Poverty is the most profound challenge that Zambia faces today. It is a social crisis with the
majority of people denied a minimum decent living standard. The monthly Food Basket Survey
shows that it is becoming more and more difficult for the majority to meet basic needs, because
food costs have been rising while wages remain static and too far below the food cost. The
gravity of the situation is such that more and more lives are being lost due to hunger, sickness
and disease including HIV/AIDS. Poverty is pain, it is like a disease. It attacks a person not only
materially but also morally. It eats away one's dignity and drives one in total despair. There is no
single definition for poverty. It is generally agreed, though, that poverty is a phenomenon of
many dimensions. Poverty is the negation of development; and since development is a multi-
dimensional phenomenon, poverty is multi-dimensional as well. Therefore, this academic piece
of writing will highlight more on the effects of poverty in Zambia and the ways to overcome
them.
Bank (2004) stipulated that, the effect of poverty in Zambia is the result of decades of economic
decline and neglected infrastructure. The northwestern province of Zambia hosts the poorest
people and is the least developed in the country. Distribution of wealth is unequal with few rich
and middle-income people, and the maximum proportion of the people in Zambia is poor.
Poverty in Zambia has drastically affected the health of Zambians, especially children. One in
five children is an orphan. Growth stunting in children is 40 percent. Fifty-three percent of the
children under the age of five suffer from anemia and 50 percent of the children are underweight.
Food insecurity is prevalent and affects 350,000 people. Forty percent of the population lacks
access to clean drinking water (CSO, 2012).
However, poverty in Zambia is rooted in historical, geographical and social factors.
Geographically, Zambia is isolated, which denies it access to services and markets. Technical
knowledge is limited and the country is suffering from a transition from state led to the market
economy. Agriculture has been neglected by the government. With the liberalization of the
economy in 1990, agriculture has stopped receiving assistance from the government. Trade has
declined and droughts have impacted agriculture which has worsened the conditions for farmers.
The attitude of people is a major contributor to poverty in Zambia (CSO, 2012). Most people
believe that they would be unable to carry out development programs and afford high standards
of living. The UNIP government of Zambia based its policies on empowering the people with a
, high focus on the copper industry. However, the collapse of the copper industry in the 1970s
made this non-sustainable. Presently, the government is working on macroeconomic stability and
growth, yet no meaningful growth has been witnessed and the income inequality is still in place.
Another major cause of poverty in Zambia is the government corruption and lack of monitoring
of the public resources. The government budget has not prioritized poverty, which was shown in
the national budget by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. Poverty in Zambia has
been exacerbated by the external debt. The country is paying over $150 million per year to clear
the external debt due to which the education and health services are not receiving enough
financing. Zambia is experiencing brain drain syndrome. Highly skilled personnel like teachers,
scientists, administrators, doctors and nurses are migrating to different parts of the World (Bank,
2004).
Therefore, diseases have taken a toll as well and are worsening the poverty level. Zambia suffers
from an HIV/AIDS pandemic. This has caused major undercuts on the development initiatives
and contributed to the poverty in Zambia. Disease has further worsened the poverty situation
Zambia. Cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, covid-19 and HIV/AIDS are some of the major prevalent
diseases. For a long time malaria has been the top killer disease. But the nation faces a bigger
challenge of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Zambia ranks as one of the worst affected countries in
sub-Saharan Africa. Over 20% of the population are believed to be infected and a good
proportion of the population has been affected in one way or another. The dangers of HIV/AIDS
are best summed up by Prof. Kelly (1995) as follows, "the HIV/AIDS pandemic is undercutting
every development initiative in the country and reversing years of hard-won gains” (Bruno,
Squire, and Ravallion, 1995).
Nevertheless, illiteracy is widespread and is a huge hindrance for economic growth. Education
has not been made a priority by the government and majority of the Zambians cannot read and
write. Literacy is needed to create confidence in the people, which can then incorporate a drive to
overcome poverty. Although Zambia has poverty reduction programs and there are donors who
are helping, the country needs to take practical steps to protect the people from the crisis. The
government needs to make poverty reduction a top priority. Proper implementation, monitoring
and evaluation of policies is needed. The growth of the economy that benefits the poor as well
must be tailored to eradicate poverty in Zambia (CSO, 2012).
majority of people denied a minimum decent living standard. The monthly Food Basket Survey
shows that it is becoming more and more difficult for the majority to meet basic needs, because
food costs have been rising while wages remain static and too far below the food cost. The
gravity of the situation is such that more and more lives are being lost due to hunger, sickness
and disease including HIV/AIDS. Poverty is pain, it is like a disease. It attacks a person not only
materially but also morally. It eats away one's dignity and drives one in total despair. There is no
single definition for poverty. It is generally agreed, though, that poverty is a phenomenon of
many dimensions. Poverty is the negation of development; and since development is a multi-
dimensional phenomenon, poverty is multi-dimensional as well. Therefore, this academic piece
of writing will highlight more on the effects of poverty in Zambia and the ways to overcome
them.
Bank (2004) stipulated that, the effect of poverty in Zambia is the result of decades of economic
decline and neglected infrastructure. The northwestern province of Zambia hosts the poorest
people and is the least developed in the country. Distribution of wealth is unequal with few rich
and middle-income people, and the maximum proportion of the people in Zambia is poor.
Poverty in Zambia has drastically affected the health of Zambians, especially children. One in
five children is an orphan. Growth stunting in children is 40 percent. Fifty-three percent of the
children under the age of five suffer from anemia and 50 percent of the children are underweight.
Food insecurity is prevalent and affects 350,000 people. Forty percent of the population lacks
access to clean drinking water (CSO, 2012).
However, poverty in Zambia is rooted in historical, geographical and social factors.
Geographically, Zambia is isolated, which denies it access to services and markets. Technical
knowledge is limited and the country is suffering from a transition from state led to the market
economy. Agriculture has been neglected by the government. With the liberalization of the
economy in 1990, agriculture has stopped receiving assistance from the government. Trade has
declined and droughts have impacted agriculture which has worsened the conditions for farmers.
The attitude of people is a major contributor to poverty in Zambia (CSO, 2012). Most people
believe that they would be unable to carry out development programs and afford high standards
of living. The UNIP government of Zambia based its policies on empowering the people with a
, high focus on the copper industry. However, the collapse of the copper industry in the 1970s
made this non-sustainable. Presently, the government is working on macroeconomic stability and
growth, yet no meaningful growth has been witnessed and the income inequality is still in place.
Another major cause of poverty in Zambia is the government corruption and lack of monitoring
of the public resources. The government budget has not prioritized poverty, which was shown in
the national budget by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. Poverty in Zambia has
been exacerbated by the external debt. The country is paying over $150 million per year to clear
the external debt due to which the education and health services are not receiving enough
financing. Zambia is experiencing brain drain syndrome. Highly skilled personnel like teachers,
scientists, administrators, doctors and nurses are migrating to different parts of the World (Bank,
2004).
Therefore, diseases have taken a toll as well and are worsening the poverty level. Zambia suffers
from an HIV/AIDS pandemic. This has caused major undercuts on the development initiatives
and contributed to the poverty in Zambia. Disease has further worsened the poverty situation
Zambia. Cholera, malaria, tuberculosis, covid-19 and HIV/AIDS are some of the major prevalent
diseases. For a long time malaria has been the top killer disease. But the nation faces a bigger
challenge of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Zambia ranks as one of the worst affected countries in
sub-Saharan Africa. Over 20% of the population are believed to be infected and a good
proportion of the population has been affected in one way or another. The dangers of HIV/AIDS
are best summed up by Prof. Kelly (1995) as follows, "the HIV/AIDS pandemic is undercutting
every development initiative in the country and reversing years of hard-won gains” (Bruno,
Squire, and Ravallion, 1995).
Nevertheless, illiteracy is widespread and is a huge hindrance for economic growth. Education
has not been made a priority by the government and majority of the Zambians cannot read and
write. Literacy is needed to create confidence in the people, which can then incorporate a drive to
overcome poverty. Although Zambia has poverty reduction programs and there are donors who
are helping, the country needs to take practical steps to protect the people from the crisis. The
government needs to make poverty reduction a top priority. Proper implementation, monitoring
and evaluation of policies is needed. The growth of the economy that benefits the poor as well
must be tailored to eradicate poverty in Zambia (CSO, 2012).
