6 Governance
61. The World Bank 'Worldwide Governance Indicators'
for Zambia are above the average for Sub-Saharan African countries.
According to DFID governance in Zambia has improved overall in
recent years with the state broadly more capable, accountable
and responsive.[80] Following
the elections in September 2011, power was transferred peacefully
to the PF from the MMD which had been in power since 1991.[81]
62. Nevertheless, there are serious challenges. On
our visit we were informed that the new PF Government had implemented
a number of changes, particularly in respect of corruption,
that were likely to strengthen governance. Nonetheless, high-level,
as well as mid and lower level corruption remained a persistent
challenge.[82] As in
many other parts of Africa, political authority remains unhelpfully
centralised with significant discretionary power retained by the
Presidency, although Michael Sata has said he wants to get rid
of some of his vast Presidential powers. Parliament, as in many
parts of Africa, lacks capacity.
63. One of DFID's top four priorities for Zambia
is to 'strengthen service delivery capacity and decision making
ability' Its main governance programmes include:
· The Anti-Corruption programme which
supports the Zambian Anti-Corruption Commission It also works
with parliamentarians in their work to hold other branches of
government to account, spending £5.7 million over 2009-2014.[83]
Over the last decade, DFID's support has resulted in a number
of high level corruption convictions and the UK is currently supporting
the prosecution of senior figures accused of stealing public funds.
· The Public Service Management and
Public Financial Management (PFM) programmes. The former
spent £3million from 2006-2011 on improving the management
of public funds, pay reform, service delivery improvement and
payroll management. The latter will spend £2.2 million 2011
- 2013 on 'reforms in the areas of Integrated Financial Management
Information Systems, procurement, internal audit and controls
and tax revenue administration.[84]
· The Deepening Democracy programme
supported the Electoral Commission of Zambia to deliver credible
elections in 2011 while also strengthening civil society to oversee
the process. It spent £5.2million over 2010-11 to 2011-12.[85]
· Parliamentary Reform programme III
assisted Zambia's National Assembly to be better able to scrutinise
government and helped MPs to become more accessible to their constituents,
spending £1.4 million between 2008 and 2011.[86]
· The Democratic Representation programme
which will work with civil society to get citizens engaged in
monitoring the delivery of services in their area and at a national
level civil society will be supported to engage with the government
on new policies and legislation. It will also help the 'National
Assembly to function better'. This new programme is under design
but has not yet been approved. Under the programme it is planned
to spend £20million between 2012-2017.[87]
64. One of DFID's top three results for Zambia relates
to the 'number of people who vote in elections supported by DFID'
In 2011-12 this figure reached 2.75 million. DFID points out that
this is 970,000 more than those who voted in the 2008 elections.
[88]
65. The main programme for strengthening Parliament
was the 'Parliament Reform Programme III which spent £1.4
million 2008-11. The programme has now ended, but as stated above
the new Democratic Representation programme will assist the National
Assembly.
66. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)
UK submitted a memorandum to the inquiry outlining proposals for
Parliamentary strengthening. In January 2012 the new Speaker of
the Zambian Parliament visited Westminster and expressed a strong
interest in establishing opportunities for Zambian Members of
Parliament to undertake professional development training. CPA
UK argues that there is a role for the Westminster Parliament
in supporting DFID's priorities in Zambia, noting that Member
to Member exchanges (inter-parliamentary dialogue) are an effective
capacity-building mechanism for parliamentarians. It notes that
there has to be a systematic rather than an ad-hoc approach in
assessing need, designing and delivering an appropriate programme.[89]
67. The CPA points out that its programme would be
in line with an ODI Report in 2007 on Parliamentary Strengthening
commissioned by DFID which recommended that DFIID utilise the
expertise of Parliamentary organisations, including CPA UK and
BG IPU to contribute to DFID's parliamentary strengthening programmes.[90]
68. The Minister told us:
I am a very big champion of, and am very happy
to see, the CPA's ideas. I welcome them enormously, and I hope
that support for the Zambian parliament will carry on. Certainly,
DFID officials in Zambia are more than happy to see how much we
can take that forward.... It would need to be well discussed,
well thought through, and well articulated in terms of a design.
...it is mainly to do with the capacity of parliamentarians
in Zambia to be able to hold their Government-which is quite a
strong presidential system-to account, but also it is to do with
increasingly improving transparency and accessibility of information
on public spending; I think there have been notable improvements
on that. That will then give parliamentarians....the wherewithal
to do their job: to hold their Government to account.[91]
69. A key part of improved governance is an effective
Parliament. DFID's Public Financial Management programme is making
improvements to the Zambian Parliament's examination of the budget.
DFID spent £1.4million between 2008-11 on Parliamentary
strengthening. This programme has stopped but the CPA is working
with the Zambian Parliament to develop a new programme. We welcome
the DFID Minister's support for the CPA's proposal and recommend
that DFID provide funding for it, possibly from the new Democratic
Representation programme. We also recommend that for future years
a measure for Parliamentary strengthening replace the number of
people voting in elections supported by DFID as one of DFID Zambia's
top three results.
80 Ev 26 Back
81
Although the PF does not have a majority in the House Back
82
Ev 26 Back
83
See Table 1 above Back
84
Ibid. Back
85
Ev 27 Back
86
See Table 1 above Back
87
Ibid. Back
88
DFID, Annual Report and Accounts, 2011-12, p 71 Back
89
Ev w1 Back
90
Ibid. Back
91
Q 64 Back
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