In February 2016, the Government of the Republic of Zambia Launched the National Policy on Disability. The Theme of the policy is ‘Empowering Persons with Disabilities’ and this is in line with international and national policy instruments including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities. This policy was launched in an effort to;
- Deal with various challenges faced by persons with disabilities and
- Ensure for social and economic inclusion for these persons.
Statistics reveal that about 2 million women and men in Zambia have a disability (WHO, 2011). Detailed information revealed that most of these people with disabilities live in rural areas, and have limited access to basic services. There are 181,856 (2.4 %) with disabilities in rural areas and 69,571 (1.4%) people with disabilities in urban areas in the country. (Zambia Consus of population and housing 2010)
The Report of the Auditor General on Accounts of the Republic of Zambia for the financial year ended 31st December 2017 revealed that a total of K193 million was under query. This amount is a reduction from K538 million which was reported in the financial year ended 2016. Although the report reveals a significant reduction in the total amount under query, it highlights significant audit queries of increased incidents of Unaccounted for Funds, Irregular Payments, Failure to Follow Procurement Procedures, Wasteful Expenditure, Over Payment and Misappropriation of Funds.
According to the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP), the agriculture sector is the fourth largest contributor to GDP (8.7 percent) and the largest contributor to employment (70 percent). The sector is critical for achieving diversification, economic growth and wealth creation in Zambia. One major component of the agriculture sector is the e-Voucher programme which was introduced in the 2016/17 farming season a er a successful pilot season in 2015/2016 farming season.