The Zambian and Turkish governments have pledged to strengthen their longstanding bilateral relations to navigate various socio-economic challenges in pursuit of holistic social protection and national development.
This came to light when Turkish Ambassador to Zambia, Mr Huseyin Barbaros Dicle, paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Community Development and Social Services, Ms Doreen Mwamba to discuss wide-ranging issues bordering on human development.
Ms Mwamba highlighted Turkey’s exemplary initiatives in social protection, particularly in empowering women through transformative skills like crafts, art, fashion and design, among others, and underscored the importance of adopting similar programmes and models in Zambia to stimulate domestic investment and foster socio-economic growth.
She said the Zambian government through the Ministry has also made notable progress in areas of child development and women empowerment through various programmes such as the Food Security Pack (FSP) and the Social Cash Transfer (SCT).
And Ambassador Dicle, praised Zambia’s strides in the social protection sector under President Hakainde Hichilema’s leadership, commending the government’s dedication to addressing the needs of the underprivileged especially during times of crises.
He expressed Turkey’s readiness to collaborate with Zambia on various socio-economic development initiatives, citing Zambia’s recent advancements in social protection as a testament to its commitment to enhancing the welfare of the citizens without leaving anyone behind.
