The below is attributable to Acting Spokesperson Shejal Pulivarti:
On the third day of her trip to Zambia, Administrator Samantha Power traveled to Chibombo District where she met with community members who were engaging in a local decision-making exercise to determine the use of public resources. The Administrator observed their process of voting on which infrastructure projects are most important to them and heard from the community how this type of locally based civic engagement empowers the citizens and provides transparency into how public funds are used.
Administrator Power then visited a small, women-run farm outside Lusaka that sells maize and other nutritious vegetables to local markets. She shared lunch with a group of women who are expanding their small- and medium- sized agricultural enterprises and heard about the challenges of moving from subsistence to commercial farming and the ways that increased fertilizer prices are affecting their businesses. Administrator Power underscored that USAID, through the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative, is helping commercial and agricultural enterprises of all sizes meet national and regional demand through technical assistance and training, particularly targeted for women farmers.
Administrator Power later met with U.S. Embassy staff and thanked them for their tireless work, and their contributions to strengthening the U.S.-Zambia relationship.
Following her meeting with Embassy staff, Administrator Power attended a dinner with President Hichilema and a group of his advisors as well as private sector and nonprofit leaders. The Administrator shared reflections from her visit to Zambia and the group continued their discussions on advancing democratic reforms and strengthening the agricultural sector in Zambia.