By CHILA NAMAIKO – COOPERATING partners have pledged support towards the implementation of the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) and have since called for a multi-sectoral approach to accelerate socio-economic development. The 7NDP, to run from 2017 to 2021, comes into effect when the current revised Six National Development Plan expires this year. Government and the donors among them, European Union (EU), World Bank and the United Nations, yesterday kicked-off a consultative process on formulation of the 7NDP. Speaking during a consultative meeting at Intercontinental Hotel yesterday,

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said Zambia’s economic outlook was bright, but there was need for more interventions to spur more development. “As cooperating partners, we stand ready to support the 7NDP and we look forward to give collective inputs,” she said. EU delegation to Zambia and COMESA head of cooperation Aad Biesebroek, said the donor community was ready to be used and engaged in consultation to realise a 7NDP document. UNAIDS country director, Tsehaiu Medhin called for more support to uplifting the welfare of youths who make up the largest population ratio in the country, but were faced with challenges. Vice-President Inonge Wina said the intended 7NDP would not only give the nation an opportunity to re-engineer its development prospects that would be poised towards enhancing human development outcomes, but also provide an opportunity to integrate and mainstream Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ms Wina who is also National Development Planning Minister, said there was need to re-focus development strategies towards achieving the development transformation for the people of Zambia. “It is against this background that the ministry of National Development Planning is coordinating the development of the seventh national development plan which is expected to stipulate development priorities for the country in the next five years,” she said. To realise 7NDP objectives, she observed that there was need for Government to build and secure a shared development vision with stakeholders’ including the private sector. “This will also help Government achieve more with less, especially during this period when Zambia and indeed the whole world are facing fiscal constraints,” she said. She hailed the cooperating partners for continuing to help Zambia to achieve more impressive economic development and was confident that 7NDP would stimulate more change to Zambians. National Development Planning Permanent Secretary Simon Miti called for collective efforts and input from various stakeholders to enable the country achieve what was enshrined in the broad document.