Zambia
Jubilee-Zambia
Zambia has also qualified for HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Country)
relief, as it has debts of over US $7.3 billion. Whilst there has
been some mismanagement of public funds by the government, much
of this debt is related to historical experiences of war in the
region. Jubilee-Zambia is leading a campaign for more openness
and accountability by the government in terms of how it responds
to debt relief, and in relation to future loans. It has also worked
to raise public awareness and gain support for its campaign, by
carrying out a survey in seven districts of Zambia.
Survey findings
Whilst the majority of people taking part in the survey said they
had heard of the Jubilee ‘Cancel the debt’ campaign,
there was still a high proportion, especially amongst women and
young people who had not heard about it. Many respondents doubted
that HIPC resources would ever reach the poor in Zambia. The survey
also showed that many people didn’t know that Zambia’s
external debt was a result of its involvement in the fight against
apartheid and liberation struggles in neighbouring countries. Therefore,
Jubilee Zambia has been able to use the information to target its
campaign more effectively.
Costs of opposing apartheid
Much of Zambia’s debt arose from of its involvement in the
struggle against apartheid in neighbouring countries such as Rhodesia,
South Africa and Namibia. As a result, landlocked Zambia faced sanctions
from those countries which had an impact upon its ability to trade,
and increased its reliance on loans. As armed conflict increased
in the region, Zambia was further affected through border fighting
which killed thousands of people and displaced many more. Military
spending and disruption caused by war also meant that Zambia was
unable to focus upon education, healthcare and welfare provision.
Call for total debt cancellation
Since the government used huge resources and borrowed heavily as
a result of the struggle against apartheid, Jubilee Zambia, together
with other Jubilee movements in the southern region of Africa,
is campaigning for both the cancellation of all external debts
relating to this historical period, as well as reparations. This
would then mean that the government could use the resources currently
being spent on servicing these debts in desperately needed poverty
eradication programmes. However, until this is achieved the campaign
for debt relief needs to continue.
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