The Association of People with Albinism (APAM) says the budgetory allocation to the National Action Plan activities is too little as compared to the current population of people with albinism in the country.

APAM President, Ian Simbota, said the K3.1 billion budget in the current National Action Plan was estimated for a population of 15, 000 persons with albinism but the latest figure by National Statistical Office (NSO) has indicated that the population is at 134, 636.

Simbota said: “The money is not enough because now the figure that we have from NSO is just too high as compared to the initial one that we had during the launch of the initiative and this tells us that the budget allocation is just a small portion of what is needed on the ground.”

Commenting on the matter, spokesperson in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, David Sado, advised APAM to present their concerns through the ministry responsible for disability.

He said the line ministry is the one which engages government on financial matters.

“Let me agree that if indeed the number has increased then there will be need to add the resources but I should also advise APAM to go through their line ministry,” said Sado.

Currently APAM has rolled out some of the activities outlined in the National Action Plan, including leadership trainings for the persons with albinism.

The National Action Plan, which centers on civic education and awareness raising, administration of justice and support of victims of attack, and safety and security of persons with albinism among others, was launched in June 2018 and allocated funds from the 2019/2020 national budget.