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Zambia NGO WASH Forum has urged Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector players to be more transparent before holding Government accountable.

Forum Board Chairperson Marlon Phiri said the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation has generated Reporting Templates which will help the sector to provide accurate information to help Government in planning and evaluation.

This came to light during the Zambia NGO WASH Forum Quarterly Meeting at The Urban Hotel in Lusaka.

“I wish to warmly welcome you to this important meeting where we convene as partners and collaborators to share information and experiences,” he said. 

Mr. Phiri said the meeting was important because it was happening in the month for the commemoration of the World Water Day on March 22, 2024.

“In celebrating this day, we have various activities of which it is important that in the course of this meeting, we put our plans together to ensure that we have joint activities for a successful World Water Day,” he said. 

Mr. Phiri said the meeting was also important because the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation coordinates Quarterly Meetings. 

“The first Quarterly Meeting will happen this month where partners will share what they do with the Ministry in order to put reports together in a consolidated manner. To help NGOs report effectively, the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation have developed a Reporting template and officers from the Ministry have been invited to orient us on how to fill the Template,” he said. 

Mr. Phiri said it is important for NGO WASH Forum members to adhere to the new Reporting Template developed by the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation because it elucidates deepening accountability.

“Accountability is both ways. We normally ask Government for accountability but we as partners equally need to account for what we do,” he said. 

Mr. Phiri said the Reporting Template will help to input activities of various programs in the area of WASH to feed into information that contributes to the achievement of the 8th National Development Plan. 
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Meanwhile, Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation Senior Planner for Monitoring and Evaluation, Florence Mwenya, said the Reporting Templates will enhance governance of the sector. 

This is contained in a statement issued by Zambia NGO WASH Forum, Administration Officer, Zama L. Banda.