Swedish Ambassador to Zambia Henrik Cederin it would be good to see some action on the Auditor General’s report.

And Ambassador Cederin says it is very difficult for journalists to do their jobs effectively in Zambia because the environment is not favourable.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Cederin says Zambia should invest in renewable energy instead of nuclear energy which is very expensive.

Speaking when he featured on a Diamond TV programme dubbed “Night Live” last night, Ambassador Cederin commended the Auditor General’s office for its consistency in compiling annual reports.

“The report that was compiled by the Auditor General is a very important document and we are happy to say that we are one of the supporters of that office with developmental assistance. The work of the Auditor General is very important just like that of the Anti-Corruption Commission and it’s really good to see that these institutions act independently and would also want to see that action is being taken upon the findings of the Auditor General,” Ambassador Cederin said.

“Really, the whole issue of governance is of key importance. Having strong enough independence than ever to act on the findings that are gathered is a sign of a system that is working well. We would like to see government following up on the issues raised in that report and act accordingly. Otherwise what the Auditor General’s office does is commendable and we are specifically interested in that report because we are one of the supporters of that office.”

And Ambassador Cederin observed that the media in Zambia was facing a lot of challenges which hindered effective operation.

He said journalists could not bring out the real situation of the economy because of the challenges which they faced.

“There are challenges for the media here in this country, media coverage is very important for Zambia to develop but journalists unfortunately face a number of challenges. Business journalism for instance is one such area where we don’t see really economic reporting. I think that economic reporting is critical and we all need to understand what are the challenges that the country is facing, we don’t want these glossy articles about how good things are, we need to have journalists out there to take interest in these things and make us understand what’s going on in the country but again the environment is not so favourable for journalists to work that way. And then when it comes to human rights and so on, we need to hear critical independent voices with independent views and that’s how a country can develop,” Ambassador Cederin said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Cederin advised government to venture into renewable energy production instead of nuclear energy which was expensive.

“The nuclear energy sector that the Zambian government is considering to venture in is a very complicated sector. It is a very advanced sector and it demands substantial investment, it demands huge amounts of money if you want to get going on nuclear. So I would personally urge Zambia to look into renewable energy because it is more realistic and that’s really the future when it comes to energy production globally and here we have got such an abundance of water and solar. So to me it seems obvious that renewable would be the future sector and Zambia should seriously consider that sector as opposed to nuclear,” said Ambassador Cederine.