The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) has called on Government to seriously reconsider its definition of key economic sectors.
CTPD Senior Researcher Dr Simon Manda said while calls to re-open certain sectors of the economy amidst COVID19 are welcome, there is need to clearly define what constitutes key economic activities and differentiate those that are social in nature.
Dr Manda said according to CTPD’s understanding, key economic sectors are those that contribute immensely to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, job creation, domestic resource mobilization and help to reduce poverty and inequality.
He stated that the sectors that were recently announced by the Head of State fall short of that definition, adding that what CTPD considers as economic sectors are agricultural, food production, mining and local manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Dr Manda also stressed the need for Government to consider the vulnerable, poor and equally food insecure citizens as it comes up with interventions aimed at protecting the affected populations from COVID-19.
He said the scaling down of economic activities and restrictions on social movements could create a new stream of urban poor as they face financial constraints due to reductions or loss of jobs in the wake of COVID-19.
Dr Manda further advised the Government to identify needy urban households especially in high-density areas and consider introducing support such as through food banks.
“Such food Centers can act as fall back strategies for struggling urbanites. For Lusaka alone food banks could play a pivotal role in closing gaps in food access to the majority who do not have reliable access to food,” he noted.
D Manda added that recent records show that close to 1 million people between 23 – 30% are characterized as poor, the majority of whom live in high-density areas.
“These face unique livelihood challenges due to their close connections to markets on one hand and generating incomes from informal opportunities. These dynamics make food access through markets and most importantly capacity to switch food preferences difficult,” he said.
He stated that food banks can play a vital role in supporting and sustaining vibrant local food systems and leverage their purchasing volumes to support urban food security and regional economies.