…trebles school feeding budget and expands coverage
The government has upscaled the School Feeding Program from Early Childhood Education to Secondary Education in 37 of the drought-affected districts, more than trebling expenditure from K111.7 million allocated in the 2024 budget to K392.2 million.
Minister of Finance and National Planning Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane announced in Parliament during his presentation of the government’s K41.9 billion supplementary budget that this was done to ensure the nutritional levels and cognitive abilities of school-going children are maintained during the drought response period.
“This will also ensure that our children continue attending classes and do not miss school due to hunger and starvation during the period. In this regard, K392.2 million has been allocated over and above the approved budget of K111.7 million in the 2024 budget.”
Musokotwane has also proposed allocating K306.6 million for dam maintenance and rehabilitation in the 84 drought-affected districts. The government will drill high-production boreholes and provide some water utility companies with the required water treatment chemicals.
The minister acknowledged the “extraordinary support” of Zambia’s cooperating partners, led by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, who have “extended extraordinary support to Zambia in mitigating the calamity of 2024.”
Musokotwane stressed that the cooperating partners’ extraordinary support for Zambia was not accidental but reflected the trust that this government has brought to the country. He urged the vital need to continue to maintain good governance.
Zambia’s 2024 growth projections have been halved as it finds itself in the throes of severe food insecurity and energy insufficiency due to a debilitating drought that has affected Southern Africa.
Cooperating partners continue to come on board to plug a US$940 million gaping financing hole for the relief response following President Hichilema’s declaration of a national disaster and emergency and subsequent appeal for assistance. So far, cooperating partners have contributed about US$400 million.
