ZAMBIA PRSP:

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ZAMBIA PRSP User-Producer Workshop
By Buleti Nsemukila, Ph.D
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Background PRSP Process in Zambia

• Zambia is one of the poor countries currently
  working on the PRSP under the HIPC initiative
• PRSP Secretariat operates under the Ministry of
  Finance and Economic Development

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• PRSP in Zambia has identified three (3) themes
• Economic
• Social
• Crosscutting

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• Economic theme
• the main thrust is to have rapid and
• sustainable growth through creation of wealth
  and to be driven by the revitalization of
  agriculture and mining sectors
• Social theme
• to have a healthy and enlightened society
  contributing positively to economic growth
  includes elements of education and health
  interventions

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• Crosscutting
• include HIV/AIDS, environment, gender and
  governance concerns for all issues.

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• Stages in the Zambian PRSP
• Consultations
• Formation of sector working groups
• Preparation of sector papers

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• Working Groups
• Macroeconomic
• Agriculture
• Tourism
• Mining
• Industry/Manufacturing
• Health
• Education

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• Current Status
• Final draft produced after grass root
  consultations.
• Final Document to be presented to major
  stakeholders in October 2001.

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Overview of Zambias Statistical System

• An Act of Parliament (Cap 425) of the Laws of
  Zambia of 1964 guides the Zambian Statistical
  System.
• Under the Act, the Director of CSO is required to
  carry out all censuses and surveys and to
  organize a coordinated scheme of social and
  economic statistics relating to Zambia.
• CSO is a government department under Ministry of
  Finance and Economic Development.

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• Current statistical system comprise
• Central Statistics Office
• Statistical units in sector ministries
• University research institutes
• Bank of Zambia
• Statistical units in private sector and NGOs

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• Major Sources of Data
• Census
• Household surveys
• Administrative records
• Qualitative data derived from participatory
  techniques

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User-Producer Workshop

• Organised by the CSO and the PRSP secretariat.
• Financially and logistically supported by the
  European Union and GTZ.
• Participation (more than 70) from
• Government institutions
• Research community
• Civil society and NGOs
• International organization

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• Major Objectives of Workshop
• Provide highlights on the types of data inputs
  required for the implementation of the PRSP
• Bring together users and producers of poverty
  data so as to ensure relevance, timeliness and
  accuracy of produced data
• Institutionalise the dialogue between users and
  producers of data

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• Workshop as a strategy
• Used as strategy to establish a permanent and
  on-going dialogue between users and producers of
  information towards the improvement of the
  poverty monitoring system in Zambia.
• Expected Outputs
• relevant recommendations,
• general framework of required data,
• setting priorities and
• itemizing the programme activities
• that would achieve the establishment of a good
  system of poverty statistics in Zambia.

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Lessons Learnt

• The need to market existing data at the CSO
• - dialogue between users and producers
  through User-Producer Committee
• The need for a significant improvement in
  analytical skills
• - training in data-handling (more than 60
  participants trained)
• The need was recognized for the CSO to improve
  its methods and means of dissemination
• - Data available on CD- rom to improve access
  to data.

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• The need was identified to develop and strengthen
  administrative record keeping through management
  information system,
• The need to establish coordination mechanism in
  the Zambian statistical system
• - establishment of National Statistical Council
• - establishment of National User-Producer
  Committee
• - preparation of draft legal framework to be
  submitted for legislation
• - preparation of a proposal for the review of
  Zambias statistical system.

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• The need to strengthen existing poverty data
  sources, institutional building and
  dissemination
• The need for awareness activities on poverty
  through organizing a national forum on poverty
  issues
• - Stakeholder Summit in October
• - Annual Poverty Conference

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Conclusion

• Even though a statistical system has existed in
  Zambia since 1964, the PRSP process has enabled
  stakeholders rethink over the need to strengthen
  the system to accommodate new demands and
  challenges. This is true for the need to improve
  coordination of poverty monitoring and analysis.
• The user-producer workshop provided an
  opportunity to strengthen the draft poverty
  monitoring and evaluation chapter of the Zambian
  PRSP.

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