Luapula Province Permanent Secretary, Prudence Chinama, says the government remains committed to transparency and citizen involvement in national development as demonstrated by its rolling out of the dissemination exercise of the 2026 simplified citizens’ budget in the province. Addressing a forum consisting of stakeholders from the private sector and civil society, organised by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning in Mansa, Ms Chinama, in a speech read on her behalf by Luapula Deputy Permanent Secretary, Evans Sikabbubba, stressed that the initiative is meant to strengthen collaboration with both state and non-state actors. ”Ladies and gentlemen, the need to simplify the national budget for easy understanding by everyone cannot be overemphasised.
As a government, we are hopeful that this meeting will not only help to bridge the information gap but also serve as a forum to engage various economic actors on how the government allocates resources,” she said. She said the 2026 National Budget themed “Consolidating Economic and Social Gains towards a Prosperous, Resilient and Equitable Zambia,” is meant to build a resilient Zambia, able to withstand climate shocks and global economic uncertainties while ensuring development is inclusive across all regions. The Luapula Province Permanent Secretary further appealed to the public to provide feedback, stating that such input is critical not only for the implementation of the current budget but also for the formulation of the next one.
Ministry of Finance Senior Budget Analyst, Lenard Mumba, representing the budget dissemination team to Luapula, explained that the Citizens’ Budget exists to help bridge the information gap between the government and the people. Mr Mumba said the government has officially rolled out the initiative designed to simplify the national budget so that ordinary Zambians can understand the major policy changes and taxes that will affect them in the coming fiscal year. He disclosed that the Ministry of Finance has broadened outreach and representation of all levels of society’s input, hence, the production of brail and local language simplified budget literature. Mr Mumba further stated that the budget sensitization exercise is being held in all the 10 provinces of the country.
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