Zambia

Zambia is decentralizing its administration for the past few years. While this is a political process, the success depends largely on noticeable improvements for the population – through the construction of roads, hospitals and clinics, schools, markets and bus stations.

KfW Development Bank plays an important role in enabling the municipalities to realize such projects independently. District administrations and elected representatives are enabled and supported with the necessary know-how to plan investment projects, to tender the contracts and to review their progress. Thus various goals are pursued at the same time: an all-weather road for example ensures that children are able to get to school safely, farmers can take their products to the market, and sick people are able to reach the next health unit.

Synergies for all decentralization projects are generated by the rehabilitation and extension of the oldest college for administration in Sub-Sahara Africa. The administrative personal educated here will be responsible for the decentralisation process at local level on day.

The decentralization process has also progressed politically: the districts have received more independence for administrative and financial decision-making through the creation of autonomous self-administrative units, while tax reforms should grant the municipalities a larger share of capital and property tax in the future.

Even though water is an abundant resource in Zambia, some 33% of the population has no access to clean drinking water. Regarding sanitation, only half of the population has access to sanitary facilities. Water-borne diseases such as gastrointestinal infections and cholera are spreading and impact on the development of kids and on many families to earn an income. Since the year 2000 the situation has improved after the installation on an independent regulator. The regulator supports the municipal water companies, who´s management is from the private sector, to become more efficient and service oriented.

German development cooperation supported the establishment of the municipal water companies that operate as commercial public utilities at regional level. The aim is to establish economically viable and professionally managed enterprises where social components receive special emphasis. This means that the poorest of the poor will have access to a minimum of 20 litres of potable water per day at affordable prices. In this context, German development cooperation is in the lead in the water sector, acknowledged by all development partners.

Project example - Water Supply and Sanitation Programme(PDF, 111 KB, non-accessible)