 I want to apologize to the entire members of the BBCC committee that have delayed to start to be in the office. I had to pass through the hospital and not to clean all that work. But I am happy that I am here to interact with you this morning. May I take this point of time to acknowledge the presence of the Provincial Permanent Secretary, Mr Elias Tamanga. The Deputy Permanent Secretary, the outgoing Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Cobra Girls Problems, Comrade President Musonda. A chairperson of Provincial Development, presenting the committees, staff committees, who are with us this morning. May I also recognize my history commissioners who are here attending this important meeting. May I recognize the presence of the tanker for the Saka City Council and the Chungwe Manutipo Council who are here this morning. May I also recognize all council secretaries who are attending this important meeting this morning. May I acknowledge the presence of Provincial Heads of Government departments who are here with us this morning. Heads of civil society and non-governmental organizations who are here this morning. May I recognize the presence of all district planning officers who are following this proceedings, the media, and may I simply say that is unintended. It is with great pleasure that I will welcome you all to the First Quarter Provincial Development Connecting Committee, the PPCC meeting for the year 2021. The main objective of the PPCC meeting, as you all know, is to take stock for the progress made in the implementation of developmental programs, projects in various sectors in the province, and also to plan for the next quarter. Let me from the outset tender my apology for the postponement of this meeting which you are aware was initially scheduled to take place on the 9th of April 2021. The postponement was initiated by the visit to the province by our honor, the Vice President of the Republic of Zambia, Mrs. Nonger M. Wiener. I wish to assure you, however, that going forward, we will never to hold our PPCC meeting as scheduled. Ladies and gentlemen, as you are aware, PPCC is a forum that brings together key development actors in the province to interpret, plan, and implement government policy in order to meet the developmental aspirations of the people. It is common knowledge that our development needs are many and every effort must be made to address these needs in a more efficient and effective manner. It is the responsibility of the PPCC to plan and develop interventions that best address the needs of the people. This is the basis upon which the PPCC was constituted. I therefore call on you to take PPCC proceedings seriously. I likewise withdraw the district teams to ensure that district development coordinating committee D-DCC meetings are treated with the seriousness they deserve. And that observation and recommendation in D-DCC meetings that cannot be acted upon locally are brought to the PPCC for further intervention and possible intervention. Ladies and gentlemen, the patriotic front-line government, under the above leadership of the Excellency Edgar Tabalungu President and Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force, have demonstrated commitment to approach the offer of our people through various interventions which include infrastructure development, particularly in the health sector, education, road, auto and sanitation sectors, social protection programs such as the social cash transfer and youth and women empowerment among others. These interventions have led to improvements in livelihoods to some extent, but we are aware that most new needs to be done to make life better for our people. Ladies and gentlemen, government is aware of the challenges being faced in the implementation of development programs due to limited fiscal space. The country is going through our appeal to you, our technocrats, is to exercise prudent in the utilization of these limited resources at our disposal. But also to explore innovative ways in the midst of these challenges of finding solutions to the various developmental needs of our people. We also acknowledge our patriotic front government, under the Excellency Edgar Tabalungu President of the Republic of Zambia, the current challenges that we are experiencing, especially with regards to the increase in prices of goods and services. But our hope is that with your support, as taken over, we can overcome these challenges. Ladies and gentlemen, I would be failing in my duties if I did not acknowledge on behalf of provincial administration, and indeed on my own behalf the collective efforts that we have together continue to make in the fight against COVID-19. We have seen in the recent past the downward trend in COVID-19 infections. These have not come about by accident, but it is the result of the sensitization and enforcement that we have instituted as a province to try and curb infections. Let me, however, question again as comprehensive as the virus is still with us. And we must continue to individually and collectively take steps to protect ourselves and the beloved ones through strict adherence to COVID-19 health guidelines as described. Ladies and gentlemen, we are aware that the National will be conducting the tripartite elections in August this year. This year, the elections are for politicians. The elections are for politicians and not technocrats. Your job as technocrats is to support the government of the day or government in power. I therefore urge you to stay away from active politics and concentrate on serving the Zambian people in your various capacities in a professional manner. You civil servants have been the machinery through which the patriotic government party under the leadership of His Excellency President Epigar Chabualungu, the Republican president, has been implementing the policies, programs and projects for the well-being of our people. We as governments and technocrats, we are one, is more like foreign and simulacra. I appeal to all of you, technocrats, 2021 it is not only election for us as politicians. All these programs which we are talking about in the province. For example, agriculture. We have seen how we have managed to invest in agriculture sector as government of His Excellency, Epigar Chabualungu, and the fruits are there for everyone to see. The bumper harvest we are seeing, the bumper harvest we are seeing, it is not by accident. It is because of the good policies. Agriculture policies which His Excellency Epigar Chabualungu is giving to all of us as a country. In Lusaka province, my appeal goes to the parkour for Lusaka province. Go out there, go out there with your team and explain to the people of Zambia and Lusaka province in particular. The good policies which His Excellency Epigar Chabualungu is doing in agriculture sector. We have seen how Lusaka has been transformed. It is not by accident. It is because of the good leadership from His Excellency Epigar Chabualungu. My appeal to my officers in Lusaka province and the local government with your team, go out there and explain to the people of Zambia. Go out there and explain to the people of Lusaka province all these expansions which we are doing in our CBD, the ring roads, the fry over bridges. It is not by accident but because of the good leadership and commitment which His Excellency Epigar Chabualungu has towards the people of Zambia. So appeal to you to go out there with your team and explain to the people of Zambia. This is our government together. It will be very important to hear a taken across pointing fingers on politicians. Because for us, after doing what we have been doing, we give you the good policies for you to implement and we have seen how the implementation has been. So my appeal is to all heads of government departments with your teams in this week to go out and explain the good works which His Excellency Epigar Chabualungu and his team were doing to better the lives of our people. In terms of other infrastructures such as health sector, appeal to the provincial medical director for Lusaka province and your team. Go out there and explain to the people the good things which His Excellency Epigar Chabualungu and his team were doing to improve the living standard of our people where health is concerned. President Epigar Chabualungu wants to see the health nation and we can only do that if we work together. We can only achieve that if we explain to the people out there the actual thing which we are doing as government together with your team. My appeal goes to all heads of government departments, council secretaries, mayors, town guys, explain to the people, explain to the people the good things which we are doing, explain to the people. We are doing a lot of things to the people of Lusaka province. But the people they need that information, the actual information from us, the officers in government to explain to them my appeal to all heads of government up to the district level, please go back to the people and explain to the people the good things which we are doing. We are building chiefs palaces in this district. We are constructing roads, both urban roads and feeder roads. We are doing that as government. We are building health administrative blocks in this district. We are building houses for our civil service. Go and explain to the people. We need this information to trickle down to the common Zambian so that as they are making a decision on the 12th of August, they will be making a decision knowing very well that Edgar Chagwa Lungu is working on our behalf as Zambian. So it will be very easy for the people to make a decision. So I appeal to all of you to make sure that you concentrate on selling the government's achievements to the people of Zambia. Ladies and gentlemen, as I conclude, I would like to reiterate that for Zambia to become a developed country, it will take our collective efforts and commitment. We must therefore guard against the business as usual tenders for approaching developmental matters, but provide the critical thinking and innovation required to transform our country into a developed country. We are the people who can develop this country. We are not supposed to expect or to think there are other people out there who govern better this country. It is our responsibility. It is our responsibility as citizens of this country. It is our responsibility as government workers to work extra hard as we are transforming Zambia. As politicians, we will be going on leave in the next month or so, and we will go on leave for three months. We will go and help you as technocrats. We are going to help you as technocrats to explain to the people of Zambia what you have done as technocrats. That is the thing which we will be doing in the next month or so. We will be going back to the people to explain to the people that me as Lusaka province minister, together with my team in Lusaka province, from permanent secretary up to the last officer in the district, this is what we have achieved. We have been giving the farmers farming inputs on time. We have managed to commission the water project and solve the water problem in Tongwe. We have embarked and finished the Kahfewa Otaba. We have embarked and finished the Lusaka decongest and we are still constructing other roads. And the things which will be telling our people, for us we are not going to lie or promise anything to our people when we start reporting in the next month or so. We will be telling them the actual things which we have done, the actual things which we will be doing. President Edgar Tagalungu will remain with you. President Edgar Tagalungu will remain with you. And as your minister of Lusaka province, I will be going on leave for three months or so. But just know that as I'm out there, I will be informing the people. When I visit Tongwe, when I visit Lusaka province, I will be talking to the people on the developments which we have done together. Because you are a technocrat. You are the engine of government. So I don't expect any technocrat, anyone to complain. I don't expect and I won't allow a technocrat to say, Minister Osambo, you have failed. I will tell that technocrat to go back and come back after your thoughts, you have gone through your thoughts nicely. Because in this game, we are in need together, the politician and technocrat. So if the politician fails, which means you technocrats, you have failed. If the politician, you call them they have succeeded, credit goes to you as technocrat. So please, let us work together and Permanent Secretary for Lusaka province, you've been charged in the next three months. And I can assure you that President Epiketa Dalong will be there to represent all of us as politicians. You will be there until the next government. So my appeal to you, let us go out there and tell the people of Zambia what we have done for them. I urge each and every one of you to contribute positively to the proceeding during this important meeting. With this skew remarks, I wish to declare the meeting officially open and may God bless you all. Thank you. Thank you very much.