Northern Province Minister Leonard Mbao has reaffirmed the province’s position at 2026 PDCC Meeting
Mr Mbao has disclosed that the province in the 2024/2025 farming season produced 447,973.9 metric tonnes of maize, making it one of the top-performing regions nationwide. Speaking when he officially opened the 2026 first quarter Provincial Development Coordinating Committee (PDCC) meeting in Kasama, Mr. Mbao says the yield represents an improvement of 2.65 metric tonnes per hectare. He revealed that the province is now targeting an increase of 3.0 metric tonnes per hectare in the current farming season.
“This achievement of 2.65 metric tonnes per hectare reflects improved farming practices, which are due to favorable rainfall and increased support to farmers. We are now targeting 3.0 metric tonnes per hectare in the 2025/2026 farming season,” he said. He revealed that the strong performance recorded in the province highlights the Province’s critical role in contributing to national food security and sustaining Zambia’s agricultural growth. Mr Mbao has further disclosed that the Food Reserve Agency purchased over 322,000 metric tonnes of maize in the 2025 marketing season. The situation, he said, reflects improved productivity among farmers.
In the health sector, the Northern Province Minister attributed the improvements to the Constituency Development Fund and other government interventions in the sector. He said support to the sector had been extended to all 340 health facilities in the province, contributing to a reduction in infant mortality. He has urged stakeholders to confront hard questions about what has worked, what has not, and what must be improved, if the province is to continue developing.
And Northern Province Acting Permanent Secretary Beauty Undi-Phiri has called for unity, discipline, and renewed commitment to development. Ms Undi-Phiri observed that there is a need for members to critically reflect on progress, address challenges, and map the way forward for sustainable development. She has described the PDCC meeting as an important platform for strengthening coordination and ensuring that development efforts remain inclusive and impactful.
“This meeting reflects our shared commitment to development and coordination, highlighting the importance of keeping the province on a path of inclusive and sustainable progress. It is my wish that 2026 should be remembered as a year of greater successes achieved through unity,” she said. “We need to dialogue and respect each other despite the differences in political views, ethnicity, or social standing,” she added.
She, however, expressed concern over the continued late submission of reports by some officers, warning that the trend would no longer be tolerated. “The Provincial Development Coordinating Committee is the highest Committee for development in the province; late submission will attract serious action, as this practice undermines our national values and frustrates government efforts,” she cautioned. And speaking during the deliberations, Northern Province Health Director Enerst Mutale revealed that the government will soon construct a medical hub in the province.
Professor Mutale disclosed that the government, working with the Churches Health Association of Zambia, has already identified the site for the construction of the hub. “The province has had no medical hub; it used to rely on neighboring provinces like Luapula, but now I am pleased to inform you that the government, working with the churches health Association of Zambia, is in the process of constructing a medical hub, and the site has already been identified,” he disclosed.
The Provincial Health Director revealed that the medical hub in the province will be a milestone in further improving the provision of health services in the province.
