The African Union Day is a day that reminds us of the continent’s effort to address cross-cutting issues that impact citizens in every country.
This year, African Union Day is celebrated under the theme, “Our Africa, Our Future” which revolves around Agenda 2063, a master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.
One of the aspirations of Agenda 2063 is to create a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.
In the second continental report on the implementation of Agenda 2063, released in February this year, Zambia scored 27% progress in achieving the set aspirations. This indicates that Zambia’s progress has been slow in the implementation of programs to address challenges that directly affect citizens, especially in rural areas.
With the increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which seeks to address social and economic challenges at the constituency level, the country looks to achieve objectives such as raising the high standard of living, having a pool of educated citizens from the primary level―way up to tertiary level with a diverse set of skills. These efforts are aimed at leading the country to realize set objectives to achieve the overall aspirations of agenda 2063.
It is therefore important that the Constituency Development Fund is protected.
Contributing to this cause, Civil Society Organizations such as the Alliance for Community Action have been at the helm of promoting citizen participation in the CDF process. The ACA has engaged duty bearers and citizens in different towns such as Chipata, Nyimba, Kabwe, Kalomo, and Livingstone to enable a smooth and accountable process in the implementation of the CDF programs.
Working towards an articulated vision of a Zambia in which all her citizens enjoy the full and equitable benefit of all her resources, the ACA continues to promote citizen participation in the CDF process. This will create a transparent path on which the rightful beneficiaries of the CDF will enjoy the country’s resources while demanding full accountability from everyone involved in the process. This is a huge contribution from Zambia to the achievement of aspirations in agenda 2063.