Citizens Vital to Budget Decisions



Ching’ambo says Public input ensures government priorities reflect community needs in areas like health, education, and social protection

By Francis Maingaila ♥️ 

Lusaka, Zambia24 -- (16-12-2025) --- Citizens play a critical role in shaping the national budget, ensuring that government priorities reflect the needs of communities in sectors, including health, education, jobs, and social protection. 

Fridah Mulenga Ching’ambo, Programmes Manager at the Centre for Reproductive Health and Education and a budget advocacy expert, a workshop organized by Amref and partner organizations in Lusaka that citizens are vital to shaping the budget, ensuring public funds meet the needs of communities in sectors such as health, education, jobs, and social protection.

Ching’ambo stressed the importance of public engagement in the budget process. She said citizens should actively participate to influence how funds are allocated and hold government accountable for spending decisions.


She outlined the principles of an effective budget, saying it must be transparent, accountable, inclusive, flexible, sustainable, aligned with national development goals, and supportive of economic growth and job creation. 

Preparing the budget, she explained, involves technical tasks like revenue projections and expenditure planning, as well as political decisions on prioritizing limited resources.

Stakeholders include government agencies, political parties, civil society organizations, the private sector, international partners, and citizens.

Ching’ambo highlighted key budget documents, including the approved budget, quarterly implementation reports, mid-year reviews, supplementary budgets, and the Auditor General’s year-end assessments.


"These documents allow citizens, civil society, and Parliament to track spending and ensure resources reach priority sectors such as health, education, and social welfare," she explained.

She also emphasized the critical role of civil society in promoting transparency, analyzing allocations, advocating for citizens’ needs, and holding government accountable.

"Effective budget advocacy, she said, depends on strategic engagement, evidence-based arguments, coalition-building, and raising public awareness," she noted

She underscored essential leadership skills for advocacy, including strategic thinking, communication, negotiation, financial literacy, and media engagement. 

Ching’ambo encouraged participants to use these skills to ensure government spending reflects public priorities and delivers tangible benefits to citizens.

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