Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698928324616.pdf (Zambia)
MCDSW MTMSTERIAL STATEMENT ON TIIE SCALE UP OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TIIE SOCIAL CASII TRANSFER PROGRAMME PRESENTED BY THE HONOURABLE EMER]NE KABANSHI.

MP MIMSTER OF COMMUNITY DEVXLOPMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE FEBRUARY,2016 MR. SPEAKER, THANK YOU FOR ACCORDING ME THIS OPPORTT,I..IITY TO GIVE A MINISTEzuAL STATEMENT ON I'I{E SCALE UP OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SOCIAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMME.
SIR, ALI"OW ME FIRST TO GIVE YOU GENER,{L INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOCIAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMME IN ZAMBIA BEFORE I GIVE AN ACCOUNT ON THE SCALE UP.

I.

BACKGROUND 'IHE SOCIAL CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMME (SCT) ]S ADMINISTERED BY TIIE MINISTRY OF COMMUNIry DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE (MCDSW) THROUGH TI]E DEPAR'IMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE US]NG THE ESTABI,ISHED COMMUNITY STRUCTURES AND TFIE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF TTIE PROGRAMME IS: .

TO REDUCE EXTREME POVERTY AND INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSFER OF POVERTY.
THE IM?LEMENTATION OF TIIE SOCIAL CASH TRANSFER SCHEME STARTED IN KALOMO DISTRICT IN 2004.

THE SCHEME WAS PROGRESSIVELY IMPLEMENTED IN F]VE DISTRICTS NAMEI-Y CHIPATA, I(ATETE, KAZTJNGULA, MONZE AND KALOMO, IN 2OIO TIIE GOVERNMENT DECIDED IO SCALE IJP TTIE SCHEME FROM FIVE (5) DISTRICTS TO FIFTEEN('5) DISTR]CTS, MR SPEAKER, WITI] THE COMTNG IN OF TIIE PATRIOTIC FRONT GOVERNMTNT, THERE WAS RENEWED COMMI'TMENT TO SCALING UP OF THE SCHEME, AS A RESULT, IN 2OI4 WE SAW AN UNPRECEDENTED 7OO9l.
INCREASE IN THE BUDGETARY ALLOCATION TO TTIE PROCRAMME, TIIE PATRIOTIC FRON'I GOVERNMENT HAS ONCE AGAIN DEMONSTRATED IT'S PRO POOR POL]C]ES BY INCREASING THE BUDGET ALLOCATION FROM K 150 MILLION KWACHA IN 2015 TO K 250 MII,LION KWACHA IN 2016 AND TH]S wlLL ENABI,E T}IE MINISTRY TO SCALE UP TIIE PROGRAMME TO AN ADDITIONAL 28 D]STzuCTS BRINGINC THE TOTAL OF IMPLEMENTING DISTRICTS TO 78, COTJNTRYMDE.

2.
2.

BENEFICIARYCASELOAD tr{R. SPEAKER, IN TERMS OF THE CASELOAD, THE PROGRAMME REACIIED OVER ISO,OOO HOUSEHOLDS BY THE END OF 2015.

THE CASELOAD DISTR]BT]TION IN THE 50 DISTRICTS ACROSS THE IO PROVINCES BY 31ST DECEMBER.20I5 WAS AS FOLLOWS; MR. SPEAKER, THE CASELOAD IS EXPECTED TO REACH O\GR 242,OOO HOUSEHOLDS IN THE NEXT SIX (6) MONTHS.

3.
3.

TARGET]NG CRITERIA IN THO SCAI,E UP DISTRICTS MR SPEAXE& IN ORDER TO ENSLIRE THAT GOVERNMENT TARGETS TIIE MOST VTILNERABLE AND EXTREMELY POOR HOUSEHOI-DS, TTIE MINISTRY WILI- IN TIIE NEW ]MPLEMENT]NG DISTRICTS PRIORITIZE TWO MAIN CATEGORIES OF THE POPULATION AND THESE ARE; I) HOUSEHOLDS WITH OLDER PERSONS AGED 65 YEARS AND ABOVE.

2) HOUSEHOLDS WITI] PERSONS WITH SEVERE DISAB]L]TIES.
MR SPEAKER, IT IS WORTH NOTING TI{AT THESE POP{JLATIONS SHOULD BE EXTREMELY POOR FOR TI{EM TO QUAIIfY TO BE ON TIIE PROGRAMME.

4, PROGRESS ON THE SCALE UP ACTIVITIES MR SPtrAKER, ALLOW ME TO NOW GIVE AN UPDATE ON TT]E SCAIE UP ACTIVITIES IN TTIE 28 DISTzuCTS.

I.
I.

MY MINISTRY HAS SO FAR UNDERTAKEN THE REACT]VATION AS WELL AS TIIE TRAINING OF COMMT]NITY WELFARE ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHOSE MAIN ROLE IS TO SENSITISE AND MOBILISE TTIE COMMLNITIES THROUGH SHARING OF INFORMATION ON TIIE OPERATIONS OF TI]E SCHEME.
II, IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE IJPTAKE OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ON THE SCIiEME, MY MINISTRY HAS BI]EN TJNDERTAKING 'IHE DISABII-ITY CERTIFICATION CAMPAIGN IN COI,LABORATION WT|H MINISTRY Of HEALTI-I AND ZAMBIA AGENCY FOR PERSONS WII'H DISABILITIES (ZAPD).

IN THE COMINC WEEKS, DISTR]CTS WILI- BF, STARTING TIIE ENUMERATION OF POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES.

UPON COMPLETION OF THE ENUMERATION, BENEFICIARIES DATA WILL BE ENTERED IN T}IE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (MIS) TO ENABLE POVERTY ASSESSMENT 'I'O BE DONE.
IT IS EXPECTED THAT THESE KEY ACTIVTT]ES WILL BE COMPLETED BY JUNE 2016 IN T]ME FOR THE PAYMENT TO THE BENEFICIARIES lN Tr i NEW DISTRICTS.

MR SPEAKER, TI{E PROCRAMME REQUIRES ROBTJST AND EFFICIENT SYSTEMS IN ORDER FOR IT TO OPERATE ]N AN EFFICIENT WAY.
'IO THIS EFFECT, MY MINISTRY HAS BEEN MAK]NG EFFORTS TO PUT IN PLACE TTIE FOLLOWING: A. MANAGf,MENT INFORMATION SYSTBM THE MINISTRY HAS DECENTRALISED I'TIE MANACEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (MIS) TO ALL TIIE 50 DISTzuCTS INCLUDING THE ENHANCEMENT OF INTERNE']' CONNECTIVITY AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL TO TTIE CENTRq.L SERVER AT I.IEADQUAI{TERS, THIS IS MEANT TO AMONG OTHER THINGS SUPPORT THE DENTIFICATION OF HOUSEHOLDS, ENUMERATION ,\ND REGISTRATION OF POTENTIAL BENEFICIAR]ES AND GENERq.TION OF STATISTIC,{L DATA AT D]STzuCT, CONSI]TUENCY, WARD AND COMMI]NITY LEVEL STRUCTURES.
1'HIS WIL TJLTIMATELY IMPROVE DATA N4ANAGEMEN'I' AND TIMELY PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO ALL STAKEHOLDERS, B.

COMPLAINTS MANAGtrMtrNT IN AN EFFORT TO ENHANCE ACCOT'NTABILITY TO THE BENEFICTARIES AND OTHER STAKIHOLDERS, MY MINISTRY IS ALSO DESICNING A COMPLAINI'S MECIIANISM TTIAT WILL AILOW BENEFICIARIES TO COMPLAIN OR PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO T}IE IM?LEMENTERS.

ONCE IMPLEMENTED THE COMPLAINTS MECHAN]SM WILL IMPROVE ACCOUNTABIL]TY AND FEED TNTO THE DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF TI{E SCHEME.
C. ELECTRONIC PAYMENT MECHANISM MR SPEAKER, ]}IE CURRENT PAYMENT MECTIANISM IS MANUAL AND USES TEAC}JERS AND HEALTH PERSONNEL TO MAKE PAYMENTS TO THE BENEFICIARIES.

IN ORDER TO ENHANCE SAFETY, REI,IABILITY, REDUCE FIDUCIARY R1SK AND IMPROVE ACCESSIBILIry TO BENEFICIARIES, THE MINISTRY ]S NOW AT A POIN'I OF CONTRACTING A PA\VENT SERVICE PROVIDER.

A FINANCIAL INSI'ITUT]ON HAS BEEN IDF-NTIF]ED AND W}I,A.T REMAINS IS THE SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT.
THE NEW PAYMENT SYSTEM WILL BE INITIALLY PILO'|ED IN EASTERN, LUSAKA AND CENTRAL PROV]NCES.

THE SYSTEM WILL INVOLVE TTIE USE OF VISA CARDS AS BENEFIC]ARIES WII,I- BE ACCESSING T}IEIR FUNDS AT AUTOMATED TELLER I\4{CHINES (ATMS) AND DESIGNATED AGENTS, THE MANUAL SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE IN THOSE AREAS WIIERE TFIE NEW SYSTEM MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE TO IMPLEMENT.
ADDITIONALLY, THE MINISTRY IS CONSIDERING AN OPTION OF A MOBILE CASH TRANSIT PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR THE PROCRAMME IN THE PROVINCES NOT COVERED BY 'IIIE NEW PAYMENT SYSTEM.

D.MOBILE TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC ENUMERATION) MR SPEAKER, IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE DATA QI]ALITY AND REDUCING COSTS AND TIME IN DATA COLLECT]ON OF HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY, TIIE MINISTRY IS IN TTIE PROCESS OF PTLOTINC THE USE OF MOBILE TECHNOI,OGY IN TIJE ENUMERATION OF POTENT]AI BENDFIC]ARIES, tr.
CAPITAL NQUIPMENT AS PART OF THE COOPERATING PARTNERS (CP) SUPPORT TO THE SCALE I]P OF' PROGRAMME, PROCUREMENT OF 28 VEI{ICLES HAS REACHED EVALUATION STAGE.

THE TOTAL PROCUREMENT PACI'AGE INCLUDES COMPUTERS, MOTORBIKES AND OFFICE FURNITURE.

SOME OF THE ITEMS SI]CH AS COMPUTERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DELIVERED TO THE MINISTRY AWAIT]NG D]STRIBUTION TO TTIE ]MPLEMENTING DISTRICTS- 5.
CONCLUSION MR SPEAKER, ALLOW ME TO NOTE THAT AS TI{E PROGRAMME SCALES IJ} TO THE REMAINING DISTRICTS; ADDITIONAI OFFICERS ARE RECRUITED ON CONTRACT SUCH AS DRIVERS AND ASSISTANT PROCRAMME OFFICERS.

SO FAR OVER 85 OFFICERS HAVE BEEN RECRUITED.

THIS 1S IN LINE WITH OUR PROGRAMME OF CREATING JOB OPPORTL]}IITIES FOR OUR PEOPLE.
IN CONCLUSION, MR. SPEAKER, GOVERNMENT REMAINS COMMITTED TO SCALING I]T THE PROGRAMME TO THE REST OF TTIT NATION AS IT HAS PROVED TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR REDUCING EXTREME POVERTY AMONG THE VIJLNERABLE POPULATION BY ACCELERATING SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMINC THEIR LIVES IN THE COMMUNITIES.

MY APPEAL TO THE HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF THIS HOUSE IS THAT WE SHOULD ALL SUPPORT GOVERNMENT IN THIS NOBLE EFFORT OF ALLEVIATING THE SUI'FERING AND POVERTY AMONG OUR PEOPLE.

MR. SPEAKER, ] THANK YOU.


PrLOr PHAS€ 200,r TO 1009 23.

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GOVERXMENf ASSURAI{CE ON SC.

{'ING UP TIiE SOCIA!

CASH TRANSFER SCREME.

is mad€ io the abore subjec!

regarding providing an updare on the Ref€rence Minisrerial statement p.esented to Pdliament or .ls March, 2015 by the Ministef of Community Dev€lopment, Mother and Child Health; Hon.

Emeine Kabanshi MP conceming the progress in the in..ease oI the benetcianes or tbe Social Cash Transler as at 1,'ADril,2015.
164 tLa3 1128 Mitete ) 447 319 203 2994 r07a 4226 72 Mungsi 5733 2601 r48 5825 27.

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959 currpndy.

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