STATISTICS that 76 percent of the 1.3 million population in Northern Province is living in abject poverty is regrettable in a country endowed with vast natural resources.

Poverty levels at national level are said to be at average 54 and 56 per cent, with the Northern part of the country being among the worst-hit at 76 per cent of the 1.3 people.

Provincial Minister Brian Mundubile has bemoaned the acute poverty levels in his province and after realising this, the provincial administration has embarked on a number of interventions to reverse the situation.

In line with the Government plan, all provincial areas, Northern Province inclusive, have been aligned to the Seventh National Development Plan of 2017 on the component of economic diversification and job creation as some of the objectives to develop the country and reduce poverty levels.
A strategy to open up Northern Province for investment through aggressive marketing has been picked. This is being done under the forthcoming Tourism and Investment Exposition next week.

The Province has vast natural resources like minerals, wildlife, rivers and fertile soils for developments in Mining, Tourism, Agriculture,  and the area has the potential to increase its trade in goods and services with Zambia’s neighboring countries.

The aggressive efforts being made to promote economic development through various sectors in investment expositions and forum are nodded and we further would like to see positive results from these events to spur economic development in the country.

We implore Zambians to participate in tapping in the huge investment potentials like Tourism Agriculture and Mining and in the same line the Banking sector should also come on board and allow Zambians access finances for them to participate in investing in key sectors of economy.

We therefore applaud the government for coming up with interventions like holding tourism and investment expositions where investors, both international and local, can tap into various sectors and promote development for the good of the citizens and the country.

Partnerships should also be encouraged with investors looking at opportunities that exist in the area.
Like, Mr Mundubile said plans that the provincial administration had drawn up and was implementing, coupled with other national endeavors, the people of Northern Province would someday be rescued from the shackles of high poverty.