• Empowerment should be given to every deserving cooperative or youth organization.
• Government is for all the people.
• In the past regime, empowerment funds were about who you know and who you are connected to.

Zambian Empowerment Hub for Entrepreneurship and Skills Training (ZEHEST) says it wants to see real entrepreneurs benefiting from empowerment funds.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Organization Executive Director Clarence Muzyamba commended government for coming up with a proper fund disbursement criteria.
Mr. Muzyamba noted that in the recent past, empowerment funds were not disbursed on merit as most entrepreneurs could access the resources based on who they were connected to.
“We want real entrepreneurs to benefit from these empowerment funds. Empowerment should be given to every deserving cooperative or youth organization without looking at their background or political party they belong to, because government is for all the people,” Mr. Muzyamba said.
He also thanked Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo for assuring citizens that government will give empowerment funds to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises regardless of their political affiliation.
“This is a welcome move, this is what we want. We realize that in the past regime, empowerment funds were about who you know and who you are connected to, but we thank the current government for coming up with a p[roper empowerment fund disbursement criteria,” he added.
Recently, Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo said the empowering of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will not be channeled towards one political party like it used to be in the previous Government where cadres were the only ones benefiting from the empowerment programs.