JACK ZIMBA, PRISCILLA MWILA
Lusaka
TODAY, President Edgar Lungu returns to Parliament to deliver his State of the Nation Address, and to officially open the parliamentary session – more specifically the Fifth Session of the 12th National Assembly.
Usually, the President uses the occasion to talk about progress the country has made in the past one year, and shares his vision for the next.
The speech will, therefore, also serve as a template for the 2021 national budget, to be presented by Minister of Finance Dr Bwalya Ng’andu next month.
In his address last year, the President’s speech was dominated by the phrase climate change, as the country was still fighting the devastating effects of a drought that had resulted in inadequate power generation, and was threatening various industries.
The President’s speech was themed “Accelerating sustainable development for a better Zambia amidst the impact of climate change.”
The speech was built on five pillars: economic diversification and job creation, poverty and vulnerability reduction, and reducing developmental inequalities.
Other pillars were: enhancing human development, and creating a conducive governance environment for a diversified and CLICK TO READ MORE