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Due to resource constraints, IRIN is not updating the country profile below.
Updated humanitarian country information can be found instead at the Zambia country page on ReliefWeb [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=1&cc=zmb].
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 ZAMBIA
Humanitarian Country Profile |
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Background
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Last update: February 2007 |
Zambia, landlocked and copper-rich, is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola on its western flank.
The indigenous San began to be displaced by more technologically advanced peoples about 2,000 years ago, but the major wave of Bantu-speaking immigrants began in the 12th century, with the Tsonga the first to settle. By the 1890s the area was under British colonial rule, and large-scale exploitation of the vast copper ore deposits in the central region, known as the Copperbelt, was under way in the mid-1930s.
Zambia gained independence in 1964 under President Kenneth Kaunda, a nationalist leader who had fought against the colonial federation of then Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Malawi). In the 1960s and 1970s, Zambia was instrumental in the liberation struggles in neighbouring countries, for which it paid a high price in reprisal raids by Rhodesian, South African and Portuguese forces. In 1972, one-party rule was introduced under Kaunda's United National Independence Party (UNIP).
Plunging world copper prices in the mid-1970s led to increased borrowing and left Zambia with one of the world's highest rates of debt per capita. The state-controlled economy deteriorated, as Kaunda resisted the economic reforms demanded by international financial institutions.
Kaunda was one of the early casualties of the multiparty wave that swept Africa in the 1990s, losing in 1991 to a broad-based opposition coalition, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), led by former trade unionist Frederick Chiluba. After a decade in power, an attempt by Chiluba to change the constitution and run for a third term in 2001 was defeated by a civil society campaign.
Levy Mwanawasa, a former lawyer and one of the early leaders of the MMD, was chosen by Chiluba to run as the party's candidate in the 2001 ballot. He narrowly won, but international monitors condemned the poll as flawed. On assuming power, Mwanawasa launched an anti-corruption probe that targeted Chiluba and senior members of his former administration, winning the backing of western donors and some popular appeal.
Peace and security
Despite three attempted coups - all unsuccessful - Zambia has escaped the civil wars that have scarred its neighbours. Political violence is a feature of election campaigns, and unrest briefly flared in October 2006 in the capital, Lusaka, and the Copperbelt, the country's economic hub, when Mwanawasa was declared the victor in a close-run poll.
IDPs/Refugees
Zambia has traditionally opened its doors to refugees, hosting thousands of people fleeing conflicts in neighbouring Angola and the DRC. Angola's peace agreement, signed in 2002, cleared the way for a United Nations-supported repatriation programme that was due to end in 2006, after which the refugee status for all Angolans should have been revoked. The deadline has been extended to the first quarter of 2007 given the reluctance of a small number of remaining refugees to return to a country still recovering from conflict.
Democracy and governance
Kaunda was forced to bow to domestic and international pressure for democratic reform and after 27 years in power he was dumped at the ballot box in 1991. Chiluba's 10-year reign was marked by the persecution of Kaunda, who has retained popular affection. Tension with western donors over mounting corruption and a problematic human rights record led to an aid freeze, and Chiluba's attempt at a third term was stopped by an unprecedented coalition of civil society groups, opposition parties and senior members of his own party. Mwanawasa faced an election challenge in 2006 from former MMD stalwart and populist politician Michael Sata, who scored well in Lusaka and the Copperbelt but fared poorly among rural voters. He accused the MMD of rigging the result.
Media
The Zambian media still face difficulties in getting information from government officials and institutions. Media organisations have been campaigning for the enactment of a Freedom of Information Bill, but progress has stalled. The state owns the national television and radio broadcaster and two daily newspapers. There is only one daily private newspaper, but a number of community radio stations. According to the US State Department, press freedom is restricted and journalists are regularly intimidated.
Economy
Zambia's wealth is based on copper and cobalt mining. The government is encouraging diversification, but copper still accounts for almost 80 percent of export income. Low mineral royalties and lengthy tax holidays enjoyed by foreign mining companies mean Zambia has not capitalised on record copper prices.
In the 1990s, Zambia switched from a state-controlled economy - characterised by low agricultural production and shortages - to a free market. However, the sudden imposition of a cost-cutting structural adjustment programme led to huge job losses and deepening poverty. Chiluba's government also faced a donor freeze, due in part to its resistance to privatising the loss-making Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM). The drawn-out sale of ZCCM was finally concluded in 2000. Copper production had fallen to a low of 228,000 tonnes in 1998, after a 30-year decline in output due to a lack of investment, low copper prices and uncertainty over privatisation. Production has since rebounded, with new investors from India and China taking an interest in the Copperbelt.
Zambia 's external debt of US$7 billion was cut last year to about $500 million after it qualified for debt relief from the G8 group of rich nations. The government has pursued a prudent policy of pro-poor spending, despite the demand by labour for workers to be more directly rewarded for years of low pay. Zambia's gross domestic product (GDP) is US$7.3 billion, with an annual growth rate of 5.1 percent. The government's goal is to attain middle-income status by 2030 but the economy remains vulnerable to variations in the price of copper and oil.
Population
Zambia's population is estimated at 11.7 million, with an annual growth rate of 1.6 percent. The official language is English, but the country has 73 ethnic groups with seven dominant dialects - Bemba, Luvale, Tonga, Kaonde, Lozi, Nyanja and Lunda. The predominant religion is Christianity, but Islam and traditional African beliefs co-exist. The World Bank pegs average life expectancy at 38 years.
Development indicators
Zambia has some of the worst social statistics in southern Africa. Budget-cutting measures imposed under Chiluba reduced people's access to healthcare and social services. In 2006 Mwanawasa introduced free health services in all rural areas.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) puts the maternal mortality ratio at 750 deaths per 100,000 live births while the under-five mortality rate is 182 deaths per 1,000 live births. The Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranks Zambia at 28 out of the 53 African countries listed. According to the government's Central Statistical Office, 68 percent of Zambians live on less that US$1 a day.
Education
Mwanawasa introduced free education up to grade seven, boosting enrolment to more than 80 percent at primary school level, but few pupils proceed to secondary school due to high fees.
Children
Zambia is a signatory to the conventions of the International Labour Organisation on child labour, but the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that at least 1 million children work, typically as street traders or in stone crushing, farming, fishing and the sex industry. There are about 75,000 street children.
Nearly half of Zambia's population is younger than 15. According to the UN AIDS agency, UNAIDS, 130,000 children were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2003.
Health
Zambia's health expenditure per capita is US$ 10.69. UNFPA reports that between US $30 to $40 is estimated as the minimum per capita expenditure figure required for essential health interventions in low-income countries. The government views its maternal mortality ratio (750 deaths per 100,000 live births) and under-five mortality (167 deaths per 1,000 live births) as unacceptably high. Malaria is the biggest killer disease, accounting for two million hospital admissions and 50,000 deaths per year, according to the health ministry. Zambia has been steadily losing qualified medical personnel to developed countries, undermining healthcare services.
HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS is a major threat to development, with 16.5 percent of people aged 15 to 49 infected. According to UNFPA, the pandemic has led to a decline in life expectancy from 46 years in 1990 to 38 years in 2005. Although 1.1 million sexually active Zambians are HIV positive, just 44,000 were accessing the government's free treatment programme in 2005.
However, the country has recorded some success in reducing HIV infection among urban youths, and has an energetic civil society AIDS service sector.
Food security
Agricultural production is mostly rain-fed and the sector remains vulnerable to weather fluctuations, resulting in perennial food shortages. About 15 percent of available arable land is exploited. Large producers have repeatedly complained of the high cost of agricultural inputs and problems with the crop marketing system, while subsistence farmers have operated with little state support for the past decade, using traditional farming methods. Maize, which is not drought-tolerant, is grown in the south, while cassava is more commonly cultivated in the north.
In 2002, 2.3 million people were in need of food assistance after a second year of drought, combined with a lack of seed and fertiliser, cattle disease and inadequate access to markets and health services. The government responded by subsidising fertiliser for farming cooperatives and encouraging crop diversification. In 2006 a cereal surplus of 300,000 tonnes was posted, over a national requirement of 1.2 million tonnes. An influx of Zimbabwean commercial farmers has helped to boost cash crop production in the last few years.
Gender issues
Participation of women in government is still extremely low. In the 2006 poll, elected women candidates accounted for less than 15 percent, despite women constituting the majority of voters. Girl-child education also remains a problem, with 11 percent of girls aged 15 to 24 illiterate compared with 8 percent of boys, according to UNFPA. To empower women and bridge the gender gap, a National Gender Policy and a bill on gender-based violence have been approved.
Human rights
Zambia has a poor human rights record, according to the US State Department's 2005 report, which cited unlawful killings, torture, beatings, and abuse of criminal suspects and detainees by security forces; poor and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention, and long trial delays; infringement of privacy; forcible dispersal of demonstrations and obstruction of rallies by the political opposition, labour unions and civil society groups; and violence and discrimination against women.
Humanitarian needs
There are remaining pockets of food insecurity in Zambia. In refugee-hosting areas, the government and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) launched the Zambia Initiative Development Programme in 2002 to boost crop production and improve health and education facilities. |
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| Zambia in figures | · Population: 11.7m
· Pop. growth rate: 1.6%
· GDP per capita: $840
· Pop below poverty line: 68%
· Life expectancy: 38 yrs
· Infant mortality: 104/1,000
· Access to med. services: 90%
· HIV prevalence: 17%
· Access to clean water: 57%
· Access to electricity: 16%
· Literacy rate: (men) 88%, (women) 77%
· Doctors/people: 1/ 13,859
· Displaced people: N/A
· Refugees: 155,000
· Human Development Index: 0.407 (HDI 2006 Rank 165)
Sources: UNFPA, CSO, WHO, World Bank |
| Basic facts | Capital: Lusaka
Language: English (official), Nyanja, Bemba, Tonga, Lozi and other local languages Ethnic Groups: Approximately 98% descendent and some small European and Asian minorities
Religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs, Hinduism, Islam
Geography: 752,614 sq km, landlocked, mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains Border countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe.
Natural resources: copper, minerals, cobalt, Agriculture products: tobacco maize, sorghum, finger millet, peanuts, sweet potatoes, taro, yams, peas, beans, pumpkins, sugarcane, bananas, rice, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables.
Sources: EIU, NI, BBC, Encyclopedia Britannica, Reuters AlertNet |
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