Zambia’s Finance Minister, Margaret Mwanakatwe, Tuesday said the ministry would embark on a clean-up of the payroll system in order to remove ghost workers.
Mwanakatwe said the entire payroll system needed to be cleaned up and ghost workers removed quickly in order to reduce the public service wage bill.
The minister urged the Controller of Internal Audits to work together with the Accountant General and other relevant institutions in the clean up as part of government efforts to enhance financial accountability.
“We only need to pay deserving workers,’’ she said in a release from the ministry.
She, however, expressed confidence that the effective enforcement of the law on public finance management will significantly improve this year and will have a positive impact on resource allocation and eventually lead to improved public service delivery.
In another development, entrepreneurs in China and Zambia should forge strong partnerships that would result in a win-win situation for all parties, an industry body said on Tuesday.
Forming strong partnerships will go a long way in building capacity in Zambian enterprises and eventually contribute to the growth of the southern African nation’s economy.
Nelson Musonda, President of the Chililabombwe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said local business bodies should lead the way and encourage their members to participate at business forums, in China in order to forge strong partnerships.
“Increased partnerships with Chinese entrepreneurs as well as attending the Chinese business expos, is the way to go for Zambian business groups if they are to build on their capacity to do business,’’ he said.
According to him, building strong partnerships with Chinese enterprises will help Zambian businesses in acquiring technology transfer and skills development.
He added that Zambia was endowed with abundant raw materials that could be exploited through strong partnerships with Chinese enterprises.
Xinhua/NAN
