By NATASHA KANA and
HELEN ZULU –
THE Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC) has said good governance is a cornerstone to the foundation of the country’s economic development.
PMRC executive director Bernadette Deka said Zambia had made progressive steps towards promoting good governance but that there were some areas that needed to be improved to enhance good governance.
Ms Deka said it was for this reason that PMRC took the initiative to produce two publications titled What is Government policy and Understanding governance in Zambia which seek to unpack Government policy.
She was speaking at the PMRC publications launch under the good governance series in Lusaka at the weekend.
“The launch of the two publications under our good governance series is aimed at promoting active citizen participation in national affairs in the country.
“Our hope is that this work will eventually lead to the unlocking of Zambia’s potential to attain a more prosperous and economically successful Zambia,” She said.
Ms Deka said the publications seek to enhance the creation of a conducive policy environment in the country, adding that the documents focus on ways and means through which citizens could participate in the policy process and other national affairs.
She further said the publications seek to promote policy dialogue and constructive debate on good governance in the socio-economic policy landscape in the country.
PMRC undertook these publications to respond to some of the identified challenges that were a hindrance towards enhanced good governance.
Some of the challenges include, lack of access to information on policy legislation, lack of information on some key policy documents and lack of information on the policy making process.
Ms Deka said PMRC was hopeful that by understanding what policy was and how processes were created and implemented, citizens would be empowered with the right kind of information that would enable them make informed decisions.
“This will ultimately promote increased participation into the policy making process while also ensuring transparency,” she said.