Policy paper

[Withdrawn]: Zambia

Published 2 September 2020

This policy paper was withdrawn on 12 September 2023

This profile is no longer current. It has been replaced by the UK–Zambia development partnership summary.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) leads the UK’s global efforts to end extreme poverty, deliver the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) and tackle a wide range of global development challenges. The UK’s focus and international leadership on economic development is a vital part of Global Britain - harnessing the potential of new trade relationships, creating jobs and channelling investment to the world’s poorest countries. Throughout history, sustained, job-creating growth has played the greatest role in lifting huge numbers of people out of grinding poverty. This is what developing countries want and is what the international system needs to help deliver. Whilst there is an urgent need for traditional aid in many parts of the world, ultimately economic development is how we will achieve the Global Goals and help countries move beyond the need for aid.

Planned budget for 2018/19 - £42m

Planned budget for 2019/20 - £42m

Sector breakdown of 2018/19 bilateral plans

Top 3 planned spending programmes in 2018/19 (as at 9 May 2018)

• Zambia Health Systems Strengthening Programme £12.2m
• Zambia Social Protection Expansion Programme Phase II £9.1m
• Zambia Accountability Programme £6.6m

Contribution to the Global Goals and other government commitments (achieved as at March 2018)^{[footnote 1]}.

• 56 thousand children supported to gain a decent education
• 1.5 million people with sustainable access to clean water and/or sanitation
• 922 thousand children under 5, women and adolescent girls reached through nutrition related interventions
• 482 thousand additional women and girls using modern methods of family planning

Headline deliverables 

• Economic development: UK support has created 6,000 jobs and will create a further 20,000 by 2020. We will help grow the value of small businesses by £23 million and make Zambia more attractive for investment and trade
• Basic services: The UK will help improve the nutrition of over 1.4 million women, babies and children, giving almost half a million more women choice about the size of their family and providing 1.7 million people with access to better sanitation
• Building stability and institutions: Our diplomatic and development expertise and influence contributes to regional stability by helping Zambians hold their government to account and ensuring it increasingly provides for its people and needs less external aid

Why is the UK investing in Zambia

Zambia has historically been one of the most stable countries in Africa, but its economy and democracy are fragile. Inequality is high with over 60% of Zambians (8 million people) living in extreme poverty. Almost half of women and girls experience violence in their lives and 1,000 people join the labour market every day with few formal job opportunities.

How will the UK respond to opportunities and challenges

The UK helps Zambia overcome the challenges of inequality and address threats to stability. This is achieved by: creating jobs; improving economic management which attracts investment; helping government increase its tax revenues and so reduce its reliance on the UK and others who provide aid; reducing extreme poverty through investment in better health, education, sanitation and nutrition services; and reducing violence against women and girls and providing support to the survivors of violence.

What is being achieved for the UK

Building on close and long standing historical ties, UK assistance to Zambia helps ensure stability and prosperity, supporting security in the region and reducing the incentive for migration to other countries, including the UK. Our effort to make Zambia’s economy more competitive creates opportunities for UK investors across mining, energy, infrastructure and agriculture. Our work on agricultural production and exports is improving regional food security and reducing the need for internationally supported humanitarian responses. We are working with UK institutions to improve Zambia’s health systems. This allows rapid detection and response to disease outbreaks, protecting both Zambian and UK citizens from these diseases at origin.

Partners

• FCDO works together with other UK government departments to achieve objectives in Zambia – Department for International Trade, and Department of Health
• FCDO works closely with the government of Zambia as well as with other donors, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, civil society and other partners
• We work with multilateral agencies such as the United Nations, the World Bank and African Development Bank to coordinate strategy, policy dialogue and programme implementation in Zambia
• We maximise value for money in delivery by ensuring rigorous systems and processes are in place for aid to reach intended beneficiaries and to achieve expected results

1. Results less than 1 million are rounded to the nearest thousand. Results over 1 million are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand ↩