Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo has announced that President Lazarus Chakwera will not attend two international meetings, saving K268 million in line with the expenditure control measures the President announced on 31st May 2022.
The Minister disclosed this today during government faces the press. She was accompanied by three Minister of Water and Sanitation, Minister of Information and Minister of Finance.
The presser dwelt much on the economic austerity measures announced by President Lazarus Chakwera.
The meetings Chakwera has decided to skip are OPEC Fund Development Forum in Viena, Austria and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, also known as CHOGM 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda. Both meetings are taking place in June.
Meanwhile, Minister of Energy, Ibrahim Matola and Minister of Water and Sanitation, Abida Mia will represent the President at the OPEC meeting and the host of the meeting will fund the trip.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo will represent the President at CHOGM meeting.
Speaking at the presser, Finance Minister Sosten Gwengwe said K268 million will be saved as a result of Chakwera’s decision not to attend the OPEC Fund Development Forum and Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings respectively.
Gwengwe said fiscal consolidation is key to make sure expenditure is tightly controlled.
According to Gwengwe, government has not banned foreign trips but public officers are restricted to only essential trips.
“Some trips cannot be avoided. For example, the President is handing over the SADC Chairmanship to DRC in August, that’s a trip that cannot be delegated,” said Gwengwe.
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