieving desired development outputs and outcomes at the community level. In the last two and a half years, the country has faced numerous challenges, including a significant debt overhang from previous administrations and a drought during the 2023/2024 farming season, which impeded the resources needed for planned reforms, development projects, and programmes. However, amidst these challenges, the new dawn government has made significant positive strides. This review highlights the progress made and proposes the way forward. I appeal to all our partners and collaborators in the national development space to support the government, helping the country return to a sustainable economic growth path and secure a prosperous socio-economic future for our people.”