Zambia

Publications

Situation and Priorities

Social protection situation

The social protection sector in Zambia has grown significantly over the past years, on the back of a comprehensive National Social Protection Policy Framework (NSPP - 2014). The Social Cash Transfer, which is one of the flagship Social Protection Programme has seen its coverage increase through expanding the number of beneficiary households as well as transfer value. As at July 2022, the number of beneficiaries rose to 973,323 from 880,539 in August 2021. By the end of the year 2022, the number of beneficiaries was targeted to increase to 1,021,000, with a further targeted increase in 2023, to 1,374,500 beneficiaries.

The Government, with the support of its development cooperating partners, the United Nations, Civil Society Organizations and other NGOs has continued to strengthen efforts in implementing other Social Protection Programmes such as the Keeping Girls Initiative in School which as continued providing education grants for girls in social cash transfer beneficiary households targeting the extreme poor and vulnerable households, to improve their welfare and livelihoods. These measures target individuals, households, and communities to better manage the income risks that leave people vulnerable, increase access to basic services such as health or education and provide income stability. Other programmes have included the Food Security Pack Programme and the Public Welfare Assistance Scheme, as well as disability mainstreaming in Social Protection. Social insurance covers pensions (old-age, invalidity, and survivors) and is provided through the National Pension Scheme

Authority (NAPSA). Employment injury is an employer-liability scheme.

The ILO, through the United Nations Joint Programme on Social Protection, and the IRISH AID projects, has been supporting the Government on various interventions focused on Social Protection Systems Strengthening and enhancing Coordination of Social Protection Programming, through the implementation of the Single Window Service Delivery at decentralized levels (district and sub-district levels) which has been rolled out to 46 districts out of the targeted 118 districts. Other interventions focusing on capacity building of staff from national to sub-national levels through TRANSORM Leadership training on Building Social Protection Floors in Africa.

 

COVID-19 and other crises

The government with support from the cooperating partners, including the European Union came up with the multi-sectoral national response plan to respond to impacts of the COVID – 19 Pandemic. This was in line with the national multisectoral contingency and response plan which was informed by the Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC). Several UN agencies and CSOs supported the government in deploying ECT support to vulnerable households across 22 districts of the country over a six-month period. This temporary support package helped cushion a total of 461,741 vulnerable beneficiaries which were already enrolled in the SCT programme from the sweeping socio-economic impacts of the pandemic on their lives and livelihoods. Depending on the targeted district, beneficiaries either received bi-monthly payments of 800 kwacha per month, tri-monthly payments of 1200 kwacha, or a one-off payment of 2400 kwacha. Such support was complemented by sensitization on WASH practices to contain the threat posed by the pandemic. The response also covered about 13,900 households with persons with disabilities through Emergency Cash Transfers under C-ECT response and a rapid assessment study on the impact of COVID 19 on persons with disabilities was carried out.

The main objectives of the Covid – 19 ECT was to provide emergency cash assistance to vulnerable households to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19 on those households. The ECT response to COVID- 19 was a temporal social protection programme that also target vulnerable populations already covered by the SCT as well as those not on the SCT (those in the informal economy).

The Government has also increased not only coverage of beneficiary households, but also transfer values as well as stabilised regularity of cash transfers and other Social Protection programmes through increased and regular budgetary funding to social protection programme implementation to cushion the vulnerable and extremely poor from the ravaging economic shocks, and other related disaster risk-related shocks such as droughts and floods that worsen the poverty situation in the country.

Government and social partner priorities
  • Establish a comprehensive social protection floors and ladder as an enabler of more equitable economic and social development.
  • Strengthen the inclusion, integration, and convergence of different existing social protection systems.
  • Enhance social protection Systems development and strengthening.
  • Enhance resilience, coordination and integration of Social Protection programme implementation through the Single Window Service delivery initiative for improved stakeholder collaboration, beneficiary targeting and creation of graduation pathways by supporting the scoping and identification of relevant graduation designs.
  • Shock responsive social protection through supporting further development of the system including support to systems in the wider ecosystem that are required to facilitate timely, adequate and comprehensive responses to shocks
  • Strengthen disability mainstreaming into social protection through strengthening the capacities of government staff in planning, budgeting and M&E frameworks; build the capacity of OPDs to be able to advocate for their meaningful inclusion in the design, implementation and monitoring of government programs; strengthen the disability certification programme through a robust and interlinked Disability Management Information System (DMIS) with other MIS.
  • Extend social insurance and social health insurance to the informal economy, including through reforming the pension system into a mandatory system.

ILO Projects and Programmes

Results

Over the first phase of the Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All, the ILO has been supporting the Government of Zambia, including through the UN Joint Programme on Social Protection, to implement the 2014–2018 National Social Protection Policy. This included contributing to the scale-up of the social cash transfer programme to national coverage, more than tripling the household beneficiaries from 173,000 to 632,000.

Funding gaps / Support the ILO

US$ 500,000

Support systems development and strengthening

US$ 400,000

Strengthening coordination of social protection programming for effective Cash

US$ 250,000

Support towards social accountability and rights based social protection

US$ 500,000

Promote linkages between social insurance schemes and other government interventions to facilitate the extension of coverage amongst vulnerable workers in the informal and rural economy

US$ 250,000

Support development of a common administrative framework to facilitate access of vulnerable workers to multiple social protection programmes, reducing transactional costs and barriers to accessing benefits and services

US$ 400,000

Development of a national road map for social health insurance implementation in Zambia, including support for continued social dialogue among government and social partners, revised actuarial assessments and a study of options for additional public financing to support groups exempted from paying contributions to the scheme

Support the ILO

Workspaces

Multimedia

ILO Experts

IMG
Jasmina Papa
Social Protection Specialist
Isaac Bwalya
National Project Coordinator
IMG
Marialaura Ena
Technical Officer
Kelly Kaira
National Project Officer
IMG
Jean-Louis Lambeau
Social Protection Technical Specialist
Taonga Mshanga
Communication and Public Information Assistant
IMG
Felix Mwenge
National Project Coordinator
Muya Katukula Mwiya
National Project Officer
IMG
Nienke Raap
Technical Officer, Social protection Knowledge Management
Malambo Simulyampondo
Admin assistant