Hon. Michelle Nelly Simwinga Sinda, Principal Planner, Ministry of Finance & National Planning, Zambia attended the two-day regional workshop on ‘Public Finance for Sustainable Development in Africa’ held on 12-13 June 2024, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In this interview, Ms Sinda shared the financing challenges in Zambia. The country is experiencing severe and persistent droughts, necessitating the diversion of resources from essential sectors to address emergency responses for failed agricultural output. This redirection of funds affects the country's ability to meet human capital priorities and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as outlined in the National Development Plan.
Regarding Zambia’s financing reforms, she highlighted the debt restructuring process of Zambia that involves comprehensive reviews and adjustments of public finance management, public procurement, national planning, budgeting acts, and the formulation of a new Public Debt Management Act of 2022. These measures aim to enhance fiscal management, discipline, and domestic resource mobilization, and rationalize expenditures in line with government development programs.
Ms Sinda also discusses how Zambia is leveraging the INFF to provide enhanced support to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning by strengthening capacities in planning and budgeting. This includes extensive training for government institutions, parastatals, and the private sector on SDG implementation and financing, enhancing domestic resource mobilization, and addressing illicit financial flows. The development of an innovative financing handbook is also mentioned as part of these efforts.
