By MICHAEL MIYOBA
ZAMBIA ranks among the countries with the highest levels of poverty and inequality globally according to the World Bank.
More than 58 percent (2015) of the country’s 18 million people earn less than the international poverty line of $1.90 per day (compared to 41 percent across Sub-Saharan Africa) and three quarters of the poor live in rural areas.
Because of such statistics, the Zambian government introduced the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme in 2003 to help reduce extreme poverty rates in the country.
Implemented by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfre, the SCT programme is one of the many efforts being implemented by the government to reduce poverty, said Ministry of Community Development and Social Services acting director for policy, planning and information Marian Tembo.
Speaking during a Media training workshop on social protection reporting, Ms Tembo noted that Government has strengthened its social protection response with support from its cooperating partners to tackle high levels of poverty and vulnerabilities in the country.
“Social protection in the contemporary world, is a proven tool that helps to streamline interventions and operations of the state and non-state actors in alleviating poverty and vulnerability among the people.
“Therefore, the need for social protection in Zambia cannot be doubted as we have high levels of extreme poverty and vulnerability especially with the advent of the corona virus pandemic which has worsened the situation,” Ms Tembo said.
She reaffirmed Government’s commitment to ensuring that the poor and vulnerable are provided with meaningful and consistent interventions which are targeted at reaching the priority groups such as women, the elderly and persons with disabilities through programmes such as the SCT..
The SCT programme has helped many Zambians living in extreme poverty to afford meals, explained the Chisamba District Commissioner, Mr Godfrey Kangwa.
Mr. Kangwa said over 3, 700 individuals have benefitted from the programme aimed at helping the vulnerable to fight poverty in Chisamba.
“The Social Cash Transfer programme has helped the vulnerable in our communities to address the challenges of poverty. Those who are not able to afford a meal are able to have meals which is very encouraging,” Mr. Kangwa said.
“We also had the emergence social cash transfer funds which were given to the vulnerable to help them survive and help them address the challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
And, 75-year-old Lefat Nyangula, who is a beneficiary of the SCT project in Chisamba hailed the government for its efforts to curb extreme poverty in the country.
Mr. Ngangula, who is blind with a wife and two dependants said the funds from the SCT helps him and his wife to invest in farming for their survival.
Meanwhile, Ms Rhona Monga, a beneficiary who has used the money from the SCT to set up businesses has encouraged the government to continue with the programmes as they are very beneficial.
Ms. Monga, a widow looking after 15 dependants said the help from Government has enabled her to invest in small businesses which make it possible for her to take her grand children to school.
Ms. Monga said she has managed to use the funds to renovate her house to be able to accommodate all the dependants.
But because the programme only reduces extreme poverty by just 1.55 percent, there has been calls to increase funding and raise the number of people benefiting from the projects.
Mr Kangwa noted the need for Government to increase the funding on social protection programmes to fight extreme poverty.
Mr Kangwa observed that despite the government implementing programmes such as the Social Cash Transfer, there is more that needs to be done to protect the vulnerable from extreme poverty.
And Mr Ngangula also called on Government to increase the funding, noting that the current amount they receive is too little to sustain their lives.
Meanwhile, Community Welfare Assistant Committee chairperson for Chisamba, Ms Ainess Sakala pleaded with Government to hear the cries of the beneficiaries who she noted have continued to struggle despite receiving amounts between K150 to K300 every month.
Ms. Sakala noted that things have become expensive making it difficult for the beneficiaries to manage the little resource with inflation remaining in double digits throughout 2020 – averaging 15.7 percent – and reached a high of 22.2 percent in February 2021.
Surely, despite relaxation of the lockdown measures in second half and a global pick-up of copper prices helping the economic activity to recover, there is need for government to engage more funders for the social cash project which has helped to improve the lives of people living in extreme poverty.
After the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic pushed into contraction an economy that was already weakened by recent persistent droughts, falling copper prices and unsustainable fiscal policies, the economy which is estimated to have contracted by 1.2 percent in 2020 – the first recession for Zambia since 1998 is expected to recover gradually with GDP growth projected at 1.8 percent in 2021 and will average 2.8 percent over 2021-23.
This should be a relief to the Zambian government which will have to increase funding on social protection programmes to end extreme poverty in the country.
For this to be achieved, there is also need for close collaborations and networking among government departments, civil societies, the private sector and cooperating partners, because the provision of social protection is an enormous task that requires concerted efforts from all stake holders.
Resource mobilisation is also key for the effective implementation of the Social Protection Policy which is dependent on adequate and predictable financing noted the ministry.
Despite the Government having increased and strengthened its Social Protection response to tackle high levels of poverty and vulnerability in the country with support from international organisations such as the International Labour Organization, (ILO) there is more that needs to be done to end extreme poverty.
Increased funding towards social protect programmes cannot be over emphasised because it is only through increased funding that the National Social Protection Policy will be able to cover almost everyone affected by extreme poverty for the figures to increase from the current 1.55 percent of people living in extreme poverty who are being helped by the government.
