Zambia - Atlas of our Changing Environment

The goals are:

Target: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day (UN, 2010)

Zambia’s extreme poverty declined from 58 per cent in 1991 to 51 percent in 2006. Although this trend can be considered a positive one, the rate of change is still too slow to meet the target of reducing extreme poverty to 29 per cent by 2015 (UNDP, 2012). Some key policy and investment choices have been identified to accelerate Zambia’s progress towards this goal, including:

• The commercialization of small scale agriculture and diversification of the rural economy; • The implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies; • An institutionalized social security system to protect the most vulnerable; and • More accessible and efficient service delivery that reaches the poorest (UNDP, 2012).

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Table 3.1 MDG Goal No. 1 and set Targets

Latest Figure

2015 Target

Will Target be Achieved under the Present Trend Significant reforms and investments needed

Goal

Target

Indicator

MDG 1: Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger

Target 1.A: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day Target 1.C: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Proportion of population in extreme poverty (%)

51

29

34

31.1 12.5

Yes

Prevalence of underweight children U-5 (5%)

14.6

Acceleration required

UNDP, 2012

Target: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

raise the primary school completion rate by 27.7 per cent from 64 per cent in 1990 to 91.7 per cent in 2009. The net enrolment rate of children in primary education also increased from 80 per cent in 1990 to 100 per cent in 2009 (UNDP, 2012).

The target has already been attained in Zambia. The government has constructed new schools, removed school fees and adopted a policy of free basic education. A policy permitting children who had previously left primary school to return to complete their studies was also introduced, which helped to

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Education is life Zambia Online, 2010

Striving to provide quality education for all Zambia Online, 2010

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ZAMBIA - ATLAS OF OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT