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.