Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda has underscored the critical role of the International Development Association (IDA) in supporting the world’s most vulnerable nations.

Chithyola Banda said this in Washington DC, United States of America in an address at the World Bank’s IDA21 side event where, among others, he shared the platform with Melinda Gates of the Gates Foundation and Andrew Mitchell from the UK Government.

According to Chithyola Banda, the replenishment of IDA21 is essential for sustaining momentum in poverty reduction efforts and ensuring that countries can effectively address pressing socio-economic challenges.

He has since called upon both donor nations and international stakeholders to increase their financial contributions, highlighting the need for collective action in a time of unprecedented global challenges.