On 30th September 2022, the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, unveiled the 2023 National Budget under the theme “Stimulating Economic Growth for improved livelihoods”. This was the first budget after Zambia’s attainment of an IMF Extended Credit Facility, which was announced in September 2022. This facility is critical to help resolve the debt crisis through debt restructuring to facilitate economic growth that will translate into improved livelihoods for citizens. This budget announcement also came shortly after the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP), the country’s blueprint for national development for the period 2022-2026. The importance of aligning the national development plans and budgets is critical to resource allocation. The 2023 National Budget seeks to provide supportive funding for the operationalisation of socio-economic transformation by implementing measures to stimulate economic growth. Furthermore, the budget provides the policy framework, resources and incentives to drive growth, unlock local and foreign investments, promote value addition, create jobs and enhance trade through various proposed tax and non-tax measures. Therefore, this analysis seeks to assess the pronouncements made in the budget against critical economic and social sectors and their responsiveness towards the aspirations of the 8NDP