Lusaka, Friday (April 19, 2024)
Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) says it is impressed with President Hakainde Hichilema’s commitment to issues of Climate Change as highlighted in his recent National Address.
CEJ Executive Director Maggie Mwape said the address on drought and Climate Change is timely which calls for concerted efforts from all stakeholders.
Ms Mwape said the Head of State highlighted key points on health, food security, agriculture, education, and resilient infrastructure which requires that cooperating partners such as donor agencies come on board.
She said the developments show that Climate Change is real and Zambia is experiencing it.
The CEJ Executive Director said there is need for Zambia to plan ahead to have resources for emergencies like this year’s drought.
“The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit-DMMU has been doing great work but Zambia’s disaster response requires adequate resources to avoid waiting for foreign aid,” she said.
Ms Mwape said Zambia can utilize domestic resource mobilization to address some challenges through locally grown solutions.
During a National Address, President Hakainde Hichilema said the Zambian government requires 23.5 Billion Kwacha (approx. 940.6 million US Dollars) for humanitarian and recovery efforts.
President Hichilema said only 1.3 Billion Kwacha (about 51.2 million US Dollars) is available, leaving a gap of 22.2 Billion Kwacha (approx. 889.4 million US Dollars).
He said there is a critical need for 12.6 Billion Kwacha for food, with a current shortfall of 12.54 Billion Kwacha.
Mr. Hichilema said the education sector needs 784 Million Kwacha, and the health sector requires 2.5 Billion Kwacha, with respective funding gaps.
He said an additional 532 Million Kwacha is needed for nutrition support for vulnerable groups.
The Head of State said the worst drought in history, attributed to climate change, has affected 9.8 million Zambians, with 6.6 million needing immediate aid.
