ZAMBIA IS THE BEST PERFORMING COUNTRY WITH DIGITAL PAYMENT OF SOCIAL CASH TRANSFER IN THE REGION – Ministry of Community Development and Social Services

April 22 2024
Naomy Tshindaye

Zambia is the best-performing country in the region in terms of digital payments of Social Cash Transfer (SCT), the World Bank has disclosed.

The government, through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, rolled out digital payments, enabling beneficiaries to receive money through various mobile money service platforms and other financial institutions.

This transition from a physical to a digital payment system has enhanced the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of social protection service delivery.

World Bank Task Team Leader for the Girls Education Women Empowerment and Livelihoods (GEWEL) Project, Nadia Selim observes that the country has done impressively well with the digital scale-up of Social Cash Transfer payments which has expedited the implementation progress.

She said this during a courtesy call on the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Permanent Secretary, Ms Angela Kawandami, which followed after the wrap up of the technical implementation support mission/ mid term review of the Scaling Up Shock Responsive Social Protection (SSRSP) Project.

Under the GEWEL project, the World Bank is impressed with the Implementation of the Supporting Women’s Livelihoods (SWL), and Keeping Girls in School (KGS), with an assurance of continued support for effective implementation

And the World Bank is impressed that the Supporting Women’s Livelihoods (SWL) programme has performed above target and is receiving donor recognition and interest to enhance support.

Ms Selim further said that Zambia should be proud of making so much progress in the implementation of various social protection programmes as well as in addressing some implementation challenges.

And Ms. Kawandami disclosed that 139, 351 women have so far received support for improved livelihoods under the Supporting Women’s Livelihoods project (SWL) compared to the project target of 129,400 since the inception of the project in 2016, which she said is a huge implementation millstone.

She commended the World Bank for the continued financial and technical support to the Ministry especially at a time like this when the nation is going through a drought situation.