2020 BUDGET ADDRESS BY HONOURABLE DR. BWALYA K.E. NG’ANDU, MP, MINISTER OF FINANCE, DELIVERED TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER, 2019

The national budget of the republic of Zambia, present to parliament. The budget outlines the revenue and expenditure of the government of Zambia as planned for the year 2020. There are several things covered on economic development and growth which were scheduled to be done in 2020.The Minister of Finance asked to move that the House do resolve into Committee of Supply on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 1st January, 2020 to 31st December, 2020 presented to the National Assembly on Friday, 27th September, 2019. Sir, I am a bearer of a message from His Excellency, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia, recommending favourable consideration of the motion that I now lay on the Table. 3. Mr. Speaker, as this is my first Budget Address to this August House, it is befitting that I begin by thanking His Excellency, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia for granting me the honour to serve as Minister of Finance. It is indeed a rare opportunity, and I hereby commit myself to work towards achieving economic stabilisation and growth in order to improve the lives of our people.4. Sir, allow me to thank my predecessor, Honourable Margaret D. Mwanakatwe, MP, for her stewardship of the economy as Minister of Finance. I will continue to build on the foundation that she has laid in steering our economy and the nation forward. 5. Mr. Speaker, on 13th September, 2019, His Excellency, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia officially opened the Fourth Session of the Twelfth National Assembly. In his address, the President outlined, among others, the key challenges of limited fiscal space and the devastating impact of climate change. In this context, the President called upon us to work together as a people to achieve economic stability, sustainable growth and development, within the spirit of “doing more with less”. 6. Sir, the 2020 Budget takes into account the challenges highlighted by His Excellency the President. The Budget and the policy measures, therefore, prioritise creating fiscal space, ensuring debt sustainability and dismantling domestic arrears. I will pay particular attention to the dismantling of arrears related to pensioners and suppliers of goods and services to Government. 7. Mr. Speaker, these measures are aimed at alleviating hardships to those owed money by the Government, preserving businesses, saving jobs, increasing liquidity and in so doing boosting economic activity. Further, Government will hence forth strictly enforce the provision requiring 20 percent allocation to Zambians of works carried out by foreign contractors as part of the empowerment agenda. This Budget will also outline some measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, which has negative impacts on especially the poor and small businesses. 8. Sir, the theme for the 2020 Budget is therefore “Focusing national priorities towards stimulating the domestic economy.” For this Budget to achieve its objectives, it will require us to deliver on our commitments with discipline, determination and dedication. This is in accordance with our National values and Principles of ethics, patriotism, national unity and integrity as enshrined in the Constitution. All of us, the public sector, the private sector, civil society and every Zambian are therefore called to focus our priorities towards building the Zambia we want. The time to act is now! Our resolve to do so must be firm.The government of Zambi

What future for the Global Aid for Trade Initiative? Towards an assessment of its achievements and limitations

As with any form of contemporary global governance, the impact of the global Aid for Trade Initiative (2006) has been mixed. However, to dismiss it as a failure would be premature. The co-ordination system established was based on best-practice techniques of governance in a diverse non-hierarchical environment, such as the international development community. This form of co-operation cannot overcome global economic and political asymmetries, but it can be effective in several respects. In particular, the Initiative led to increased funding for AfT and kick-started a range of initiatives and technical advances; while the monitoring process has evolved significantly to give voice to new actors and issues. Although the future of the AfT Initiative is uncertain, its achievements merit careful consideration

Language policy and orthographic harmonization across linguistic, ethnic and national boundaries in Southern Africa

Drawing on online and daily newspapers, speakers' language and writing practices, official government documents and prescribed spelling systems in Southern Africa, the paper explores the challenges and possibilities of orthographic reforms allowing for mobility across language clusters, ethnicity, regional and national borders. I argue that this entails a different theorisation of language, and for orthographies that account for the translocations and diasporic nature of late modern African identities and lifestyles. I suggest an ideological shift from prescriptivism to practice-orientated approaches to harmonisation in which orthographies are based on descriptions of observable writing practices in the mobile linguistic universe. The argument for orthographic reforms is counterbalanced with an expose on current language policies which appear designed for an increasing rare monoglot 'standard' speaker, who speaks only a 'tribal' language. The implications of the philosophical challenges this poses for linguists, language planners and policy makers are thereafter discussed.IS

Alcohol marketing and drunkenness among students in the Philippines: findings from the nationally representative Global School-based Student Health Survey

BACKGROUND: A largely unaddressed issue in lower income countries and the Philippines, in particular, is the role of alcohol marketing and its potential link to early alcohol use among youth. This study examines the associations between exposures to alcohol marketing and Filipino youths’ drinking prevalence and drunkenness. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses were used to examine the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in Philippines (2011). The self-administered questionnaires were completed by students primarily 13 to 16 years of age (N = 5290). Three statistical models were computed to test the associations between alcohol marketing and alcohol use, while controlling for possible confounding factors. RESULTS: Alcohol marketing, specifically through providing free alcohol through a company representative, was associated with drunkenness (AOR: 1.84; 95% CI = 1.06–3.21) among youths after controlling for demographic and psychosocial characteristics, peer environment, and risky behaviors. In addition, seeing alcohol ads in newspapers and magazines (AOR: 1.65, 95% CI = 1.05–2.58) and seeing ads at sports events, concerts or fairs (AOR: 1.50, 95% CI = 1.06–2.12) were significantly associated with increased reports of drunkenness. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant associations between alcohol marketing exposure and increased alcohol use and drunkenness among youth in the Philippines. These findings highlight the need to put policies into effect that restrict alcohol marketing practices as an important prevention strategy for reducing alcohol use and its dire consequences among vulnerable youth

Reductions in abortion-related mortality following policy reform: evidence from Romania, South Africa and Bangladesh

Unsafe abortion is a significant contributor to worldwide maternal mortality; however, abortion law and policy liberalization could lead to drops in unsafe abortion and related deaths. This review provides an analysis of changes in abortion mortality in three countries where significant policy reform and related service delivery occurred. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, population data and grey literature on programs and policies, this paper demonstrates the policy and program changes that led to declines in abortion-related mortality in Romania, South Africa and Bangladesh. In all three countries, abortion policy liberalization was followed by implementation of safe abortion services and other reproductive health interventions. South Africa and Bangladesh trained mid-level providers to offer safe abortion and menstrual regulation services, respectively, Romania improved contraceptive policies and services, and Bangladesh made advances in emergency obstetric care and family planning. The findings point to the importance of multi-faceted and complementary reproductive health reforms in successful implementation of abortion policy reform