• Government strength Human Resources capacity in the department of Social Welfare at ward level.
• This will improve the targeting of beneficiaries with the help of community members.
• PMRC suggests the need to link vulnerable households to various social protection programs.

Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC) has advised government to strength Human Resources capacity in the department of Social Welfare at ward level in order to enhance the social cash transfer system.

Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Organization Head of Research and Analysis Sydney Mwamba, said doing so will help improve the targeting of beneficiaries with the help of community members, so that the most vulnerable households in society can be identified.

He also stressed the need for government to link vulnerable households to various social protection programs such as empowerment programs in order to uplift them from poverty.

“For government to strengthen the Social Cash Transfer system, firstly as PMRC we note that there is need to strength Human Resources capacity in the department of Social Welfare at ward level to improve the targeting of beneficiaries with the help of community members so that the program can target the most vulnerable in society,” Mr. Mwamba said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mwamba commended government for increasing the number of Social Cash Transfer beneficiaries in the 2022 national budget.

“While the scaling up of beneficiaries in the 2022 national budget is commendable, especially given the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 on many households which further exacerbated their vulnerability through loss of income, PMRC suggests the need to link vulnerable households to various social protection programs like empowerment programs in order to progressively uplift them from poverty and enable them to effectively participate in development,” he stated.

Recently, Finance and National Planning Minister Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane disclosed during his presentation of the 2022 national budget that the Social Cash Transfer Programme will be scaled up by increasing the number of beneficiaries and the transfer value to over one million from the 880,539 as at the end of August, 2021.

The Social Cash Transfer programme was adopted to be one of the major social protection interventions whose aim is to continuously reduce extreme poverty in Zambia.

In 2003, the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services decided to start implementing the Social Cash Transfer Programme in Kalomo district, Southern Province, targeting 159 labour constrained, poor households.