Zambia—Public Service Performance Programme (PSPP)

Zambia is a middle-income country but poverty is still widespread and service delivery is unsatisfactory. This five-year programme supported the government of Zambia to improve the delivery of public goods and services.

DAI supported a Zambian-led process, built sustained capacity in the Cabinet Office, which has a central role in driving up efficiency and holding line ministries accountable. PSPP aimed for a balance between rural and urban issues, and an appropriate geographic spread. PSPP developed links and achieved synergy with other Zambia programmes of the U.K. Department for International Development.

The programme addressed three projects to start: Agricultural Policy and Programmes, with an initial focus on agricultural extension services, particularly to poor farmers in remote, rural areas; employment policies and programmes, with an initial focus on the significant unemployment among urban youth; and service delivery programmes: accessing birth certificates, which are fundamental to effectively participating in society and basic rights such as health care, education, inheritance, access to a passport, opening a bank account, or obtaining credit.

Select Results

• Solved particular public service problems, including ones that had implications to the public service system as a whole.
• Established a methodology for using a problem-solving approach to increase the productivity of public service delivery, which can be deployed sustainably and systemically.
• Reinforced the role of Cabinet Office in leading, supporting, and holding line ministries accountable for improvements in productivity and delivery of public services.