Presently, 68 per cent of Zambians live below the poverty line. The Government of Zambia has recognised that Social Protection is an important tool for reducing poverty and contributing to economic growth.
A draft Social Protection Strategy has been developed with the goal of ‘contributing to the security of all Zambians by ensuring that incapacitated and low capacity households and people have sufficient income security to meet their basic needs, and protection from the worst impacts of risks and shocks. To provide guidance on, and support to, the process of building this support, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) commissioned a study on ‘Drivers for Change’ for a National Social Protection Scheme in Zambia.
IDS were part of the team commissioned by the DFID Zambia Office in support of the Government of Zambia’s (GRZ) National Development Plan to study ‘Drivers of Change for a National Social Protection Scheme’.
The main purpose of the study was to provide guidance on, and support to, the process of building political commitment to support a National Social Protection Scheme in Zambia. The study was carried out from July to September 2005 by a team of four consultants.