Summary

The Social Protection Expenditure and Performance Review (SPER) and Social Budget (SB) report Executive Summary are products of the first year of work of the ILO/DFID-funded project in Zambia: "ILO Global Campaign for Social Protection and Coverage for All as a Means to Reducing Poverty in Africa and Asia".

The main finding is that neither existing contributory (social insurance) nor non-contributory (social assistance) social security provisions are adequate in terms of the numbers of the population covered, the scope of coverage and the adequacy of benefits/payments received. This in a context in which half of the population is extremely poor, living below the poverty line, and almost two-thirds are living below the basic needs poverty line and thus moderately poor or worse. Preliminary analysis shows that Zambia could afford a basic package of social protection; universal old age pensions, targeted cash transfers and child benefits. In the longer run this package would cost no more than 1.5% of GDP and would build the foundations of a modern social protection system.