Following the G8 Summit in Deauville in France, we hear the promise of more transparency by these Governments with their aid. This will involve the quality and outcomes of their aid. There will apparently now be a two-pronged approach: the quantitative reporting of disbursements and also a qualitative approach based on effectiveness, the measurement of results and best practices.
While this is encouraging, Oxfam have accused the G8 of manipulating figures to cover up shortfalls and ignoring inflation. To improve matters it is suggested Governments sign and implement the International Aid Transparency Initiative which provides a common standard for defining and disclosing aid information. This would make it easier to compare aid budgets and projects.
Transparency is vital to ensure that aid reaches where it is supposed to go. It is useful for taxpayers, NGOs and donors to be more efficient and could help expose corruption. It would help ordinary people to track the money – from the donor down to the jotters delivered to the school, or the vaccines to the rural health post. It will also make it difficult for donors not to give what they have promised in the fight against poverty and injustice. In Zambia it would be good to know how much aid the government is receiving, and how it is disbursed. Aid information needs to be comprehensive, comparable, current and accessible.
This week we learned the Zambian government has just received funding of about US $300 million from the Global Fund after the government returned part of the money and promised to pay back the rest of over K9.1 billion that was mismanaged by recipients. These funds were meant for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB.
The re-imbursement of misappropriated funds has been justified by saying Zambia would not have received this new funding had the refund not been not done.But the refund of the misappropriated K9.1 billion to the Global Fund has not come from those who had originally misappropriated the money but from front-line cuts to the Health Budget.
Recent statistics showed that the formal employment sector in Zambia employs only about 10% of the available workforce. With so few formal jobs, small informal businesses such as tailoring, hairdressing or a small grocery stand or tuck-shop known locally as a ‘Kantemba' are run by many families here. Other outlets in Mwandi provide firewood, furniture, vegetables and fishing-nets. Profits from this kind of trade are often small and offer little opportunity to expand the business.
Zambian banks take little interest, though they earn great interest, in lending. The present annual Interest Rate is around 50%. Our nearest bank is in Sesheke over 70km away. The required minimum opening balances range between $150 and $300 depending on the type of account. This is far beyond the reach of most Zambians. Even monthy servicing fees are more than $10. A retired Headmaster we know is charged a K20 000 ‘service fee’ each time he withdraws his monthly pension of K90 000!
With most of the people living on less than a dollar a day, these minimum balances are designed to prevent most people from having access to basic banking services.
More people are instead turning to microfinance institutions (MFIs) which are increasingly becoming more accessible. Two groups, have with American church help, started this month at Mwandi. Unfortunately most people here have still have little choice but to turn to loan sharks.
There are only 25 MFIs registered in Zambia, and the total number of borrowers it is reckoned at less than 100,000. How to make banking services and reasonable credit facilities available and affordable to a majority of Zambians is a problem, but necessary to solve if the economy is to continue to grow and the country develop.
After all this talk of Mammon perhaps a little related linguistic levity is in order, especially for Scottish readers in particular - threats of banker super-injunctions forby. We sometimes get our messages in Katima Mulilo in Namibia which is just across the Zambezi from Sesheke. The two main Banks there rejoice in the names, believe it or not, of ‘FNB’ (Apologies to Matt McGinn!) This officially stands for First National Bank. I leave any locally suggested alternatives to your imagination. The other is called Nedbank! We wonder if this name is a reflection of the corporate leadership or of the clientele
And finally the Chinyanja for ‘No’ – the main language in Eastern Province, is 'Awe' pronounced: Away.
As in away ye go!
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Sharing the Burden
25 May is a continent-wide public holiday, Africa Freedom Day. It was chosen by the African Union then (the OAU) as a celebration of the African people’s determination to free themselves from colonialism and foreign exploitation.
Yesterday afternoon we set out for Sesheke. That is the District HQ which is about 70km upstream on the border with Namibia. As usual we were killing two birds with one stone but more about stones later
Our first concern was the father of the little baby girl, Liseli, whose mother had died in childbirth. He had phoned us to let us know she needed more milk formula. We agreed to meet him at the Social Welfare Office for the hand-over. We arrived to the family waiting for us. Liseli, is now no longer sickly, but a healthy, active little two month old baby. After giving the milk Liseli’s asked if we could drop his son at Simungoma as he was being sent to the wife’s family farm to bring back food that they needed. God’s provision in all this was evident as we had been sent a gift for him which had arrived this week.
We also caught up with the District Social Welfare Officer. He would arrange the payment for some bags of maize purchased for Kandiana next week. The heavily-pregnant woman being held in prison had been released by the Magistrate and was back at home in Masese. This is near the Health Centre that we are working with an Irish Jesuit organisation to rehabilitate. We were able to report that Mubita’s mother too, is responding well to the monthly visits and treatment at the Psychiatric Wing at Livingstone Hospital. Ida reported too on the most recent baby to be put on formula as the mother has become psychotic and was refusing to feed the baby.
After some organisational teething troubles on the ground, work on the UCZ Sikuzu Community School has finally commenced. The Steering Committee is now in place and assuming its role to ensure effective and efficient use of resources, human and material in the construction process. Our suppliers had difficulties with a bearing on their truck and were reluctant to deliver to such a ‘remote place’! After much negotiation and assurances that they would not get stuck in sand, they came to Mwandi earlier in the month to pick up the 200 pockets of cement they were to deliver to Sikuzu earlier but could not because of the truck difficulties. There were steel bars and conforce to move as well that we were storing for them.
The first tranche of funding came through the IPC in March and all the cement and materials were bought then and have now been delivered to Sikuzu. There will need to be another three deliveries to bring all the cement that has been ordered. The 704 pockets are enough for the slab and superstructure to ringbeam level. The other 286 bags will be ordered later for the floor screed and plastering.
As you can see from the photo, brick-moulding is progressing apace and work has now begun on foundation footing. 60 tonnes of stones are required for the concrete for the foundations, the slab and ringbeam and our nearest quarry is on the farside of of Sesheke. Hence our trip yesterday. The stones by themselves cost K8 142 000 ($1800 or GBP1200) but the six trips to deliver them will cost much the same K8 051 400!
This morning we have just had a rather distressing visit from a teaching colleague. His nephew, one of our Grade 8 boys, went fishing on the river the day before yesterday in the afternoon to check the nets set earlier. The mukolo (dug-out canoe) he was in, was smashed by a hippo and he fell into the water. All that has been recovered is his jacket. The Uncle was asking if the Mission boat could be used to look for the body....
Yesterday afternoon we set out for Sesheke. That is the District HQ which is about 70km upstream on the border with Namibia. As usual we were killing two birds with one stone but more about stones later
Our first concern was the father of the little baby girl, Liseli, whose mother had died in childbirth. He had phoned us to let us know she needed more milk formula. We agreed to meet him at the Social Welfare Office for the hand-over. We arrived to the family waiting for us. Liseli, is now no longer sickly, but a healthy, active little two month old baby. After giving the milk Liseli’s asked if we could drop his son at Simungoma as he was being sent to the wife’s family farm to bring back food that they needed. God’s provision in all this was evident as we had been sent a gift for him which had arrived this week.
We also caught up with the District Social Welfare Officer. He would arrange the payment for some bags of maize purchased for Kandiana next week. The heavily-pregnant woman being held in prison had been released by the Magistrate and was back at home in Masese. This is near the Health Centre that we are working with an Irish Jesuit organisation to rehabilitate. We were able to report that Mubita’s mother too, is responding well to the monthly visits and treatment at the Psychiatric Wing at Livingstone Hospital. Ida reported too on the most recent baby to be put on formula as the mother has become psychotic and was refusing to feed the baby.
After some organisational teething troubles on the ground, work on the UCZ Sikuzu Community School has finally commenced. The Steering Committee is now in place and assuming its role to ensure effective and efficient use of resources, human and material in the construction process. Our suppliers had difficulties with a bearing on their truck and were reluctant to deliver to such a ‘remote place’! After much negotiation and assurances that they would not get stuck in sand, they came to Mwandi earlier in the month to pick up the 200 pockets of cement they were to deliver to Sikuzu earlier but could not because of the truck difficulties. There were steel bars and conforce to move as well that we were storing for them.
The first tranche of funding came through the IPC in March and all the cement and materials were bought then and have now been delivered to Sikuzu. There will need to be another three deliveries to bring all the cement that has been ordered. The 704 pockets are enough for the slab and superstructure to ringbeam level. The other 286 bags will be ordered later for the floor screed and plastering.
This morning we have just had a rather distressing visit from a teaching colleague. His nephew, one of our Grade 8 boys, went fishing on the river the day before yesterday in the afternoon to check the nets set earlier. The mukolo (dug-out canoe) he was in, was smashed by a hippo and he fell into the water. All that has been recovered is his jacket. The Uncle was asking if the Mission boat could be used to look for the body....
Friday, 6 May 2011
Figuring things out
A belated Happy Easter. It is often very difficult in Zambia to get official statistics and so very often estimates are the only things you have to go on so it is good now and again to get some official and approved figures.
According to the Times of Zambia the population of Zambia has increased from 9,885,771 in 2000 to 13,046,508 according to the 2010 Census. 61 per cent (7,978,274) live in rural areas while 39 per cent (5,068,234) live in urban areas. 6,394,455, representing 49 per cent of the total population, were male while 6,652,053 (51 per cent) were female.
Lusaka Province had the largest population with 2,198,996 people, followed by the Copperbelt with 1,958,623, Northern Province with 1,759,600, Eastern Province at 1,707,731 and Southern Province which had 1,606,793 people. The region with the least population was North-Western Province with 706,462 while Western Province had 881,524 and Luapula Province at 958,976 people.
The census results showed that there were 6,069,753 eligible voters - people aged 18 years and above - representing 47 per cent of the total Zambian population.
Zambia now has 2,635,590 households of which 1,607,267 are rural areas while 1,028,323 are in urban centres. According to the Ministry of Finance, 700000 people are in formal employment. The labour force numbers around three million giving an unemployment rate of 77%
The Central Statistic Office states that 67% of the nation lives below the poverty datum line with 46% living in abject poverty.
It is not only in Britain that there has been a recent interest in elections. Although the Zambian elections due to be held later in the coming year and have not yet been called, campaigning by the ruling party and opposition carries on apace.
We had a Presidential election in 2008 following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa. Rupiah Banda (MMD) was elected on 40.09% Michael Sata (PF) gained 38.13% and Hachilema Haakainde (UPND) 19.4% and Godfrey Miyanda (Heritage) 0.8%. The presidential elections are FPTP as well though it has been suggested in the new constitution that the French system of 50%+1 should be adopted.
A bone of contention is that the Government has threatened to arrest anyone undertaking 'parallel voting tabulation' (PVT) as it is considered illegal. According to the Government only the Electoral Commission of Zambia may publish election results. However PVT can be a useful monitoring tool for ensuring free and fair elections, so this is likely to be challenged in the courts.
According to the Times of Zambia the population of Zambia has increased from 9,885,771 in 2000 to 13,046,508 according to the 2010 Census. 61 per cent (7,978,274) live in rural areas while 39 per cent (5,068,234) live in urban areas. 6,394,455, representing 49 per cent of the total population, were male while 6,652,053 (51 per cent) were female.
Lusaka Province had the largest population with 2,198,996 people, followed by the Copperbelt with 1,958,623, Northern Province with 1,759,600, Eastern Province at 1,707,731 and Southern Province which had 1,606,793 people. The region with the least population was North-Western Province with 706,462 while Western Province had 881,524 and Luapula Province at 958,976 people.
The census results showed that there were 6,069,753 eligible voters - people aged 18 years and above - representing 47 per cent of the total Zambian population.
Zambia now has 2,635,590 households of which 1,607,267 are rural areas while 1,028,323 are in urban centres. According to the Ministry of Finance, 700000 people are in formal employment. The labour force numbers around three million giving an unemployment rate of 77%
The Central Statistic Office states that 67% of the nation lives below the poverty datum line with 46% living in abject poverty.
It is not only in Britain that there has been a recent interest in elections. Although the Zambian elections due to be held later in the coming year and have not yet been called, campaigning by the ruling party and opposition carries on apace.
We had a Presidential election in 2008 following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa. Rupiah Banda (MMD) was elected on 40.09% Michael Sata (PF) gained 38.13% and Hachilema Haakainde (UPND) 19.4% and Godfrey Miyanda (Heritage) 0.8%. The presidential elections are FPTP as well though it has been suggested in the new constitution that the French system of 50%+1 should be adopted.
A bone of contention is that the Government has threatened to arrest anyone undertaking 'parallel voting tabulation' (PVT) as it is considered illegal. According to the Government only the Electoral Commission of Zambia may publish election results. However PVT can be a useful monitoring tool for ensuring free and fair elections, so this is likely to be challenged in the courts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)