By Ireen Mulenga.
The Minister of National Development Planning Alexander Chiteme has urged all stakeholders to actively participate in the formulation of the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).
Mr Chiteme said the Government values the participation and contribution of various stakeholders in the formulation the of national development plans.
Speaking when he officially opened the National Development Coordinating Committee (NDCC) meeting he said the multispectral contributions would enrich the contents of the 8NDP.
“In line with the National Planning and Budgeting policy of 2014 and the National Planning and Budgeting Act No.1 of 2020, Government has commenced the formulation of the Eight National Development Plan (8NDP),” Mr. Chiteme said. “Currently, the process is at the third phase: the analysis and priority setting. This follows the development of the concept note as well as an issues paper, undertaken in 2020, which constituted the first and second phases, respectively. The analysis and priority setting phase will be followed by the drafting and validation phases, which will culminate into the approval of the plan by the national assembly in December 2021.”
The Minister said the 8NDP will benefit from the Economic Recovery Programme 2020 – 2023 that president Edgar Chagwa Lungu, recently launched.
And NDCC Chairperson, Secretary to the Cabinet Simon Miti, said a lot has happened in the implementation of Zambia’s development agenda since the last NDCC held in mid-2020.
