Mainstreaming Governance in Country Programs: Insights from the Governance Partnership Facility in Zambia

Insights from the Governance Partnership Facility
in Zambia
Mainstreaming Governance
in Country Programs
Lessons Learned

© 2014 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank
1818 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20433
202-473-1000
www.worldbank.org
All rights reserved.
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Contents
PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
1. WHAT IS THE GPF?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. THE GPF LESSONS LEARNED SERIES: A BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. ZAMBIA: COUNTRY CONTEXT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
World Bank Engagement in Zambia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4. THE GPF IN ZAMBIA: MAIN RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.1 Component 1: Strengthen DFGG in Zambia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.2 Component 2: Increasing Accountability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.3 Component 3: Improving Governance in the Road Sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
4.4 Component 4: Supporting the Efficiency of Mineral Revenue Collection and Investment . . . . . . . . 12
4.5 Component 5: Supporting EITI Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.6 Moving Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5. THE GPF IN ZAMBIA IN SIX SNAPSHOTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
GPF Snapshot 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Supporting the Development of Watchdog Media: Building Journalistic Capacity in Zambia . . . . . . . . 16
GPF Snapshot 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Can Information and Communication Technology Enabled Feedback Improve Service Delivery?
A Case Study of the Accountability through Community Radio Pilot in Zambia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
GPF Snapshot 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Assessing the Evidence: Lessons from a Stocktaking of DFGG Mechanisms in the Zambia
Project Portfolio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
GPF Snapshot 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
How Can World Bank Knowledge Work Be Used to Inform Public Debate? A Case Study
of the Communication for Reform Pilot in Zambia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
GPF Snapshot 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Supporting Civil Society to Engage with Government in an Informed Manner: Supporting
Zambian Coalitions on Procurement, Extractive Industries and Access to Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
GPF Snapshot 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Can Partnerships Between Government and Civil Society Improve Outcomes in the Road Sector?
A case study of the Good Governance in Roads Pilot in Zambia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
ANNEX: EVALUATION OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY THROUGH COMMUNITY RADIO PROJECT . . . . . . 39
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Preface
It is well-established today that governance reform
is both a long-term and comprehensive agenda,
often requiring complex changes in attitudes, values,
behaviors and incentives. The challenging nature of
this agenda, as well as the fact that the mainstream-
ing of governance activities in World Bank projects
is still fairly recent, makes it critical that we proceed
with significant humility and stress the importance
of learning and evaluation. This publication and the
lessons shared herein are a very welcome contributor
to the learning process in that regard.
As can be seen from the following sections, the
Governance Partnership Facility (GPF) has been well
utilized in Zambia both to test existing theories of
change and to pilot innovative mechanisms with the
intent of providing models and insights that could
then be scaled up and mainstreamed.
The lessons have indeed been plentiful, three of which
I would particularly like to highlight:
Firstly, it is clear that governance tools and mecha-
nisms remain reliant on their enabling environments.
Alone, an elaborate information and communication
technology (ICT) mechanism for accountability or
a citizen charter for improved service delivery can
achieve little and can even be counterproductive. This
can be seen with our analysis of the “Accountability
through Community Radio” project, where we find
that success was highly dependent on the different
levels of incentives for service providers to engage
with the radio stations for example. It is clear that
mechanisms and tools, no matter how effective in and
of themselves, need to be thoughtfully complemented
by demand for accountability on the side of citizens,
capacity to account on the side of institutions, a con-
ducive political and legal environment and a host of
other enabling factors.
Secondly, we have increasingly learnt via the GPF the
value of going beyond simplistic oppositions between
“supply” and “demand”. In none of our pilots does
user demand alone appear to be a sufficient factor
for improving service delivery. It is apparent that in
the absence of top down performance pressure and
institutional coherence, bottom-up demand tends
to have little overall impact. In other words a more
holistic approach is needed. The “Good Governance
in Roads” project provides an excellent example
of how we can better implement mechanisms that
involve a collaboration with rather than an opposition
to government. Since our recent evaluations indicate
that governance challenges are fundamentally about
getting both state and non-state actors to find ways
of acting collectively in their own best interests, far
more must be done in bringing these actors together.
Finally, we have seen that innovation and exploration
remain essential elements of success for governance
initiatives. The emphasis of the GPF in Zambia has
been on discovering what works and learning from
what does not. The innovative communication strat-
egy that was used to create widespread public debate
around World Bank knowledge products in Zambia
provides a particularly successful example of this
exploratory approach in action. The GPF has been
an invaluable mechanism allowing both the evalu-
ation and flexibility necessary for such innovative
approaches. For instance, project teams were able
to adapt the activities focused on Access to Informa-
tion, shifting from Government advice to civil society
campaign support once it became apparent that the
Government required more citizen demand before
it would allow the tabling of a bill. The Facility has
also allowed us to leave room for failure as well as
success, and the country team has been quick to
capture lessons from each, adapting each successive
initiative accordingly.
It remains the case that as we continue to embrace
the governance agenda as an institution, we will
need funding mechanisms that allow the analysis,
innovation and flexibility described above. The GPF
has been an excellent catalyst in that regard and in
Zambia I am pleased to say that there are various
hopeful signs of its lessons being absorbed and its
successes being sustained.
Kundhavi Kadiresan
Country Director for Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi
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Abbreviations and Acronyms
AtCR Accountability through Community Radio
ATI access to information
C4R Communication for Reform
CSO civil society organization
CPS Country Partnership Strategy
DFGG Demand for Good Governance
DIP Decentralization Implementation Plan
DFID Department for International Development
E-ISR+ External Implementation Status and Results Report Plus
EITI Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
GAC Governance and Anti-Corruption
GGRP Good Governance in Roads Project
ICT Information and Communication Technology
MISA Media Institute of Southern Africa
NGO nongovernmental organization
PIM Public Investment Management
PEA Political Economy Analysis
RDA Roads Development Authority
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Acknowledgements
This publication was compiled by Elena Georgieva-Andonovska, a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
at the Secretariat of the Governance Partnership Facility (GPF), based on inputs and a series of reports
produced by Kate Bridges, Public Sector Specialist (AFTP1) and Task Team Leader of the GPF components in
Zambia. The evaluation of the “Accountability through Community Radio” project was prepared by Victoria
Cabral, Consultant (AFTP1). The authors would like to thank Deryck Brown, Senior Governance Specialist
(AFTP1), who is the current task team leader for the Window 1 grant in Zambia, as well as Bryan Land,
Lead Mining Specialist (SEGM2), and Gael Raballand, Senior Public Sector Specialist (MNSPs) who previ-
ously managed some of the components of the GPF in Zambia. In addition to those mentioned above, other
invaluable members of the GPF team in Zambia have included Kutemba Kambole, Team Assistant (AFCS3);
Hellen Mungaila, Program Assistant (AFCS3); and Kunda Mando, Consultant (AFTP1). Editorial support was
provided by Ashish Sen. Tomoko Hirata, Senior Graphic Designer, developed the design of the cover.
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Executive Summary
What Is the GPF?
The Governance Partnership Facility (GPF) was founded
by the World Bank in collaboration with the United
Kingdom’s Department for International Develop-
ment (DFID) and the Norwegian and Netherlands
Ministries of Foreign Affairs. It was formally launched
in December 2008 with a Multi Donor Trust Fund of
about US$82 million. Australia’s Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (DFAT) joined the GPF in 2012 with
an initial contribution of AUS$10 million. The GPF
program budget of US$89 million has been allocated
through four Windows to 126 projects spread across
37 countries. Despite relatively modest resources,
over the past five years, the GPF has played a major
role in facilitating the implementation of the Bank’s
Governance and Anti-Corruption (GAC) Strategy. The
GPF leverages change in how the Bank carries out its
governance work and supports promising activities that
are starting to yield exciting results in many countries
and different thematic areas, such as public financial
management, governance in extractive industries,
political economy analysis (PEA), and demand for
good governance, among others.
The GPF Lessons Learned Series
As part of its knowledge and learning activities in
fiscal 2013, the GFP Secretariat is developing a series
of publications documenting the achievements and
challenges of its most notable grants. The goal is to
derive useful lessons and draw operational conclusions
about what is working and what is not in different
GPF grants. This issue of the GPF Lessons Learned
Series details the achievements of the GPF program in
Zambia. It contains an overview of the main accom-
plishments of the program and six “Snapshots” with
results stories and lessons learned. An evaluation of
one sub-component—the “Accountability through
Community Radio (AtCR)” pilot—is also included.
The GPF in Zambia
The objective of the GPF in Zambia was to assist the
government in maximizing the development impact
of its programs and policies by supporting increased
accountability for results, greater transparency and
access to information, more effective oversight over
development programs, and enhanced citizen voice
and participation. The program was funded through
a US$2 million grant from Window 1 of the GPF,
which supports leading country teams to implement
programs that address the governance impediments
to development in a given country. Implementation
of the grant began in 2009, and all activities will be
finalized by February 2015.
Main Results
The program was structured around five components,
which delivered results in the following five areas:
Strengthening Demand for Good Governance
in Zambia
The main objective of Component 1 was to improve
public accountability at the local level in selected
districts and sectors. In line with the government’s
own priorities, the underlying objective of the Bank’s
citizen engagement in Zambia is to strengthen pub-
lic service delivery. This was achieved by: (i) sup-
porting investigative journalism through training
journalists on basic investigative skills and good
practices; (ii) conducting political economy analyses,
which provided a realistic assessment of achievable
outcomes in different sectors, formed the basis for
dialogue with the government, and helped align
Bank priorities toward more engagement with civil
society, media, and public debate; (iii) support-
ing local accountability in three selected districts
through the AtCR pilot aimed at improving the flow
of information and feedback between citizens, civil
society, and duty bearers; (iv) applying a demand-side
governance filter in the Bank’s Zambia portfolio by
analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of Demand
for Good Governance (DFGG) mechanisms in the
lending portfolio and providing recommendations
for improvement; and (v) improving the ways in
which Bank analytical and knowledge work is used
to inform public opinion.
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MAINSTREAMING GOVERNANCE IN COUNTRY PROGRAMS: INSIGHTS FROM THE GOVERNANCE PARTNERSHIP FACILITY IN ZAMBIA
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Increasing Accountability
The main objective of Component 2 was to contribute
to improving accountability of the government to
citizens. This was accomplished by: (i) supporting
freedom of information legislation—the GPF has had
a major impact on the access to information (ATI)
campaign in Zambia; and (ii) piloting the Exter-
nal Implementation Status and Results Report Plus
(E-ISR+) in Zambia during 2011–13—the E-ISR+
is an innovative effort, designed to incorporate the
views of beneficiaries and bring key stakeholders
and civil society into the monitoring and evaluation
of Bank projects.
Improving Governance in the Road Sector
The main aim of Component 3 was to improve gover-
nance in the road sector in Zambia by: (i) conducting
an institutional assessment of the Road Development
Agency, which identified institutional weaknesses and
informed the World Bank on how to address them;
and (ii) piloting third-party monitoring through the
Good Governance in Roads Project, which focused
on raising the capacity of civil society and journalists
for more informed involvement and monitoring of
the road sector in Zambia.
Supporting the Efficiency of Mineral Revenue
Collection and Investment
The goal of Component 4 was to increase the transpar-
ency of mineral-related revenues and the efficiency
of public investment by: (i) conducting political
economy analyses on public investment management
and mining; and (ii) supporting a coalition of civil
society organizations (CSOs) engaged in sensitization
activities around the Extractive Industries Transpar-
ency Initiative (EITI).
Supporting EITI Implementation
The fifth and last component of the GPF in Zambia
supported the implementation of the EITI through the
establishment of the EITI Secretariat, which continues
to exist today. The impact of the GPF on the EITI
process has been significant and has culminated in
the Zambia reaching EITI compliance in 2012.
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1. What Is the GPF?
BOX 1. THE GPF—A QUICK LOOK
• Established in 2008 as a partnership between
the World Bank, the Netherland’s Foreign
Ministry, the United Kingdom’s Department for
International Development (DFID), Norway’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Australia’s
AusAID (now known as the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade).
• The main goal is to support the implementa-
tion of the Governance and Anti-Corruption
(GAC) Strategy.
• Supported by a multi-donor trust fund
with total donor contributions amounting
to US$95 million and program budget of
US$89 million.
• All existing funds have been allocated to
126 projects spread across 37 countries and
different thematic areas.
“The GPF is designed to help the Bank deliver
on its commitment to scale up engagement
in governance and anti-corruption work in
developing partner countries in conjunction
with comparable efforts by participating Devel-
opment Partners. It aims to establish a global
strategic partnership on governance among
like-minded multilateral and bilateral develop-
ment partners.”
—GPF Program Document
The Governance Partnership Facility (GPF) was
established in 2008 to help the World Bank
deliver on its commitment to scale up engagement
in governance and anti-corruption (GAC) work in
developing countries. The founding Development
Partners of the GPF are the Netherland’s Foreign
Ministry, the United Kingdom’s Department for
International Development (DFID) and Norway’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Australia’s AusAID
(now known as the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade) joining the GPF in 2012.
The World Bank and Development Partners recognize
that good governance is critical to successful develop-
ment and poverty reduction. They are committed to
implementing ambitious governance strategies that
will build more capable and accountable governments
that can deliver services to the poor, promote private
sector-led growth, and effectively tackle corruption.
They believe that by working together more system-
atically in complementary ways, they can have more
impact than through the current plethora of ad hoc
formal and informal partnership arrangements.
Donor understanding of governance has broadened
and deepened significantly over the past decade. It
has gone beyond the frontiers of economic governance
and the management of the economy, and beyond
analyzing and reforming public services and the public
sector. As stated in the World Bank’s GAC Strategy,
governance work now recognizes the importance of
focusing on the “new frontiers” of governance, includ-
ing a better understanding of the political economy of
development and the importance of giving citizens a
voice and a right to information. As the demand for
better government and political accountability grows,
this will create the conditions for faster growth and
poverty reduction.
Despite relatively modest resources, over the past five
years, the GPF has played a major role in facilitating
the implementation of the Bank’s GAC Strategy. With
an appropriate structure in place (see Box 2) and by
working strategically in partnership, the GPF leverages
change in how the Bank carries out its governance
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work and supports promising activities that are start-
ing to yield exciting results in many countries.
Selected GPF results in thematic areas of governance
achieved in the last reporting year (April–May 2013)
include the following.
Moving Forward in the Fragile States Agenda: In
innovative ways, GPF grants have included the demand
and supply side of governance to solve fragility-
related issues. The grants managed to create a holistic
approach that aims to encourage civil society organi-
zations (CSOs), governments, and citizens to mitigate
fragility in countries such as Sierra Leone, Haiti, and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Governance in Extractives Industries: In total, 22 out
of the 126 grants are explicitly targeted at addressing
the unique governance challenges of countries with
significant extractive industry (EI) sectors. These grants
support efforts toward integrating EI concerns into the
Bank’s work and country dialogue. The most successful
interventions appear to be those that couple supply-
and demand-side strategies, allowing progress toward
greater transparency and accountability to be simulta-
neously pursued across several fronts. As evidenced
by more and more governments seeking Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) candidacy/
compliance and in light of the EITI Standard expansion,
there may well be an appetite among even more Bank
clients for initiatives fostering greater transparency and
accountability around extractive industries.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Applications and Tools: The application of informa-
tion and communication technology (ICT) tools opens
new avenues to improve transparency of public sector
management and to strengthen accountability for ser-
vice delivery. Over the past few years, the number of
experiments and pilot efforts to develop mechanisms
and tools to benefit from these new opportunities
has increased enormously. The GPF has supported
several of these innovations, and the results show
promise. GPF support and encouragement has led
to the creation of the Open Development Technology
Alliance (see Figure 1). Most GPF projects that applied
ICT-enabled approaches were targeted at strengthen-
ing the demand side of accountability, while some
aimed to improve governance and accountability in
sectors such as agriculture, health, and education.
Strengthening Institutions of Accountability: GPF
grants have had a substantial impact on strengthening
the capacity of anti-corruption agencies/authorities
and parliaments. Several instruments, such as the
interactive public complaint mechanism, the Anti-
BOX 2. THE GPF STRUCTURE
• Window 1: 20 active grants, budget of
US$45.4 million. Objective: create strong
incentives for leading country teams to imple-
ment programs that rigorously and systemati-
cally address the governance impediments
to development.
US$26 million. Objective: support cutting-
edge governance activities in sectors and
thematic areas; spread best practice examples
of governance in sectors and thematic areas
across client countries; develop approaches
to governance in sectors and thematic areas
that can be used Bank wide and by other
development partners.
US$11.8 million. Objective: stimulate stra-
tegic shared learning from implementation
of innovative governance activities; promote
innovation in measuring results and impact
of governance activities.
US$5.6 million. Objective: strengthen open-
ness and accountability of institutions in the
executive branch of government with a focus
on Public Financial Management (PFM).

1. WHAT IS THE GPF?
3
Corruption Initiative Assessment, and the National
Observatory of Corruption Risks, have been devel-
oped and continue to be used by the anti-corruption
agencies that host them. Eleven projects supporting
access to/right to information, totaling US$2.1 mil-
lion, have helped create 10 legal frameworks (laws,
bills, and task forces) for this key transparency
measure in countries across South Asia, Africa, and
Latin America.
Accountability in Public Financial Management
(PFM): Donor efforts to address governance issues
in client countries rely heavily on PFM reform. This
approach is founded in the fact that efficient PFM
creates effectiveness in government expenditures and
accountability for public resources. In the past year,
GPF-funded grants have supported client countries
and the Bank in strengthening PFM systems. Results
show evidence of improved PFM systems involving
policy makers and non-state actors alike. GPF activi-
ties in Afghanistan, Cameroon, Mongolia, Nigeria,
and Tajikistan are examples of how different stake-
holders from both within and outside the Bank can
come together to form strategic alliances for large
and small PFM projects.
FIGURE 1. Open Development Technology Alliance website home page
Political Economy Analysis: For many years, devel-
opment partners have recognized that the interaction
between political and economic incentives shapes the
reform process—it affects what policies are adopted
and how they impact poverty reduction and shared
growth. At the World Bank, political economy analysis
gained significant momentum after the adoption of
the first GAC Strategy in 2008. As a result of the GPF,
between 2009 and 2013, World Bank teams conducted
more than 200 political economy studies. In addition,
there was greater interaction between staff from the
World Bank and other donor agencies working to
mainstream a political economy perspective into
their operations.
Voice, Accountability, and Demand for Good
Governance: The GPF has funded 42 projects with
a demand-side component at a combined value of
US$16.2 million. This has led to greater accountability
through access-to-information bills, better allocation
of public resources through tools such as the Budget
Transparency Initiative (see Figure 2) and Citizens’
Visible Audits, and the development of websites
and social media platforms like iamtax.org for direct
citizen engagement.

4
FIGURE 2. Budget Transparency Initiative website home page

5
2. The GPF Lessons Learned Series:
A Background
As part of its knowledge and learning activities in
fiscal 2013, the GFP Secretariat is developing a
series of case studies documenting the achievements
and challenges of its most notable grants. This effort
is in line with the monitoring and evaluation plan of
the GPF Secretariat. One of the outlined additional
activities included in the plan—“Evaluations and
Reviews of Individual GPF Projects”—foresees that the
Secretariat (or independent consultants) will assess
specific results of and lessons learned from individual
projects as well as their prospects for sustainability
and potential for scaling up.
The goal of these case studies and evaluations is to
derive useful lessons and draw operational conclu-
sions about what is working and what is not among
the GPF grants. In addition, the case studies may
also contribute to the Bank-wide effort to develop the
“science of delivery,” which systematizes evidence-
based multidisciplinary approaches in program design
and implementation to better achieve development
outcomes. The approach is aimed at addressing
service-delivery failure by better understanding local
implementation problems.
This issue of the GPF Lessons Learned Series1
details
the achievements of and lessons learned from the
“Governance Partnership Facility in Zambia.” The
project was funded through Window 12
of the GPF,
which supports leading World Bank country teams to
implement programs that rigorously and systematically
address the governance impediments to development
in a given country. This publication contains short
background information on Zambia and the Bank’s
engagement in the country (Section 3), an overview
of all GPF-funded activities in Zambia (Section 4),
a series of “Snapshots” with lessons learned from
different components of the grant (Section 5) and a
fully fledged evaluation of the “Accountability through
Community Radio” pilot project, which is part of
Component 1 of the GPF in Zambia (Annex 1).
1 So far, the GPF Secretariat has published a number of issues of the
Lessons Learned Series that present lessons from GPF Window 1 pro-
grams, including those in Mongolia, Kenya, Nigeria, Albania, Tajikistan,
and Cameroon.
2 For an overview of the different GPF Windows, please refer to page 2
of this report.

7
3. Zambia: Country Context
Zambia, which gained inde-
pendence in 1964, is riding
on a number of successes. It
has experienced five success-
ful multiparty elections since
1991. The peaceful general
election in September 2011
strengthened the country’s
democratic credentials and
underscored its enormous eco-
nomic potential grounded in
a rich endowment of natural
resources, which include land
and water.
Zambia has achieved an aver-
age annual growth of about
5.7 percent during the past
decade as a result of a combina-
tion of prudent macroeconomic
management, market liberalization and privatization
efforts, investments in the copper industry and related
infrastructure, and a steep increase in copper prices.
Zambia was among the 10 fastest-growing economies
of Sub-Saharan Africa in 2012. Fast growth has enabled
it to attain lower middle-income country status with a
nominal per capita income of US$1,299 (2011).3
However, Zambia is also presented with difficult
development challenges. Economic growth has not
significantly reduced poverty levels. Sixty percent
of the population lives below the poverty line and
42 percent are considered to be in extreme poverty.
Moreover, the absolute number of poor has increased
from about 6 million in 1991 to 7.9 million in 2010,
primarily due to population growth. The economy
3 Source: World Bank. 2013. Zambia—Country Partnership Strategy for
the Period FY13–FY16. Washington, DC: World Bank.
is largely undiversified and mainly dependent on
copper, with economic activity mostly concentrated
in the urban areas. Income distribution is unequal
and on several development dimensions, the country
performs the same or worse than many low-income
countries.
Zambia is also lagging behind on a number of targets
of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly
those on extreme poverty and maternal and child
mortality. Institutional capacity remains weak, and
according to recent public sector governance surveys,
such as the Worldwide Governance Indicators and
Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions
Index where Zambia ranked 91st out of 153 coun-
tries, the country’s governance challenges need to
be addressed.4
4 Source: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/zambia/overview.
Mafinga Hills
(2301 m)
Kaulishishi
(1420 m)
Machechete
(1488 m)
Mulonga
Plain
Busanga
Swamp
Lukanga
Swamp
M
uching
a
M
ts.
Mumbwa
Mutanda
Mwinilunga
Namwala
KafueMazabuka
Kaema
Pokuma
Senkobo
Kalomo
Choma
Bowwood
Pemba
Chirundu
KaribaShangombo
Kasempa
Chisasa
Chingola
Kapiri Mposhi
Rufunsa
Old Mkushi
Mkushi
Nyimba
Petauke
Mfuwe
Mpika
Chambeshi
Kope
Chembe
Samfya
Luwingu
Mpulungu
Mbala
Sumbu
MwenzoNchelenge
Kaputa
Kawambwa
Mporokoso
Mufulira
Mwanya
Chisomo
Katete
Serenje
Lubungu
Kawana
Mavua
Luampa
Kalabo
Senanga
Kabompo
Manyinga
Lukulu
Zambezi
Chavuma
Mulobezi
Kataba
Malundano
Sesheke
Sitoti S O U T H E R N
C E N T R A L
N O R T H E R N
E A S T E R N
W E S T E R N
N O R T H -
W E S T E R N
C O P P E R -
B E L T
LUA
PU
LA
L U S A K A
Kabwe
Livingstone
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ANGOLA
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO
TANZANIA
MALAWI
ZIMBABWE
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
MOZAMBIQUE
MOZAMBIQUE
To
Caianda
To
Lumbala
To
Lutembo
To
Chiume
To
Ngoma
To
Mpandamatenga
To
Matetsi
To
Harare
To
Cahora Bassa
To
Lubumbashi
To Mokambo
To
Sumbawanga
To
Mbeya
To
Karonga
To
Mzuzu
To
Lilongwe
To
Furancungo
S O U T H E R N
C E N T R A L
N O R T H E R N
M U C H I N G A
E A S T E R N
W E S T E R N
N O R T H -
W E S T E R N
C O P P E R -
B E L T
LUA
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L U S A K A
Mumbwa
Mutanda
Mwinilunga
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KafueMazabuka
Kaema
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Kalomo
Choma
Bowwood
Pemba
Chirundu
KaribaShangombo
Kasempa
Chisasa
Chingola
Kapiri Mposhi
Rufunsa
Old Mkushi
Mkushi
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Mfuwe
Mpika
Chambeshi
Kope
Chembe
Samfya
Luwingu
Mpulungu
Mbala
Sumbu
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Kaputa
Kawambwa
Mporokoso
Mufulira
Mwanya
Chisomo
Katete
Serenje
Luangwa
Lubungu
Kawana
Mavua
Luampa
Kalabo
Senanga
Kabompo
Manyinga
Lukulu
Zambezi
Chavuma
Mulobezi
Kataba
Malundano
Sesheke
Sitoti
Kabwe
Livingstone
Mongu
Solwezi
Ndola
Chipata
Mansa
Kasama
Chinsali
LUSAKA
ANGOLA
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO
TANZANIA
MALAWI
ZIMBABWE
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
MOZAMBIQUE
MOZAMBIQUE
Zambezi
Lunga
Lunsemfwa
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Kafue
Cu
ando
Lungwebu
ngu
Kafu
e
Lake
Bangwelu
Lake
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Lake
Mweru
Lake
Tanganyika
Lake
Kariba
Lake
MalawiTo
Caianda
To
Lumbala
To
Lutembo
To
Chiume
To
Ngoma
To
Mpandamatenga
To
Matetsi
To
Harare
To
Cahora Bassa
To
Lubumbashi
To Mokambo
To
Sumbawanga
To
Mbeya
To
Karonga
To
Mzuzu
To
Lilongwe
To
Furancungo
Mulonga
Plain
Busanga
Swamp
Lukanga
Swamp
M
uching
a
M
ts.
Mafinga Hills
(2301 m)
Kaulishishi
(1420 m)
Machechete
(1488 m)
22E 26E 30E
22E 26E 30E
12S
16S 16S
8S 8S
12S
ZAMBIA
0 15010050
0 50 100 150 Miles
200 Kilometers
IBRD33514R
FEBRUARY2014
ZAMBIA
CITIES AND TOWNS
PROVINCE CAPITALS
NATIONAL CAPITAL
RIVERS
MAIN ROADS
RAILROADS
PROVINCE BOUNDARIES
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES
This map was produced by the Map Design Unit of The World Bank.
The boundaries, colors, denominations and any other information
shown on this map do not imply, on the part of The World Bank
Group, any judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any
endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
GSDPMMap Design Unit

8
World Bank Engagement
in Zambia
The World Bank is working with the Government of
Zambia, development partners, civil society, and other
relevant stakeholders to tackle the above-mentioned
challenges. The World Bank’s Country Partnership
Strategy5
(CPS) for Zambia for fiscal 2013–16 is the
main document defining the priorities of the Bank’s
engagement over the next four years. The CPS is
closely aligned with the Zambian government’s own
development agenda through its Vision 2030 and
Zambia’s National Development Plans.
5 Source: World Bank. 2013. Zambia—Country Partnership Strategy for
the Period FY13–FY16. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Through the CPS, in a country that displays both
low-income and middle-income characteristics, the
World Bank supports three objectives that speak to
the dual nature of Zambia’s development challenges
and opportunities by recognizing the importance of
governance and strong institutions. These objec-
tives are: (i) reducing poverty and the vulnerability
of the poor; (ii) improving competitiveness and
infrastructure for growth and employment; and
(iii) improving governance and strengthening eco-
nomic management.6
6 Source: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContent
Server/WDSP/IB/2013/04/05/000350881_20130405104746/Rendered/PDF/
750890CORRIGEN0IC00IDA0R20130002703.pdf.

9
4. The GPF in Zambia: Main Results
There is recognition within the Government of Zambia
that accountability, transparency, and good governance
remain the cornerstones for prudent management of
public affairs and provide the enabling environment
for private sector development and for development
outcomes to benefit the people of Zambia. As a result,
the objective of the GPF in Zambia is to assist the
government in maximizing the development impact
of its programs and policies by implementing initia-
tives that support increased accountability for results,
greater transparency and access to information, more
effective oversight over development programs, and
enhanced citizen voice and participation. This is in
line with the third objective of the Bank’s strategy for
Zambia mentioned in the previous section, namely,
“improving governance and strengthening economic
management.”
The GPF in Zambia was funded through a US$2 million
Window 1 grant. Implementation began in 2009, and
all activities will be finalized by February 2015. Five
individual components (child trust funds) have been
established to manage the range of activities being
supported under the grant, with the following goals:
(i) Strengthen demand for good governance
(DFGG). The main development objective is to
improve public accountability at the local level
in selected districts and sectors (Component 1).
(ii) Increase accountability. The main develop-
ment objective is to contribute to improving
accountability of the government to citizens
through freedom-of-information legislation
(Component 2).
(iii) Improve governance in the road sector by
supporting the efficiency of the Roads Devel-
opment Authority (RDA) Integrity Committee,
generating information and data, and strength-
ening audit mechanisms (Component 3).
(iv) Increase the efficiency of mineral revenues
collection and investment. The main aim is
to enable increased transparency of mineral-
related revenues as well as increased efficiency
of public investment (Component 4).
(v) Support the implementation of the Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) with
the objective of disclosing mineral-related rev-
enues to the general public to limit occurrences
of fraud and corruption (Component 5).
4.1 Component 1: Strengthen
DFGG in Zambia
Traditionally, the World Bank has focused on work-
ing primarily with state actors and institutions (the
“supply-side”) in its attempt to support development
and public management reforms around the world.
But in the past decade, there has been a realization
that, in and of itself, the interaction with state actors
is insufficient to bring about development. There is a
tendency to assume, rather optimistically, that govern-
ments want and need help to honestly and effectively
deliver development. Development practitioners have
increasingly shifted focus to engaging citizens, civil
society, and other non-state actors (the “demand-side”)
with the aim of holding government accountable for
its actions7
(Box 3).
The Bank’s support to DFGG is grounded in the recog-
nition that institutional reforms will be most effective
when supported by genuine demand from an informed
citizenry. Strengthening this demand is one of the
main objectives of the GPF in Zambia. As a whole,
42 of the 126 GPF projects include DFGG initiatives.
The main objective of the DFGG component of the
GPF in Zambia is to improve public accountability at
7 Source: WDR 2004 Accountability Framework.

10
the local level in selected districts/sectors, build on
existing initiatives or mechanisms, and strengthen
them. In line with the government’s own priorities,
the underlying objective of the Bank’s citizen engage-
ment is to strengthen public service delivery.
Key results of the DFGG component of the GPF in
Zambia include the following.
Support for investigative journalism: An empowered
and well-informed media can create strong incentives
for accountability. The Zambian Informed Journal-
ism Project designed and delivered training for 60
journalists on basic investigative skills and good
practices over two successive years. The resulting
publications, “Truth-Seekers: A Collection of Stories
from Zambia’s Investigative Journalists” and “Truth-
Seekers II,” have changed the conversation about
journalism in the country and created momentum
for reform. In 2012, the project received the World
Bank African Region Vice-Presidency Award. For more
details on this project, see Snapshot 1, “Supporting
the Development of Watchdog Media,” on page 16 of
this publication.
Political Economy Analysis: An important political
economy analysis (PEA) was conducted with GPF
support to inform the current World Bank Strategy
for Zambia for the period 2013–16. The study shaped
the decision to include a dedicated foundational
objective in the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS)
related to governance, namely Objective 3, “Improving
governance and economic management” and its two
related outcomes, “Strengthened systems and processes
for public sector performance” and “Citizen’s access to
information increased.” Other GPF-supported PEAs
not only provided realistic assessments of achievable
outcomes in sectors, but also formed the basis for
dialogue with government and helped align priori-
ties, such as the move toward more engagement with
civil society, media, and public debate. A synthesis
of the lessons learned from political economy studies
done in Zambia was also published as a World Bank
working paper.8
Support to local accountability in three selected
districts: The GPF provided funding for the imple-
mentation of the Accountability through Community
Radio (AtCR) pilot that sought to improve the flow
of information and feedback between citizens, civil
society, and duty bearers,9
all with a view to improv-
ing governance and public-service delivery. The AtCR
project helped community radio stations run weekly
interactive governance and rural development talk
shows with content driven by and representative of
the community’s concerns. When the AtCR project
was completed in March 2013, the World Bank com-
missioned an evaluation, the results of which can be
found in the annex of this report on page 39. More
concise information about the AtCR project can be
found in Snapshot 2, “Can Information and Com-
munication Technology Enabled Feedback Improve
Service Delivery? A Case Study of the Accountability
through Community Radio (AtCR) Pilot in Zambia.”
Applying a demand-side governance filter in the
Bank’s Zambia portfolio: This subcomponent resulted
8 The publication, “Political Economy Studies: Are They Actionable? Some
Lessons from Zambia” is available online at http://elibrary.worldbank.org/
doi/pdf/10.1596/1813-9450-5656.
9 “Duty bearers” refers to persons occupying civil service or elected
positions with a duty to public service.
BOX 3. DEMAND FOR GOOD
GOVERNANCE
There is a growing recognition worldwide that
citizen involvement is critical for enhancing demo-
cratic governance, improving service delivery, and
fostering empowerment. Demand for Good Gov-
ernance (DFGG) refers to the ability of citizens,
civil society organizations, and other non-state
actors to hold the state accountable and make
it responsive to their needs.
DFGG encompasses initiatives that focus on
citizens as the ultimate stakeholders and include
activities relating to information disclosure,
demystification, and dissemination; beneficiary/
user participation and consultation; complaints
handling; and independent and/or participatory
monitoring. DFGG aims to strengthen the capac-
ity of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
the media, local communities, and the private
sector to hold authorities accountable for better
development results. DFGG mechanisms can be
initiated and supported by the state, citizens, or
both, but very often they are demand-driven and
operate from the bottom up.
Source: World Bank.

4. THE GPF IN ZAMBIA: MAIN RESULTS
11
in a comprehensive review of the application of
DFGG mechanisms in Bank projects in Zambia. The
review analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of
these mechanisms in the lending portfolio and pro-
vided broad recommendations for improvement. Its
findings were considered in the formulation of the
CPS and have informed the Bank’s current non-state
actor engagement in Zambia. The Africa Core Opera-
tions Department of the World Bank published the
review, which has been widely disseminated within
the Bank. For more details about this subcomponent,
please refer to Snapshot 3, “Assessing the Evidence:
Lessons from a Stocktaking of DFGG Mechanisms in
the Zambia Project Portfolio.”
Communication for reform: This pilot helps Bank
teams improve the ways in which their knowledge
work is used to inform public opinion. The project
has directly impacted the way in which economic
data, in the form of the World Bank’s biannual Eco-
nomic Brief produced by the Zambia Country Office,
is disseminated. This subcomponent has resulted in
greater engagement of the Bank with Zambian soci-
ety in a way that informs public opinion. A detailed
overview of the achievements of the pilot is presented
in Snapshot 4, “How Can World Bank Knowledge
Work be Used to Inform Public Debate? A Case Study
of the Communication for Reform Pilot in Zambia,”
on page 26 of this publication.
4.2 Component 2: Increasing
Accountability
The Bank’s 2007 Governance and Anti-Corruption
(GAC) Strategy underlined the importance of trans-
parency in good governance. It pointed out that
citizens and media that have access to information
on the operation of state institutions are crucial for
fostering accountability. This component of the GPF
in Zambia aimed at improving accountability of the
government toward citizens through three subcom-
ponents as detailed below.
Access to Information: Over the past two decades,
the number of countries with right-to-information
(RTI) laws, also known as freedom-of-information
and access-to-information (ATI) laws, has exploded
(see Box 4). In 1990, only 13 countries had right-to-
information laws, all of them Western liberal democ-
racies. By 2012, this number had risen to more than
90. Most of the new adopters are countries in Eastern
Europe, Asia, Latin America, and, most recently,
Africa and the Middle East—countries with diverse
political histories, difficult governance environments,
and persistent development challenges.10
In Zambia, the GPF has had a major impact on the ATI
campaign and the sensitization of officials. This led to
the rewriting of the bill, which was promised 24 years
ago, when in 1990 Zambia reverted to democratic rule.
In addition, through the GPF, the Bank played the role
of facilitator by helping a coalition interested in ATI
deepen its understanding of the subject and broaden
its appeal beyond media-focused nongovernmental
organizations. Since then, civil society representatives
have been engaged as key voices on the Ministry of
Information’s ATI taskforce, which had the specific
mandate of preparing the ATI bill. For more details on
the GPF and ATI in Zambia, please see Snapshot 5,
“Supporting Civil Society to Engage with Government
in an Informed Manner: A Case Study of Support to
Zambian Coalitions on Procurement, Extractives, and
Access to Information,” on page 31 of this publication.
Piloting the External Implementation Status and
Results Report Plus (E-ISR+): E-ISR+ is a feed-
back, transparency, and accountability tool for the
World Bank. The Implementation Status and Results
10 Source: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PUBLICSECTORAND
GOVERNANCE/Resources/285741-1343934891414/8787489-1344020463266/
RTI-IPP-Web-Final.pdf.
BOX 4. THE GPF AND THE RIGHT TO
INFORMATION
Right-to-information laws, also known as freedom-
of-information and access-to-information (ATI)
laws, are laws that establish citizens’ “right” to
have access to public information or that opera-
tionalize such a right found in the constitution.
In the past five years, the GPF has funded 11 proj-
ects supporting access to/right to information,
totaling US$2.1 million. These projects have had
an influence on or contributed to the drafting
or passage of 10 legal frameworks (laws, bills,
or task forces) in countries across South Asia,
Africa, and Latin America.
Source: GPF Annual Report 2013.

12
Report, instituted in 2005, is an internal reporting
tool on project-implementation progress. In 2010, the
Implementation Status and Results Report process
incorporated E-ISR+ as a new pilot effort, designed
to incorporate the views of beneficiaries and bring
key stakeholders and civil society into the project
monitoring and evaluation process. E-ISR+ is intended
to disclose current project information to external
stakeholders, obtain feedback from non-state players
on project progress and results, and systematically
reflect external feedback in implementation reporting.11
The GPF supported the piloting of the E-ISR+ in
Zambia, which has been carried out during 2011–13.
Using the tool was acknowledged as a good practice—it
won an award from the World Bank’s Africa Region
Vice-Presidency—and was extended to the entire
Zambia portfolio in 2011. The E-ISR+ approach is
currently being adapted, together with the World Bank
Institute, to include an ICT component that would
ensure regular and objective beneficiary feedback
and follow-up.
Political Economy Analysis on Decentralization:
In 2010, following the approval in 2009 of the Decen-
tralization Implementation Plan for Zambia, the GPF
financed an update on a PEA that studied the readiness
of local governments to implement the plan. The study
resulted in some recommendations on how to best
support the implementation of the decentralization
plan. For example, the study suggests that the Bank
and other donors should promote policy dialogue and
demonstrate the advantages of decentralization in the
provision of services in order to sensitize the public
and officials in the ministries targeted for devolution.
These findings have since been absorbed into ongoing
technical assistance that the Bank is providing to the
Government of Zambia regarding local government
indebtedness.
4.3 Component 3: Improving
Governance in the Road Sector
The main aim of this component is to improve gov-
ernance in the road sector in Zambia by supporting
the efficiency of the Integrity Committee of the RDA,
generating information and data, and strengthening
11 Source: http://imagebank.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/
IW3P/IB/2013/03/14/000356161_20130314162109/Rendered/PDF/759850
ESW0Whit00PUBLIC00Citizen0web.pdf.
audit mechanisms. This has been accomplished by
supporting the following.
An institutional assessment of RDA with a focus on
potential policy recommendations: The study has led
to the identification of institutional weaknesses and has
informed the World Bank on how such weaknesses can
be addressed. The recommendations were presented
to the management of the RDA and its Integrity Com-
mittee. They were subsequently taken up by World
Bank task team leaders responsible for managing road
projects in Zambia and by the RDA itself.
A third-party monitoring pilot: This second sub-
component has resulted in the Good Governance
in Roads Project (GGRP), which focuses on raising
the capacity of civil society and journalists for more
informed involvement and monitoring of the road
sector in Zambia. The GGRP kicked off with a week-
long training session in July 2013 for 30 participants
from the media and civil society organizations (CSOs)
from across Zambia. The training’s main objective
was to improve the participants’ understanding of
the road sector and facilitate joint action between
them and the RDA to improve roads in Zambia. More
details on the results achieved so far can be found in
Snapshot 6, “Can Partnerships Between Government
and Civil Society Improve Outcomes in the Road Sec-
tor?” on page 35 of this publication.
4.4 Component 4: Supporting the
Efficiency of Mineral Revenue
Collection and Investment
This component of the GPF in Zambia has resulted
in two important analytical pieces: a diagnostic study
on public investment management and a political
economy study of mining. The PEA paper is an analysis
of the agents and their stances on taxation issues in
the Zambian copper industry. Drawing on literature
on mineral taxation in developing countries, the study
discusses the positive and normative aspects of the
recently installed mineral tax regime.
A third subcomponent focused on supporting a coali-
tion of CSOs, which engaged in sensitization activities
around the EITI (see Box 5). The coalition serves as
an extractives watch group of CSOs, which uses the
newly available information on mining for monitoring
industry performance. More details on the results of

4. THE GPF IN ZAMBIA: MAIN RESULTS
13
this CSO engagement can be found in Snapshot 3,
“Supporting Civil Society to Engage with Government
in an Informed Manner: A Case Study of Support to
Zambian Coalitions on Procurement, Extractives, and
Access to Information.”
4.5 Component 5: Supporting
EITI Implementation
One of the key areas for which the GPF has received
significant demand is in the management of natural
resources, particularly in the oil, gas, and mining
sectors. The current “resource boom,” driven by high
commodity prices and increased demand from emerg-
ing economies, is shining the spotlight on issues of
transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness. The
GPF has funded 17 initiatives related to the extractive
industries, accounting for nearly US$15 million. The
majority of grant-financed activities are in Africa,
and around half of all projects are linked to greater
transparency in the sector, including supporting EITI
implementation.
In Zambia, Africa’s largest producer and exporter of
copper and cobalt, the GPF has had a major impact
on the EITI process, culminating in the country reach-
ing EITI compliance in 2012. Zambia became the
15th EITI compliant country and the first in the East,
Central, and Southern Africa region. EITI compliance
means that the country has an effective process for
annual disclosure and reconciliation of all revenues
from its extractives sector, allowing citizens to see
how much their country receives from oil, gas, and
mining companies.
GPF funds supported the implementation of EITI
through the establishment of the EITI Secretariat,
which continues to exist since the closing of the fund.
Several public awareness events were organized on
mining taxes, and mining taxation data was released to
the public for the first time, as is required for compli-
ance with the EITI. This produced an unprecedented
public debate.
4.6 Moving Forward
As can be seen from the above, the GPF activities
have yielded several innovative pilots and a number
of publications. Over the next months, it is expected
that these initiatives will continue to demonstrate
their influence on World Bank projects, particularly
where there is high willingness on the part of Bank
Task Team Leaders to engage on governance issues.
A number of other development partners have also
used the World Bank pilots to inform their own work
and determine their subsequent funding focuses. The
United Kingdom Department for International Devel-
opment, for example, is launching a large media trust
fund that has gathered much of its design insights
from the GPF investigative journalism work. In terms
of sustained governance structures within the Bank,
one staff position is currently funded under the GPF,
and when the GPF ceases, this position will continue
to be funded. It is worth noting that this Governance
Advisor position would not have existed without GPF.
Further details of possible next steps are outlined in
the following individual snapshot notes.
BOX 5. EITI EXPLAINED
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initia-
tive (EITI) is a global coalition of governments,
companies, and civil society, working together
to improve openness and accountable manage-
ment of revenues from natural resources. The EITI
maintains the EITI Standard. Countries imple-
ment the EITI Standard to ensure full disclosure
of taxes and other payments made by oil, gas,
and mining companies to governments. These
payments are disclosed in an annual EITI report.
This report allows citizens to see for themselves
how much their government is receiving from
their country’s natural resources.
Source: EITI website.

15
5. The GPF in Zambia in Six Snapshots
This section presents the lessons learned from six
selected subcomponents of the GPF in Zambia in
the form of “Snapshots,” as listed below.
Snapshot 1: An explanation of the development of
watchdog media in Zambia.
Snapshot 2: An introduction to the community radio
project, whose results are discussed in the annex.
Snapshot 3: A Stocktaking of Demand for Good
Governance (DFGG) Mechanisms in the Zambia
Project Portfolio.
Snapshot 4: An explanation of how Bank knowledge
products, such as economic briefs, can be used to
inform public debate.
Snapshot 5: A discussion on how the World Bank can
support civil society to engage with the Government
of Zambia in an informed manner on issues such
as procurement, extractive industries, and access to
information.
Snapshot 6: A case study of the Good Governance in
Roads Project (GGRP), which sought to foster part-
nerships between the government and civil society
to improve outcomes in the road sector.
All snapshots were prepared by Kate Bridges, Public
Sector Specialist at the World Bank, with inputs by
Victoria Cabral, Consultant, on Snapshot 5.

16
GPF Snapshot 1
Supporting the Development of Watchdog Media
Building Journalistic Capacity
in Zambia
Dates: April 2011–June 2013
The Intervention
The overall aim of this initiative was to increase
the quality of informed journalism in the Zambian
media, thereby improving the ability of citizens to
hold government and service providers accountable.
The World Bank has offered journalism training pro-
grams in the past, so the team was aware that one
of the key challenges in the Zambian environment
is encouraging journalists to implement their new
skills, post-training.
The focus of this pilot was not just to build journalistic
capacity, but also to incentivize the trainees to remain
engaged beyond the training period itself. With this
in mind, the activity was carried out during 2011–12
in three stages.
The Results
The main outcomes of this pilot include:
1. Measurable improvements in the journalistic
skills of those who attended the training.
2. Increased number of investigative articles in
the media, including:
• “Lobbyists and the Fight to Control Zambia’s
Tobacco Politics”
• “Is Public Education Teetering on the Brink
of Collapse?”
• “CDF—Questions of Local Ownership and
Accountability”
• “An Appalling Water and Sanitation Situation
in Zambia”
Stage Components
1. Application
and training
In April 2011 and April 2012, Zambian journalists were invited to apply for the training
offered by the World Bank and were selected based on the relevance of submitted articles
and the content of their applications. The emphasis was on selecting the most passionate
and promising candidates. A prominent investigative trainer held a week-long session on
informed journalism skills and principles.
2. Submission
and publication
After the training, each journalist had three months to research, complete, and publish an
in-depth piece of journalism demonstrating their newly acquired skills. They each received
close mentoring during this time. As an added incentive, the journalists’ articles were featured
in a book, which was unveiled in Lusaka.
3. Competition
and internship
The submitted articles/television/radio programs were judged by a panel of experts. The
two journalists that were judged to have produced the best examples from the perspective
of informed journalism were offered a media internship. For three months, they spent time
improving their skills alongside world-renowned investigative departments in the United
Kingdom and South Africa, thus becoming recognized outside Zambia for their work.
Runners-up attended world-renowned journalism conferences.
TABLE 1. Project stages and components

5. THE GPF IN ZAMBIA IN SIX SNAPSHOTS
17
• “The Availability of Medicines in Public
Health Institutions”
3. Increased marketability of journalists under-
taking investigative journalism.
4. Development of mutually beneficial networks
and contacts between the World Bank and
Zambian media.
5. Publication of “Truth-Seekers: A Collection of
Stories from Zambia’s Investigative Journalists”
and “Truth-Seekers II” (Figures 1 and 2), which
changed the conversation on journalism in the
country and created momentum for reform.
It is also worth noting that after each publicity/
awards event, there were numerous press reports
on the need for Zambia to improve its journalistic
capacity, the independence of its media, and the
quality of reporting. The events were widely reported
across the media, in print, radio, and on TV. Some
of the winners of the competitions have since gone
on to hold prestigious positions in both state and
independent media houses.
Perhaps even more promising has been the fact that a
core of the trained journalists has shown an interest in
creating an investigative center in Zambia. The World
Bank has put them in contact with similar centers in the
Philippines, South Africa, and London, as well as with
the Global Investigative Journalism Network. They are
now at the stage of developing a robust concept. Time
will tell if these effects are emblematic of sustained
reform, but initial signs are certainly promising.
Success Factors
• Addressing incentives: The project picked the
most passionate and motivated candidates. It
incentivized trainees to put their skills into practice
by offering an internship for winning assignments.
• Not just a one-off training: One-off training
tends to have a limited effect and so this project
sought to supplement the training with a more
sustained process of mentoring as well as an
internship component.
• Linking supply and demand: This project made
specific attempts to work with stakeholders on the
FIGURE 1. Cover of the 2011 investigative
reporting publication
FIGURE 2. Cover of the 2012 investigative
reporting publication

18
supply and demand side as it relates to journalism.
This meant ensuring “buy-in” from media house
heads prior to sending out the initial advertise-
ments for the training/competition.
• Responding to the enabling environment: It was
important for the team to opportunistically use
the awards events. For example, given the recent
change in government and some high-profile
statements by the Minister of Information regard-
ing the need for more professional, nonpartisan
media, the World Bank team decided to frame
the 2011 publicity event much more broadly as
“A celebration of the practice and potential of
Zambian journalism.”
• Engaging local journalist mentors to support
the trained journalists during the assignment.
• Bringing in content managers: There was
increased engagement with the journalists’ super-
visors and content managers, achieved by inviting
them to a half-day training with an international
expert to hear about the journalists’ training in
and learn how they can support investigative
journalism in the workplace.
• Smart partnerships: The project greatly benefit-
ted from collaborations with the Mail & Guardian
Centre for Investigative Journalism in South Africa
and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in
London. Both provided three-month internships
to the best-performing journalists.
• Assessing and monitoring: The project team
conducted various focus group discussions and
ran online surveys with Zambian media practi-
tioners to: (i) inform the design of the program
and (ii) assess the impact of the intervention.
“Journalists need their capacities strength-
ened and enhanced with adequate materials
and trainings. Though this is not enough,
there is need for more media houses that
are not government-owned, are there for the
public’s interests, and tackle key development
issues. Freelancers also need a body that can
support them and promote their works.”
—Zambian Journalist,
Survey Respondent 2013

19
GPF Snapshot 2
Can Information and Communication Technology
Enabled Feedback Improve Service Delivery?
A Case Study of the Accountability
through Community Radio Pilot
in Zambia
Dates: June 2011–March 2013
The Intervention
The Accountability through Community Radio (AtCR)
pilot uses a combination of SMS technologies and com-
munity radio to: (i) provide information on governance
and rural service delivery issues to rural communities
and (ii) create direct means of engagement between
communities and their service providers/public officials.
The project pilots innovative ways in which radio audi-
ences and presenters/panelists can interact with one
another. Combining mobile phones and FrontlineSMS
software—a free open source software used by a variety
of organizations to distribute and collect information via
text messages (SMS)—local constituents are able to ask
direct questions, take part in polls, and receive immedi-
ate feedback via text while the radio shows are on air.
To ensure that it achieves the goals outlined above,
each weekly show aims to incorporate three elements:
1. Disseminate
Provide information on community entitlements and
content of policies that affect local constituents.
2. Gather
Gather feedback from communities on their receipt of
entitlements, concerns with service delivery, and questions/
concerns on policies that affect their lives.
3. Follow-up
Encourage service providers and public officials to improve
service delivery based on audience feedback.
The World Bank’s role was to provide training in
presentation, research, and technology skills; convene
stakeholders (radio, citizens, civil society organiza-
tions (CSOs), public officials, and service providers);
and cover the costs associated with research, pro-
duction, and the sending of reminders to listeners.
The Results
The project is completed and its evaluation can be
found in the annex of this report. Some positive find-
ings from the review include the following.
A radio show can increase the number of people
accessing services to which they are entitled.
• Example: For some time, the Chifwebe clinic in
Mkushi has been trying to encourage greater male
involvement in activities related to the preven-
tion of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of
HIV. But statistics for couples coming to use this
service remained low: between one and seven
couples per month for January–June 2012. After
Mkushi Community Radio Station aired a show
that highlighted citizen entitlements and services
in relation to PMTCT and asked for citizen feed-
back as to how they were making use of these
services, this same clinic saw an increase in the
number of couples coming to avail themselves
of their PMTCT services. More than 50 couples
attended the clinic in the month after the show
aired.
SMS interactions prove to be an effective channel
for sensitive issues.
• Example: During a radio show that highlighted
services related to gender-based violence, the
Mkushi Victim Support Unit saw a significant
increase in the number of cases reported. The
SMS feature on the radio show was considered to
be a significant factor in the increased response
because it ensured anonymity of the responders.

20
Local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have
been using the radio show to better connect citizens
with services.
• Example: One of Zambia’s largest gender advocacy
NGOs—the NGO Coordinating Council—testifies
that the show has enabled it to provide a much
faster and more targeted response when it comes
to providing assistance on gender-based violence
cases. Its ability to provide advice and informa-
tion to victims was previously inhibited by the
cost and time required to respond to requests for
help or to distribute information.
Government officials are making good on promises.
• Example: Mosi-o-Tunya Community Radio aired
an AtCR show that highlighted the poor state of
sanitation in the Potters Market in Livingstone.
The radio station managed to get Zambia’s vice
president on its show. He subsequently promised
a substantial donation to improve sanitation in
the markets.
Challenges
Often, there are significant challenges with the use
of information and communication technology and
community radio in a rural/peri-urban setting. Table 1
provides a list of some of the challenges faced by the
AtCR pilot.
Going Forward
The evaluation showed that there were a number
of instances where the radio show can be shown
to have had a positive impact on service provision.
Nonetheless, these instances were anecdotal, and the
public was still not confident about their ability to
bring about change through interactions with duty
bearers. Governance and behavior change initiatives
often show results and impacts over the long term.
For the project to mature and realize the contributions
it made to service delivery, it would need to run for
a minimum of three years.
Challenge Description
Political
interference
Community radio stations are often utilized by savvy politicians to promote a certain political
agenda. One of the stations that the project initially began working with had to be dropped
from the pilot when it became apparent that it had become heavily compromised by virtue of
substantial political funds and political members on its board.
Quality of
information
Community radio staff tend to have fairly basic journalism skills and few resources with which
to ensure that they adequately research a topic. The project tried to supplement this by
linking the radio station more closely with CSOs that could help journalists create content,
but there is still a long way to go. The information being disseminated often suffers from poor
research and bias.
Poor
infrastructure
All of the stations involved in the pilot suffer from issues common to rural communities: poor
Internet connections, frequent power cuts, and weak telephone signals.
Radio station
skills and
resources
Because staff at community radio stations typically have very low levels of training, this pilot
has tried to offer supplemental training in presentation, technology, and research skills. The
problem is that as soon as staff become well-trained, they tend to start searching for a more
lucrative jobs.
Information and
communication
technology skills
Although FrontlineSMS is considered to be a relatively simple, easy-to-grasp SMS software,
many of the community radio staff struggled to get a handle with it. As a result, additional
training beyond what was initially thought to be sufficient was needed.
Follow-up The shows have proven to be better at disseminating data and receiving feedback from
citizens than they have been at ensuring follow-up on the issues raised. Follow-up needs to
improve if citizens are to avoid becoming disillusioned with the process.
TABLE 1. Challenges with the use of information and communication technology in rural settings

21
GPF Snapshot 3
Assessing the Evidence
Lessons from a Stocktaking of
DFGG Mechanisms in the Zambia
Project Portfolio
Dates: 2011–12
The Background
Given the potential benefits of multistakehold-
er engagement for improved delivery of public
services, it has become increasingly clear that a
greater commitment to DFGG activities is desirable
for the World Bank. A number of recent World Bank
speeches and papers strongly assert this point. It is
also common nowadays to hear Bank promises of
improved engagement with non-state actors being
referenced at the highest level of management and
reiterated within major policy papers. What is not
quite so well established or discussed, however, is
the significance of the organizational shift that is
required or the challenges faced when attempting
to translate DFGG commitments from rhetoric into
practice. As a result, the question that needs to be
asked is: How smoothly is this high-level discourse
translating into practice? And what challenges is it
encountering along the way?
The Aim
The aim of the World Bank paper, “Avoiding Tokenism
in DFGG Activities: Lessons from World Bank-financed
Lending Projects in Zambia,” and the underlying
report, “Stocktaking of DFGG Mechanisms in the Zam-
bia Project Portfolio—A Review of DFGG Mechanisms
in 9 World Bank Zambia Lending Projects,” was to
answer the above question. It identifies the current
strengths and weaknesses of DFGG mechanisms in
the Zambia lending portfolio. Specifically, the goal
is to identify within each project the existing mecha-
nisms of transparency and information, participation
and consultation, monitoring and oversight, and
capacity-enhancement that contribute to improving
a non-state actor’s ability to engage with the state.
In addition, the report aimed at providing broad
recommendations for future improvement as well
as identifying areas for future pilot interventions.
The relevance of this Zambian case study is that it
demonstrates some of the particular challenges of
trying to move DFGG commitments from “paper to
practice.” As evidenced, the complexity of the shift
should not be underestimated.
The Method
The paper is based on an evaluation of the Zam-
bian lending portfolio carried out in early 2011. The
desk-based evaluation utilized various World Bank
documentation—project appraisal documents, project

22
implementation plans, operational manuals, perfor-
mance frameworks, environmental and social impact
assessments, aide memoires, mission documents,
project evaluations, midterm reviews, and special
studies on governance and accountability—as pri-
mary sources of information. The data gathered via
documentary analysis was further verified through
in-depth interviews with task team leaders and through
perceptions of beneficiaries using the beneficiary
feedback mechanism, External Implementation Status
and Results Reports Plus (E-ISR+). Nine projects
were considered in total. Each project was assessed
for DFGG mechanisms in the following four catego-
ries: transparency and information, participation and
consultation, monitoring and oversight, and capacity
enhancement. The established mechanisms were
then considered according to a set of four criteria:
effectiveness, efficiency, inclusiveness, and sustain-
ability (see Table 1).
The Findings
The findings of the paper were organized around six of
the main contributors to current successes and failures
regarding the Zambian portfolio’s DFGG activities.
1. Organizational Commitment
The study found that there was a preference for abstract,
non-specific language around commitments to trans-
parency and accountability. The abstraction around
language is sometimes compounded by a reluctance
to make DFGG mechanisms a requirement. Several
task team leaders have observed that unless something
is explicitly required in project documentation, it is
unlikely to be effectively undertaken by implementing
partners. A further symptom of how organizational
commitment may not yet have caught up with rhetoric
is the lack of adequate financial and human resourcing
for DFGG activities. In the case of Zambia, the study
found that there is a lack of adequate resourcing—both
financial and human—for DFGG activities. As a result,
implementation ends up being overly reliant on the
individual personalities and priorities of the project
management and implementation units.
2. Organizational Value System
Closely linked to the notion of organizational com-
mitment is the idea of “organizational culture” or
“organizational identity.” The organization displays
a recognizable identity, or culture when there is con-
siderable agreement, similarity, or overlap among the
individual belief systems that outweighs the differences
among them. The report maintains that within the
World Bank, the current value system has not quite
caught up with the rhetoric being espoused by key
“If this really is a priority then it needs to
be better emphasized within the Bank. No
one ever asks me about this. If it’s important
then it needs to begin to be reflected in Bank
systems, in quality enhancement require-
ments, and guidelines for the concept note.”
—Task team leader
Criteria Questions
Effectiveness Has the mechanism contributed to better service provision?
Has it built trust and confidence between the user and the provider?
Are user’s preferences being communicated and are they being enabled to act on their entitlements?
Is the mechanism preventing slippage of performance or political capture of the utility/project?
Does it ensure that users participate in key decisions?
Inclusiveness Who is involved in the mechanism?
Is access equitable?
Are the intermediaries representative and effective?
Are the underserved and unheard being empowered?
Efficiency What are the costs of applying the tools (direct costs and transaction costs for users)?
How do the costs compare to the benefits?
Sustainability How long have these tools been implemented?
Have they remained ad hoc or become institutionalized?
TABLE 1. Criteria for evaluating DFGG mechanisms

23
reformers and Bank management. This is significant
because among Bank staff and project implementers,
more broadly, it is apparent that personal attitude and
beliefs about beneficiary engagement are having a
direct impact on the priority that DFGG mechanisms
are being accorded in their project. At the same time, it
would be a mistake to assume that everyone involved
in Bank projects automatically ascribes to the view
that citizenry should be given a broader influence
over the development activities that affect them.
3. Location in a Broader Governance Agenda
The report finds that older DFGG mechanisms more
often appear to be implemented as one-offs, done
to a minimum requirement on an ad hoc basis and
with little attempt at institutionalization. By contrast,
the newer projects in the Zambian portfolio take a
broader view, which explicitly requires project man-
agement to implement the mechanisms in a more
sustained manner on the basis of sound political
analysis and with a view to long-term empower-
ment. Thus, they tend to focus on the engagement
of beneficiaries with a specific view to improving
governance. The Irrigation Development and Sup-
port Project, for example, locates the majority of
its beneficiary engagement mechanisms directly in
a broader Governance and Anti-Corruption (GAC)
agenda. The presence of such a clear philosophy and
rationale for the DFGG mechanisms in the Irrigation
Development and Support Project seems to have
directly led them to being well resourced, clearly
defined, and broadly monitored.
4. Evaluation
Robust evaluation studies on the effectiveness of key
demand-side measures make it more likely that task
team leaders and clients would adopt measures that
have greater operational value. Another major reason
to ensure more effective monitoring and evaluation
of projects is to guarantee that good lessons are not
being lost. However, the most conspicuous trend
across all the projects included in the report was
that the DFGG mechanisms being implemented are
generally not being monitored and evaluated. As
such, the follow-up to demand-side measures is weak.
Supervision missions make no systematic attempt
to find out whether beneficiaries are being engaged
or whether the existing mechanisms are inclusive,
efficient, effective, or sustainable. There are in fact
few, if any, financial provisions for them to do so.
5. Importance of Context
The issue with implementation of mechanisms is
compounded by a propensity for neglect toward
the mechanism’s “enabling environment.” In Bank-
funded projects in Zambia, it is often the case that
a promising mechanism is referred to in the design
documentation but fails as a result of broader personal-
ity, capacity, politics, or other factors. Of course, not
all possible eventualities can be accounted for, but a
failure to consider the broader enabling environment
certainly increases the likelihood of mechanisms
being ineffectively implemented. Thus, many of the
projects—older ones in particular—find that after
designing comprehensive mechanisms, there is no
incentive on the behalf of implementing partners to
actually execute them. In addition, although com-
mendable, new demand-side projects are still being
implemented with a rather one-size-fits-all approach.
The reality is that different projects and different sec-
tors will require different approaches. Since DFGG is
primarily a political rather than a technical solution,
cookie-cutter approaches will always remain limited
in their effectiveness.
6. Persistent Myopia
The study reports that there is a continued myopia
that exists in the development field and reflected
in the DFGG approach taken by Bank projects: the
prioritization of upward over downward account-
ability. While all of the projects assessed during the
review insist on comprehensive reporting systems,
financial auditing, and monitoring mechanisms that
go up the financial chain or across to implementing
partners, there is still little evidence of prioritizing
such mechanisms in a downward direction. This
leads to a critical gap in the overall DFGG approach.
Conclusions
This review has sought to identify some of the broad
gaps and trends that are currently characterizing
DFGG mechanisms in the Zambia lending portfo-
lio. The overall message is positive in that it points
toward generally progressive improvement in these
mechanisms, particularly when comparing older and
newer projects. But continued work is required before
the practice on the ground matches the aspirations
being espoused by Bank management. The approach
moving forward needs to be far more comprehensive,
strategic, and sustained than it has been so far. Based

24
on this summary review of current trends and in
keeping with the nature of DFGG itself, the following
recommendations are more guiding principles than
absolute rules.
Recommendations
Recommendations suggested by the report fall under
three broad headings:
1. Be experimental
2. Be analytical
3. Be managerial
Be Experimental
The approach to non-state actor engagement needs
to be experimental. The centralizing of DFGG activi-
ties in projects is still too recent and unexamined
for the World Bank to proceed without significant
humility and without putting considerable emphasis
on the importance of monitoring. The focus must be
on discovering what works and learning from what
does not. It means leaving room for failures as well
as successes, and taking lessons from both. On a
more practical level, this means adapting structures
so that they enable both evaluation and flexibility.
“There is a case for external action, but the
intervention needs to be designed in ways
that take account of these constraints, with a
particular emphasis on a process of discovery
and experimentation of what works.”
—Devarajan, and others 2011
Be Analytical
Mechanisms are reliant on their enabling environ-
ments. Alone, they achieve little and can even be
counterproductive. As such, it is insufficient to take
a tool and implement it without first conducting a
considerable analysis of the existing context and
characteristics of demand and supply. These initial
analyses need to be a key part of any pilot. They
are an important way of ensuring that a “tick box”
approach is avoided. The crucial point to recognize
here is that a DFGG tool or mechanism is unlikely
to ever succeed in isolation; its effectiveness is reli-
ant on it building upon certain preconditions and
an existing enabling environment. There also needs
to be demand for accountability on the side of citi-
zens, capacity to account on the side of institutions,
a conducive political and legal environment, and a
host of other enabling factors.
2
Willingness and capacity
of beneﬁciaries to
demand accountability
1
Mechanism:
4
Enabling
environment
3
Willingness and capacity
of service providers to
be accountable
SOCIO-CULTURAL
FACTORS
ECONOMIC
FACTORS
LOCAL
FACTORS
POLITICAL
FACTORS
FIGURE 1. Necessary factors for success of DFGG mechanisms
Source: Adapted from Agarwal and Van Wicklin 2011

25
Be Managerial
The World Bank aims to change the external culture
as it relates to norms around transparency, gover-
nance, and accountability. This is a laudable pursuit,
of course, but the summary of project trends strongly
suggests that internal normative change has not yet
been sufficiently accomplished. As observed, down-
ward accountability is still a much lower priority than
upward or horizontal accountability. The following are
broad ways in which the World Bank could manage
internal dynamics and thus accelerate the internal
enabling environment for DFGG:
• Managing DFGG resources sufficiently: As
previously highlighted, downward accountability,
unlike upward accountability, is not essential for
organizational survival. Being discretionary, it
is often the first thing to be cut when resources
(time or financial) are low. If the Bank does highly
value downward accountability, then it needs to
back up its claims by dedicating significant time,
sustained funds, and experienced staff to build-
ing appropriate relationships and implementing
appropriate mechanisms.
• Managing attitudes and values: Focusing on
DFGG-related strategies, structures, and sys-
tems is necessary, but not sufficient. The World
Bank needs to implement a clear organizational
value system that provides depth, stability, and
consistency to their management systems. With
downward accountability, it is clear that the soft
subject of values has direct implications for the
hard facts of performance. The implementation of
demand-side governance mechanisms hinges on
the extent to which project staff and implement-
ing partners value multistakeholder engagement.

26
GPF Snapshot 4
How Can World Bank Knowledge Work be Used
to Inform Public Debate?
A Case Study of the
Communication for Reform
Pilot in Zambia
The Concept
The Problem
The Communication for Reform (C4R) initiative was
born out of the recognition that although the World
Bank’s knowledge work in Zambia is typically of
very high quality, it does not adequately stimulate
broad and timely public discussion and debate in
Zambia. As a result, the Bank often finds that the
reforms it pursues are not well supported by a major-
ity of Zambians or sufficiently owned by the client.
The Aim
With the above problem in mind, the C4R pilot (man-
aged by the Poverty Reduction and Economic Man-
agement Governance team of the Bank and funded
by the GPF) sought to pilot an innovative method of
disseminating Bank knowledge work so that it would:
• inform public opinion on a critical development
topic;
• build the debating and writing capacity of key
Zambian stakeholders, particularly students; and
• facilitate an informed and inclusive discussion
among a diverse set of stakeholders on a key
development topic.
In doing this, the initiative would also operationalize
the Zambian Country Partnership Strategy’s commit-
ment to “ensure enhanced attention to communication
and dissemination of Bank data and analysis amongst
varied stakeholders.”
The Method
Using the second edition of the Zambia Economic Brief
“Zambia’s Jobs Challenge: Realities on the Ground,”
the team created a program that would incentivize
both written discussions of the economic brief as
well as live debates. During the launch of the Sec-
ond Zambia Economic Brief (on “Jobs”), the World
Bank simultaneously launched a debate and writing
competition on the topic of “Think Jobs.”

27
The competition would train competitively selected
Zambian students on how to engage with develop-
ment issues (in this case the issue of job creation)
on a public platform. Finalists would get the oppor-
tunity to debate on live television, have their articles
published, and win top prizes, including internships
with the World Bank.
Key to the success of the initiative has been the
fact that the economic brief was written more as a
diagnostic than a prescriptive manual for reform. A
number of stakeholders have since commented that
the lack of overt prescription has allowed them the
space to develop and own their own solutions to the
problems presented.
The Intervention So Far
Baseline Survey
With a view to carefully evaluating the effect of
this communication strategy, the team began with
a baseline survey among the World Bank’s target
population (Zambian students) to identify current
awareness of and use of Bank knowledge products.
Highlighted findings include:
• 47 percent of survey respondents had used World
Bank information. This placed the Bank in fourth
position behind Bank of Zambia, the United
Nations, and the Zambia Revenue Authority.
• 68 percent had used Bank products for studying.

28
• 80 percent trusted World Bank data compared to
49.7 percent for government data, 80.5 percent
for the United Nations, 29.4 percent for African
Development Bank, and 59.9 percent for the
European Union.
• 57.5 percent said they accessed World Bank data
on the Internet.
• 90.3 percent felt statistics were important for
society as a basis for political decisions, research,
and debate.
Zambia Economic Brief Forum
and Competition Launch
The debate and writing competitions were launched
in September 2013, alongside the launch of the brief
itself. More than 150 people attended the launch,
which included a panel debate and responses from
academia, the private sector, the government, and
youth. The event was widely covered in the media.
To stimulate interest in the competition, a video that
captured Zambian voices on the topic of Zambia’s
jobs challenges was produced and shown during
the event. Flyers for the competition were widely
distributed.
Discussion on Social Media
A Facebook page was launched in October 2013. As
of May 2014, the page had 862 “likes,” mostly com-
ing from Zambia.
Youth Forum
Twenty influential young people attended an in-depth
discussion on the brief. They represented business,
banking, agriculture, academic, and informal sectors.
A number of them later applied for the competition
and joined the Facebook page. The lively and engag-
ing event was covered on CCTV.

29
Bite-Sizing the Data
An infographic was designed and published online
in order to provide a more user-friendly, accessible
means to understand the data contained in the
Zambia Economic Brief.
With a view toward keeping the jobs data in the
public eye, sections of this infographic have since
been regularly featured in a weekly “Did You Know”
series that appears in one of Zambia’s most widely
read newspapers.
Competition
More than 80 university students from across Zam-
bia applied to take part in the debate and writing
competition. The entries were of very high quality,
demonstrating that all entrants had read the Zambia
Economic Brief and used the data in the applications.
Strong support was demonstrated from the students’
academic institutions, with a number requesting that
faculty members also attend training. It was clear
that the possibility of an internship with the World
Bank was a major motivating factor for applications.
Training
Four debate teams (made up of four persons each,
plus a debate coach) from four universities were
trained by a world-renowned debate expert in the
skills of public debate as well as the economic brief
itself. Twenty selected students were simultaneously
trained by a veteran journalist in the skill of writing
on economic affairs for a public audience. Students
participating in the debate and writing trainings have
since been given essay questions and debate topics
to prepare for the run-up to the final competition.
Assignment
Students who participated in the writing competition
were required to submit their final discussion pieces
by March 2014, up to which point they received men-
torship from an expert mentor. Their submissions
were judged by a panel and compiled into a single
World Bank publication. At the same time, students
who took part in the debate competition had one
month to prepare for the final competition in March
2014. The debate students were provided with their
motions and positions during this phase.

30
Final Event: Televised Debate Series and
Launch of Publication
The finale of the debate competition was filmed over
three episodes, consisting of two semifinals and one
grand finale at which the winners of the Think Jobs
competition were announced. It was during this
event that the writing competition publication was
launched and winners announced.
The World Bank collaborated with the national televi-
sion company and its existing debate program to air
the three-part Think Jobs special as part of its program-
ming, allowing the World Bank to take advantage of
preexisting viewership for the televised debate. Key
stakeholders in policy making were present during
the filming, allowing them to listen to the students
and give them a voice and presence in policy-making
circles. The recording of the finale, along with record-
ings of the preceding semi-finals were then aired
nationwide by the national broadcaster and were
viewed by millions of Zambians.
What’s Next?
Internships with the World Bank
Two of the writing competition winners and one of
the debate winners will be offered an internship with
the World Bank Zambia Country Office. This will be
an opportunity for the individuals to gain invaluable
experience in a renowned development institution
and for the Bank to benefit from the input of young,
innovative minds who come with fresh ideas for Bank
work in Zambia.
Mainstreaming C4R?
After completing the competition, re-running the
survey, and assessing the pilot’s impact, it will be
up to the Bank’s country office to identify whether
this communication strategy is one that can be ben-
eficially mainstreamed across other Bank products
in the Zambia portfolio.
“As we are brought into and connected with
such organizations that we have traditionally
been excluded from, we can participate in
active and equal decision making at a high
level and will therefore move from being
inactive citizens to fully engaged stakeholders
in developing our country.”
—Delia Banda, Winner of “Best Debater”
HOMEGROWN RESPONSES: STUDENTS’
OPINIONS ON THE ZAMBIAN JOBS
CHALLENGE
“The last fifty years have been characterised by
maize production; the next fifty should be char-
acterized by cornflakes production and possibly
exportation.” Mercy Zulu, economics student
“Government must remove the constraints that
inhibit the achievement of high returns in the
informal sector.” Mazuba Banda, law student
“The quality of education at vocational schools
should be improved to put special emphasis on
technical, vocational, and entrepreneurship skills.”
Esanju Maseka, commerce student

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