ECA and Lusaka city council pioneer Africa’s first municipal IPRT deployment

Lusaka, Zambia, 13 February 2026 (ECA) - The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the Lusaka City Council, has concluded a five-day hands-on training workshop on the Integrated Planning and Reporting Toolkit (IPRT). Held from 9 to 13 February in Lusaka, Zambia, the workshop brought together officials from Lusaka City Council and line ministries to equip them with the skills needed to effectively utilize the IPRT. The training focused on digitalizing the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), aligning the IDP with national, global and continental agendas, strengthening municipal and sectoral planning processes, enhancing monitoring and evaluation, and fostering local ownership of the toolkit.

This training marks a historic milestone, as it is the first time the IPRT has been applied exclusively at the municipal level. The workshop equipped planners and technical experts with the skills to use the IPRT to strengthen the alignment of sub-national priorities with national priorities, Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063. Building on the earlier success of aligning the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP 2022-2026) with global and continental framework, the 2026 IPRT training underscores Zambia's deepening commitment to reinforcing subnational planning and ensuring coherence across local, national, regional and global development agendas - positioning Lusaka as a pioneer city in this process.

The training was organized in response to strong interest expressed by the Lusaka City Council, particularly in leveraging the IPRT to systematically measure and report progress on key local development instruments, including the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) and the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). Through the adoption of the IPRT, the Council aims to improve programme tracking, strengthen results reporting, and enhance coordination across municipal departments to ensure coherent and impactful development outcomes.

Officially opening the workshop, Her Worship Ms. Chilando Chitangala, Mayor of Lusaka, emphasized that the training comes at a crucial time as Lusaka and Zambia work to reinforce institutional capacity for integrated development planning, results-based reporting, and alignment of local plans with national frameworks. These priorities are core to Zambia's decentralization agenda and the National Development Plan. She highlighted, "The Integrated Planning and Reporting Toolkit is designed to support this objective. It will help us track results across sectors, improve the quality of data, and generate credible reports that inform decision-making and support initiatives such as the Voluntary Local Review, through which Lusaka reports on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063". She urged full engagement, sharing of practical experience, and application of the training across departments to translate policy into impact, and wished participants a successful workshop.

On behalf of the Town Clerk, Eng. Liftery Ndaba, Mr. O"Neill Chiiya, welcomed participants to the IPRT training. Noting its timely role in operationalizing Lusaka's Integrated Development Plan (IDP), he emphasized that while the IDP sets strategic direction, success requires translating plans into coordinated implementation, measurable results, and credible reporting across departments. He described the toolkit as a practical means to strengthen linkages between planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and reporting, harmonize sectoral approaches, improve data consistency, and enhance accountability in line with national priorities.

In her welcome remarks, Ms. Martha Haipinge, Head and Strategic planner at the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Zambia, speaking on behalf of the Resident Coordinator, stated that the workshop comes at a pivotal time, as the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals approaches while progress remains uneven. She emphasized that Africa's Agenda 2063 reinforces the urgency of accelerating transformation in governance, infrastructure, and human development, with cities like Lusaka, at the forefront of these challenges. Ms. Haipinge highlighted that the training goes beyond a technical exercise as it serves as a practical bridge between aspirations and implementation by ensuring that development plans are measurable, adaptable, and impactful - positioning Lusaka as a key driver of sustainable development in Zambia and beyond.

Delivering remarks on behalf of Ms. Eunice Kamwendo, Director of ECA's Subregional Office for Southern Africa, Ms Oyebanke Abejirin, Officer-in-Charge of the Development Planning Section at ECA, commended the Lusaka City Council for its leadership as a pioneer in deploying the IPRT at the municipal level. She noted that Lusaka's experience in integrating new tools to local planning is poised to inspire other cities and countries across the continent. She remarked, "Strengthening development planning capacities is not, in itself, a panacea for achieving the SDGs, Agenda 2063, or national and subnational development priorities. However, well-designed and well-implemented development plans significantly enhance the likelihood of realizing these objectives."

ECA reaffirmed its strong and continued commitment to supporting Zambia in leveraging the IPRT to strengthen planning, implementation, and reporting processes and to accelerate progress toward Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: [email protected]