By Mubanga Mubanga
Ministry of Home Affairs Permanent secretary Joseph Akafumba says the country will continue to waive visa requirements for more countries in order to attain the three million tourism arrival by 2026.
And Akafumba stated that due to many social security programs the government had initiated, citizens were obtaining National Registration Cards (NRCs) in order for them to access the same programs.
In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry’s principal public officer Mwala Kalaluka stated that Akafumba had indicated that the shift in visa policy across Africa had resulted in many countries opening up for tourism, trade and investment, and Zambia was not willing to remain behind on this,” Kalaluka stated.
According to Kalaluka, the permanent secretary explained that the government’s policy of waiving visa requirements for several countries around the world was motivated by the desire to grow the economy and create more jobs for the country’s youths.
He stated that the ministry was overwhelmed with the number of people who were obtaining NRCs.
He stated that in view of the above, the ministry would intensify its efforts to facilitate for all Zambians’ participation in the country’s economic transformation agenda through the issuance of relevant national documents like NRC’s.
“Mr. Akafumba said as a result of the government-initiated programmes like the Social Cash Transfer, the Constituency Development Fund, and Cash for Work, the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship (DNRPC) was overwhelmed by people wanting to obtain NRCs to access these economic empowerment programmes,” stated Kalaluka.
