SHAKUMBILA Chiefdom’s recent partnership with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for a strategic plan denotes the innovation and seriousness in developing rural areas.
The move further shows that rural districts need to adopt a scientific approach to cope with urban and international modes of addressing challenges.
At this year’s Sala Ikumbi Lya Loongo traditional ceremony of the Sala people in Mumbwa District held yesterday, America announced its support to His Royal Highness Senior Chief Shakumbila’s 2014 to 2018 Strategic Plan.
The plan defines the chiefdom’s development aspirations and delivers the first-ever roadmap to achieve set goals.
The Shakumbila Chiefdom collaborated with USAID and four Zambian ministries of Agriculture and Livestock, Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education and Health to develop the area.
It is said that with funding from USAID under the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), John Snow Inc. the move will lead the initiative through the support to the HIV/AIDS Response in Zambia II (SHARe II) project.
The plan will also address issues of poverty compounded by an 18 per cent HIV/AIDS rate in Central Province.
Further, the move will address increasing vulnerability to HIV infection, reducing household resilience and increasing illness and death in the Chiefdom.
What can be a better and sure way of fighting issues that affect rural development than a properly and professional mooted out plan?
With a strategic plan in place and support from international partners, one can be assured of a systematic fulfillment of developmental project.
It can be said that without any doubt, some rural areas have lagged behind in development because of failure to document and stick to set goals.
This is why we praise the Shakumbila Chiefdom for having come up with such a modern approach to developing the district.
In the same vein, we hope other chiefdoms could emulate Shakumbila if they have to achieve well-guided development.
Like Shakumbila, such plans need to have the input of the local people, headpersons, women, youth, and non-governmental organisations.   COMMENT