CCZ Critiques 2025 National Budget For falling Short In Crucial Areas
Written by Mafken FM Newsroom on 6 October 2024
By Staff Reporter
Civil Society Organisations in the environment space have observed that the 2025 national budget, despite having commendable initiatives, falls short in crucial areas that determine the country’s stance on economic recovery and resilience.
Addressing journalists in Lusaka, Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) General Secretary Bishop Emmanuel Chikoya said the reductions in funding for vital sectors, particularly those addressing climate change and agriculture, give a negative picture of Zambia’s progress.
Bishop Chikoya recommended reallocating a portion of the FISP budget to meet the national food balance sheet deficit, which is 2.1 million metric tons of maize grain.
He further suggested that the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development be increased to a minimum of 2% of the total budget to reflect the sector’s share of national revenue.
The Clergyman also noted that recruiting 2,000 teachers is a step in the right direction but may not be enough to resolve the teacher-to-pupil ratio problem on a larger scale.
Meanwhile, Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) Executive Director Maggie Mwape said that while the 2025 budget allocation for environmental protection has a modest overall increase, sectoral cuts in key areas, such as the green economy, raise concerns about Zambia’s progress toward sustainability goals.
She recommended that future budget allocations factor in inflation to ensure sectors such as environmental protection can maintain operational capacity.
