Local administration as an integration strategy in Zambia
Creators: name: Tumeo, Francis Dominic
Publisher: name: University of Tasmania
Year: 2025

description: Experience in Sub-Sahara Africa has shown that despite sincere commitment of some African leaders to the ideals of national unity and identity, the allegiance of a large proportion of the African people to particularistic groups surpasses their loyalty to these ideals. Consequently, the achievement of a greater degree of inter-ethnic accommodation and integration into national communities remains one of the most intractable problems facing most African states in sub-Sahara Africa, including Zambia.The countries in this region have adopted different strategies in tackling the problem. This study examines the local administration system used by Zambia as a strategy of integration, in order to:establish that the system as presently constituted under the Local Administration Act, 1980, is a culmination of a series of administrative reforms started immediately after independence with the aim of providing a medium within which an integration process can be effectively carried out in order to achieve lasting national unity; andassess the efficacy of the Local Administration institutions at the district and provincial levels and then the overall national capacity in regard to the mammoth task of nation building through rural development which the system is designed to tackle.The study has shown that since gaining independence on 24th October, 1964, Zambia has been striving to establish, through administrative reforms, a suitable system of local administration capable of mobilizing various resources at grassroot level throughout the country with the aim of achieving integration and national unity through rural development. In this connection, the first major thrust in 1964 was the introduction of the Provincial and District Government to replace the Provincial Administration which had been the king-pin of the colonial system in rural areas. The following year, the Local Government Act, 1965, was enacted to replace the Native Authorities Ordinance; thereby establishing elective local authority councils throughout the country. There were incremental reforms in 1968 and 1976 consisting mainly in strengthening the leadership of the Provincial and District Government both at political level and administrative level.In turn, the Local Government Act has itself been replaced by the Local Administration Act, 1980, which has created institutions and procedures aimed at promoting national unity and harmony through overall integration of all ethnic groups and institutions. The study has revealed that the king-pin of the Local Administration Act is the District Council which has a comprehensive list of statutory functions and overall authority to administer all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life as well as science and technology, defence and security matters within the district. In contrast, the Provincial Council's role is to deal with such general matters as prescription of political norms, supervision and mobilization.The study concludes that the success of the Local Administration will depend on two factors:the strength of the national economy and the will on the part of the central Government to give due priority to the allocation of reasonable resources to the District Councils; andavailability of professional, technical and administrative staff to fill the posts created within the Secretariat of each District Council.<br>