24 May 2018
The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) stands in solidarity with six Zambian civil society members and activists that who are being charged with disobeying lawful orders after they held a protest last September demanding public accountability from their national government.
NANGO asserts that budgetary processes must prioritise betterment of the lives of ordinary people and also values transparency and accountability and commends any institution that holds public officials to account.
Through the peaceful protest, the six activists were demanding that the full public resource management processes that led to the purchase of the 42 fire trucks by the Zambian Ministry of Local Government at a cost of 42 million US dollars, be open to public scrutiny. The protest was held on the day that the then Minister of Finance, Felix Mutati, was presenting Zambia’s 2018 National Budget.
Under the Joint Action for Accountability in Zambia, Zambian civil society organisations issued a statement asserting that budgetary choice making and procurement process of the fire engines was imprudent and a form of mismanagement of public resources.
NANGO recommends that in order to improve macroeconomic policy formulation and implementation processes all governments should put in place platforms for participation by ordinary citizens like pre-budget consultations by both parliament and the Ministry of Finance.
NANGO is a non-party political, non-profit making organisation and non-denominational official coordinating body of NGOs in Zimbabwe. NANGO values participation. diversity, non-discrimination, equity, equality, engagement as well as transparency and accountability.
