By Amos Sikaonga 
By Cecilia Chiluba
Ministry of Community Development and Social Services says Zambia has potential to reduce poverty levels from the current 60 to 40 percent.
Speaking when newly appointed International Labour Organization (ILO) Social Protection Manager for Zambia, Jie Yu Koh, paid a courtesy call on her, Permanent Secretary Angela Kawandami, said this is in view of Zambia’s growing capacity and strong policy direction which is a critical enabler in the fight against poverty.
Ms. Kawandami highlighted several impactful social protection programmes and interventions that the government has implemented, such as the Social Cash Transfer, the Single Window Initiative, and the Cash Plus agenda.
“These interventions have significantly contributed to poverty reduction and improved livelihoods among vulnerable people across the country,” Ms. Kawandami stated.
She expressed gratitude to ILO for being an all-weather partner in addressing vulnerability and advancing Zambia’s efforts to eradicate poverty.
And Mr. Koh backed Ms. Kawandami’s confidence that Zambia can reduce poverty from 60 to 40 percent, describing it as ambitious but not impossible.
“By addressing technological and digitization barriers that hinder service delivery, Zambia is able to address poverty and vulnerability by leveraging the already existing social protection systems and structures that have been established through dedicated hard work and a sense of ownership,” Mr. Koh noted.
He emphasized the importance of building resilient systems that safeguard the most vulnerable.
Mr. Koh pledged the ILO’s continued support to Zambia in strengthening the country’s social protection sector.
He reiterated ILO’s intention to deepen technical cooperation and capacity building, including support in areas such as digitization and technology to remove barriers to service delivery.