LUSAKA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Friday opened the second session of the 12th National Assembly with a pledge that his government has resolved to reduce poverty to 20 percent from the current high levels.
The Zambian leader said it was unfortunate that poverty levels have remained unacceptably high at 54.4 percent despite rapid economic development over the years.
He said poverty in the country was mainly a rural phenomenon, almost three times high compared to the level in urban areas.
According to him, more than half of the rural population, at about 55 percent, was affected by poverty while in urban areas extreme poverty currently stood at 13 percent.
In his words, the Zambian leader said climate change had remained an obstacle to poverty and vulnerability reduction and had the potential to erode strides in diversifying the economy and attainment of sustainable development.
The government, he said, has rolled out a number of programs aimed at tackling high poverty levels such as the social cash transfer which has been rolled out to all districts in the country from the previous 78 while the number of beneficiaries has increased from 242,000 to 590,000.
Lungu's address was themed "Moving Towards a Smart Prosperous Zambia in Peace and Tranquility Without Leaving Anyone Behind."
The Zambian leader called for unity of purpose among citizens in order to move the country's development agenda forward.
He however said the country was on course to achieve its social and economic development agenda.
He went to state that citizens should be aware of greediness and selfishness which has resulted in civil strife in some countries, adding that citizens should not take the peace the country has enjoyed over the years for granted.
In June this year, Lungu launched the Seventh National Development Plan, a five-year development plan which provides a roadmap for the country's development path.
The plan is anchored on the Vision 2030 in which the country aspires to be a prosperous and middle income country.
