By MILDRED KATONGO –
AMAKA multi-purpose Cooperative Society has clarified that the Presidential Empowerment initiative is neither profit-making nor politically orientated but anchored on poverty reduction.
Chief executive officer, Joseph Chilinda said Amaka is the only entity that has been given privilege to spearhead the Presidential Empowerment Fund in the country.
Mr Chilinda said during a Press briefing in Ndola yesterday that, the empowerment fund is purely a non- profit making initiative whose objective was to fight poverty across the country.
He said there are a lot of organisations in the country that were working towards poverty alleviation and that the initiative which is a brainchild of President Edgar Lungu was complementing efforts to fight poverty.
“We would like to put clarity to the operations of the Presidential Empowerment Fund. The empowerment initiative is the brainchild of his Excellency President Edgar Lungu and the main objective is primarily to work as a developmental organisation focused on assisting other organisations that are already in the business to alleviate poverty,” he said.
He said the initiative was focused on the informal sector where marketeers, vendors, bus and taxi drivers, were being helped with funds to boost their businesses.
Mr Chilinda said so far, about K3.2 million had been disbursed to at least 3,000 people around the country.
He said the fund had been diversified further by aiding the bicycle transport industry especially in Eastern Province.
Mr Chilinda also clarified that no other stakeholder or individual was authorised to speak on behalf of the organisation apart from himself and the President.
He said this would help disseminate correct information on the operations of the Presidential Fund.
“For us to be able to access markets and harness the process, it is only prudent that we work through market associations. However, these stakeholders are not in any way authorised to speak on behalf of the initiative, but only the society and the President himself,” he said.
