Zambia Overview

At independence in 1964, Zambia was the world’s third largest copper producer and potentially one of Africa’s richest countries. Today it is one of the worlds poorest: a colonial legacy, the world copper price collapse in 1975, mismanagement, debt and disease are all to blame. Over 64% of Zambians live on less than 1 US$ a day and 68% subsist below the national poverty line. The health sector is chronically understaffed, 14.3% of the population aged 15-49 is infected with HIV and the country has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world. Copper continues to account for most of Zambia's foreign earnings, as Chinese demand and investment in copper has increased. Prices are volatile: January 2009 copper prices were down two-thirds compared to 12 months previously due to the world economic downturn. Nevertheless, Zambia’s average GDP growth of 6.1% for 2006-08, its relatively well managed economy (with a budget deficit for 2008 at 2.7% of GDP) allows for cautious optimism.  
Zambia is landlocked and sparsely populated by more than 70 ethnic groups. The country hosts tens of thousands of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and many refugees from the Angolan civil war have yet to return home. Politically, Zambia switched from colonial government into an era of one-party rule lasting 27 years. A multi-party system emerged in the early 1990s. The illness and subsequent death of President Mwanawasa on 19 August 2008 shocked the nation. Elections for his successor were narrowly won by his deputy, Rupiah Banda. It is hoped that Banda can follow into the footsteps of his predecessor, who won respect for his anti-corruption drive. 

 
Irish Aid’s programme in Zambia aims to achieve the following results:
• Achieving a more effective approach to education
• Building good governance, enhancing state accountability and citizen participation in national development processes
• Recognising and reaching the poorest and delivering targeted poverty reduction programmes
• Support development at local level and ensure that national policy is informed by local priorities

How does Irish Aid contribute to achieving these results?
Irish Aid’s programme recognises the strong economic progress made in Zambia over the last five years and is designed to reach those sections of the population who remain most vulnerable to poverty, including rural communities, families affected by HIV/AIDS, women, children and others. Support from donors such as Ireland is particularly important to sustain recent progress at this time of reduced Government revenue due to declining copper exports. Irish Aid supports Zambia’s national development plan, and has agreed to a new division of labour amongst donors in order to make all aid to Zambia more effective. Irish Aid concentrates on providing support for education, governance, water, sanitation, HIV and AIDS. Irish Aid has a long standing relationship with the local government authorities in four districts in the Northern Province, which helps to provide insights into the realities and development challenges at local level. In addition, Irish Aid provides support to a range of grassroots organisations that work throughout the country. In order to achieve the results Irish Aid provides its support in the following ways:

Education
Education is the primary focus for Irish Aid’s programme in Zambia. Irish Aid jointly heads the donor group on education and supports Zambia’s national development plan by funding the School Grants Mechanism. The fund aims to improve access to education and increase enrolment by building new schools and expanding existing ones; improve the quality of education through increased teacher training and deployment, development new curricula and educational materials; improve school management, teacher management, teacher motivation and pupil retention and progression; and to provide educational support for girls, orphans and vulnerable children, and children with special needs. Promising results have been achieved in the education sector; between 2000-2006 the number of classrooms increased from 5,300 to 8,000; there was a 60% increase in pupils sitting exams; an 80% increase in pupils progressing from ‘lower’ to ‘upper primary school’; a 37% increase in teachers employed in basic schools and 2.7 million students now have access to education (up from 1.6 million). In 2008, Irish Aid invested considerable time and effort in supporting Zambia’s application for funds under the World Bank-led “Education for All–Fast Track Initiative”. The initiative is a global partnership to help low-income countries meet the first Millennium Development Goal: that all children complete a full cycle of primary education by 2015. Irish Aid also supports a number of community-based organisations that work in the education sector.

Governance
Irish Aid supports Zambia’s efforts to improve the delivery of public services by joint-financing the Decentralisation Implementation Plan, which will put Zambia’s 72 districts in charge of local tax collection and gives the local councils responsibility for providing health, education, and water and sanitation services. Support will be provided to improve the local authorities’ capacity to undertake planning, manage funds, deliver services and monitor results. Irish Aid’s support at the national level will be complemented by direct assistance to four of the 72 local councils. Irish Aid also provides financing support to the Parliamentary Reform Programme, which aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the National Assembly. The programme promotes better engagement between citizens and their representatives, and provides training for parliamentarians to develop skills for independent policy analysis and debate within government.

Irish Aid supports Zambia’s goal of increased media access through financial support to the Media Institute of Southern Africa. The institute provides training and support to 15 independent community radio stations throughout rural areas. It aims to strengthen their quality, sustainability and independence and to provide equipment and training in programme production, promoting the ‘good governance’ message. In addition, Irish Aid will support the governance advocacy efforts of several grassroots organisations, to act as a watch-dog on government spending and to promote citizens’ social and economic rights.

Poverty reduction
Irish Aid assistance helps the Zambian government to better identify, reach and support communities most in need. Gender discrimination, HIV and AIDS and badly functioning governance systems all contribute to poverty. Irish Aid, together with other donors, assists the Government of Zambia to develop and implement a government-led social protection strategy. The strategy will include cash transfers, not unlike social security benefits. Irish Aid’s funding contributes to the provision of technical assistance by an international expert on social protection who advises the social affairs ministry, and a study was funded to research possible means by which cash transfers could be distributed.

Realising that the development of a comprehensive government response to meeting the needs of the vulnerable and chronically poor will take time, Irish Aid will continue to support community driven responses and innovations to addressing HIV and AIDS and vulnerability. Support is provided to a number of grassroots organisations in the Northern Province, Copperbelt and Lusaka who are delivering essential services to the most vulnerable in the absence of a coordinated government response.

HIV and AIDS
Irish Aid assists the Government of Zambia to pursue its goal of halting and reversing the spread of HIV and AIDS. Support for the National AIDS Council through a joint funding arrangement with a number of other donors aims to achieve key objectives: expansion of access to Anti Retroviral Treatment; the implementation of an intensified prevention programme; and an emphasis on reaching the youth.

Making development work at the local level
Irish Aid supports four local councils in Northern Province with technical and financial support to strengthen their capacity to plan for the district’s development, bearing in mind the increased responsibilities these authorities will have to take on when Zambia’s decentralisation is completed. Emphasis is on the participation of poor women and men in the planning process and on incorporating gender, governance and HIV and AIDS issues into the plans in a practical way. Some funding will also be earmarked for implementation of priority activities within the District Development Plans, e.g. small infrastructure needs.

Water and Sanitation
Irish Aid has a long history of supporting the delivery of water and sanitation services in the Northern Province. This support allows Irish Aid to gain an understanding of local challenges faced by national programmes and government reforms in the water sector, which in turn allows Irish Aid to assists the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to develop the National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme. The Irish Aid funds are used to develop the systems, structures and legislative framework to roll-out a national programme for the equitable provision of adequate, safe and cost-effective water and sanitation services. It is planned that by 2010, funding at the local level will be subsumed into the nationwide water and sanitation programme.