Government  urged  to exercise financial prudence as it repays the external  debt

By Samuel Mbewe

Civil Society for Poverty Reduction has called on government to improve its fiscal management backed by the revised public debt management act of 2022 as the country resumes its debt repayments this year.

CSPR Executive Director Faides Tembatemba has observed that   repayment of debt comes with various microeconomic policy conditions from creditors, including measures pushing government to reduce expenditure in critical sectors .

She says such measures often include reducing funding to social protection, health, water, and sanitation sectors.

Mrs. Tembatemba says reduction in expenditure in these sectors has a disproportionate impact on women who are the majority users of these services.

Speaking during the advocacy for transparency and enhanced women participation in Zambia, Mrs. Tembatemba says it is against this background that CSPR with support from the transparency and enhancing women participating in public debt management.

“The goal of the project is to improve government’s public debt management by through the participation of the women led organizations and feminist movements in Zambia and advocating for increased women centric social sector spending, she highlighted.

And speaking at the same event, CSO Debt Alliance vice chairperson Edah Chimya said  transparency is paramount to ensure that the debt is managed responsibly and its benefits are equitably distributed.