Zambia, a landlocked country on the southern central African plateau, lies between 1,000 metres and 1,500 metres above sea level. Nearly half of the country is covered by bush and forest. Less than half of the potential arable land is cultivated, and that which is farmed mostly grows maize. Zambia shares borders with eight countries. While copper mining enabled the country to enjoy a brief period of relative prosperity after independence, declining prices for the ore precipitated economic difficulties that have continued to the present time.

Local Governance

UNCDF's immediate objective through its programme in Zambia is to support the government's efforts to promote development and poverty reduction through improved local democratic governance.

The most recent activity to support this strategy was a programme that was comprised of two projects: the District Development Project (DDP) and the Feeder Roads Project (FRP). The objective of this programme was to improve the living conditions and welfare of the population in rural parts of Eastern Province. In order to realize this broader objective, the DDP aimed to enhance the capacity of the rural District Councils in Eastern Province to: 1) respond to requests for small-scale community projects such as the rehabilitation of school buildings; and 2) construct rural infrastructure for purposes of generating revenue for District Councils.

The strategy of the DDP and FRP emphasizes direct institutional support and the transfer of financial resources to empower local governments and communities to meet their needs for rural services and infrastructure. The project was intended to help define and test different ways for districts to plan, finance, and manage local services with the participation of communities, NGOs, private sector contractors, and other service providers. The long-term objective of the project was to prove, through a model that works, that effective rural development is best achieved through allocating financial and administrative responsibilities for service delivery and infrastructure planning to local governments.

UNCDF also provided support for the establishment of a Decentralization Secretariat, the preparation of a Decentralization Implementation Plan, the enhancement of public and councilors awareness on the policy and the review and an update of related legislation on decentralization.

UNCDF is not supporting any Microfinance initiatives at the moment.