Government says that the 2025 budget is prioritising the welfare of the unemployed in order to share the burden of inflation experienced in the past few years.

Speaking during a breakfast meeting on the Zambia National Budget 2025 hosted by Deloitte, Minister of Finance Situmbeko Musokotwane says that the government has prioritised social protection programmes such as Social Cash Transfer and Cash for Work, in order to offer relief to the people in informal employment.

ZANIS reports that Dr Musokotwane added that the government is stiffening auditing measures, including hiring of private auditing firms in order to curb millions of dollars leaving the country through institutions claiming not to make money.

The Minister emphasised that it is important for the government to prioritise essential services in order to provide service to the rapidly growing population which currently stands at 20 million people.

“Not every problem is solved by money, money can only solve so much, the rest has to do with the kind of attitude that we present and how we organize ourselves as a society,” said Dr Musokotwane.

Meanwhile, Deloitte Managing Partner, Humphrey Mulenga acknowledged that the increased investment in the mining sector is a step towards the goal of poverty reduction in a fast-growing population.