By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA –

THERE is need to innovate procurement and disbursement processes for public projects in the country, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has said.
AfDB officer in charge for Zambia Philip Boahen said it was important to accelerate the procurement processes and disbursement within the existing government system for effective implementation of the projects.
Mr Boahen said this in Kitwe during the first joint quarterly country portfolio review meeting of all the AfDB-financed operations in Zambia.
He said the bank’s on-going portfolio in Zambia comprised of 16 operations with a total commitment of approximately US$643 million.
“The sector distribution has strong components of infrastructure.
This is aligned with the pillars of the current Country Strategy Paper from 2011-2015, with strong emphasis on infrastructure development,” he said.
The largest share of the bank’s operations is in energy and transport sector with 37 per cent and 28 per cent respectively.
Mr Boahen said the low procurement processing, non-adherence to implementation schedule as well as poor contract management were
identified as key areas that required improvements.
The action plan would be monitored by officials of the Ministry of Finance who would call for another review meeting to hold project coordinators and officials of line ministries accountable.
A field visit was undertaken to the Nkana Water Supply and Sanitation project and Northern Technical College.
And principal economist in the economic management department at the Ministry of Finance Simon Kayekesi said there was need for projects to be effectively implemented to ensure that the result impacted positively on the intended beneficiaries.
Mr Kayekesi said the Government was committed to uplifting the livelihoods of the people of Zambia through the various interventions which were being financed by the bank and other development partners.