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RUFEP has successfully conducted a Gender Mainstreaming Competency Training for both Strategic and implementing partners under the three windows of Innovation and Outreach Facility (IOF).

The training was organized to build capacity of RUFEP partners to ensure effective and sustainable mainstreaming of gender as a cross cutting issue in their organizations.

The training which attracted a total of 45 participants including RUFEP staff was organized in two sessions from 9^th to 11^th August, 2022 (First Group) and 16^th to 18^th August, 2022 (Second Group).

The Gender Mainstreaming Competency Training was conducted in line with the Zambian government’s commitment to gender equality and IFAD’s Policy on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment.

Speaking at the official opening of the Workshop on the 9^th August, 2022 held at Legacy Center in Lusaka, RUFEP Programme Coordinator Michael Mbulo said RUFEP organized the training to build the capacity of both Strategic and Implementing Partners to effectively mainstream gender.

Mr. Mbulo said following the assessment of mainstreaming of gender in the intervention’s by RUFEP through partners, it was observed that a gender training should have been done at the beginning of RUFEP implementation.

He said RUFEP invited all partners that have implemented projects on behalf of RUFEP since 2016 to date to build their capacity in terms Gender Analysis and developing Gender Action Plans for effective gender mainstreaming.

 

The modules covered in the three Days Gender Workshop conducted by Gender Expert Dr. Emma Sitambuli included Gender Concepts and Definitions, Gender Appraisals and Planning, and Mainstreaming Gender in Organizations, Projects or Programmes.

Giving a vote of thanks at the end the training, Sr. Exhildah Kabaso from the Catholic Diocese of Mansa thanked RUFEP for organizing the training for the implementing partners.

Sr. Kabaso said the training empowered the participants with skills to effectively contribute to gender mainstreaming in their organizations.

 

Digital Financial Services (DFSs) are financial services that are accessed and delivered through digital technologies such as mobile phones.

Promotion of cashless transactions through Digital Financial Services in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is attributed to have had a positive impact on financial inclusion in Zambia.

However, since 2020, the increased use and adoption of Digital Financial Services has seen a corresponding increase in cases of cybercrimes and fraud especially for mobile phone-based transactions such as mobile money.

While mobile money has been a key driver for increasing financial inclusion, most rural people have been skeptical and slow to adopt Digital Financial Services particularly mobile money due to vulnerability to fraud.

Fraudsters target consumers of Digital Financial Services using mobile phones and a number of people have lost their money in rural and urban areas.

In 2020, RUFEP under the Strategic Partnership Component partnered with the Zambia Information Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to enhance safety and security of Digital Financial Services and to promote financial inclusion.

Under the partnership agreement with RUFEP, ZICTA is further mandated to educate consumers about the benefits and risks of Digital Financial Services to promote increased uptake and usage.

From the 23^rd-24^th May, 2022, ZICTA convened a Stakeholders Consultative Workshop bringing together key stakeholders and regulators of the Digital Financial Services ecosystem to deliberate on regulation of DFSs in the wake of increasing cases of cybercrimes and fraud.

Among the stakeholders included Bank of Zambia as a Financial Sector regulator, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), the Zambia Police, Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), the Financial Intelligence Center (FIC), Bankers Association of Zambia (BAZ) and Mobile Money Agents.

Speaking at the official opening of the Workshop, RUFEP Programme Coordinator Michael Mbulo said RUFEP recognized the important role Digital Financial Services play in the economic and social development of Zambia.

“The increased cases of DFSs fraud threatens the potential growth of the sector by compromising the quality of services offered, innovation in the sector, consumer satisfaction and security”, Mr. Mbulo said.

Speaking at the same occasion, ZICTA Acting Director General Mrs. Pethel Phiri thanked RUFEP for the partnership with ZICTA aimed to enhance security and safety of Digital Financial Services.

Mrs. Phiri said the workshop brought together key stakeholders who were interdependent on each other to ensure safety and security of Digital Financial Services.

ZICTA’s Manager Consumer Protection and Compliance Mr. Edgar Mlauzi said consumers might not know where to channel their grievances as issues` of fraud and cybercrimes were cross-cutting between regulators due to convergence of technology.

Mr. Mlauzi said there was need to look at regulatory overlaps of DFSs as ZICTA has always been blamed on cases of fraud due to lack of properly defined mandates for each regulator in the Digital Financial Services ecosystem.

“ZICTA’s mandate is to ensure that every area has Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) with good quality. As a result of ICTs, mobile phone booths are reaching the unbanked. On cybercrimes and fraud related cases, ZICTA is always blamed and yet the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) regulates financial services”, he said.

And ZICTA Legal Officer Alick Mponela said ZICTA’s role in the regulation of DFSs is secondary or supportive by licensing ICT service providers and ensuring quality of services.

Bank of Zambia, Manager for Research and Policy Mrs. Maureen Mulenga said it was not the mandate of the central bank to resolve customer complaints adding that the financial regulator only comes in when a service provider fails to provide recourse to consumer complaints.

“Most of the consumer complaints can be handled at the first point of call without coming through to the regulator. Service providers such as Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) should make it clear how consumers should get hold of them in case of complaints”, Mrs. Mulenga said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Mulenga disclosed that the central bank has beefed up its Oversight Section in the wake of increasing cases of cybercrimes and BoZ was in the process of revising regulatory frameworks such as National Payment Systems Act Directives (2018) for Digital Financial Services.

Police Fraud and Cyber Crimes Unit Chief Inspector Geoffrey Zyambo said law enforcement is always lagging behind as cybercrimes and fraudsters keeps on evolving to beat the systems.

Inspector Zyambo said there was need for a collaborative framework for law enforcement agencies and regulators of Digital Financial Services.

The two days’ Workshop was attended by all the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in Zambia namely MTN, Airtel and Zamtel.

On the second day all MNOs made presentations on what they were doing as service providers of Digital Financial Services on Risk Management in the wake of increasing cases of fraud.

Identity theft and issuance of pre-registered SIM Cards was cited as some of the types of fraud used by fraudsters to commit cybercrimes.

At the same occasion, the Institute of Risk Management Zambia Executive Director Mr. Francis Ziba called for the need to invest in risk management as organizations that fail to mitigate risks puts their reputation at risky.

Going forward, all the stakeholders recommended the need to have a collaborative framework to bring up all key players and spell out each regulators’ mandate in the regulation of Digital Financial Services.

The Financial Literacy Week is commemorated in Zambia and globally as part of the Global Money Week to promote financial education, literacy and ultimately financial wellbeing and resilience of all age groups.

Since 2013, Zambia has commemorated the Financial Literacy Week for the past 10 years. Held annually in the Month of March under different themes, the 2022 Financial Literacy Week ran from 21^st to 27^th March 2022 under the theme, “Build Your Future: Be Money Smart”.

The Rural Finance Expansion Programme (RUFEP) has been one of the key partners with other stakeholders in the Financial Sector supporting the Financial Literacy Week Campaigns in Zambia.

In 2022, RUFEP together with Zambia Rainbow Development Foundation (ZRDF) and Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) commemorated the Financial Literacy Week targeting Savings Groups in Luano District in Mkushi North Constituency.

Mkushi North Constituency Member of Parliament(MP), Honorable Christopher Chibuye thanked RUFEP for supporting rural communities through Savings Groups in his constituency through ZRDF.

Commenting on the theme for 2022 Financial Literacy Week: Build Your Future:  Be Money Smart, Honorable Chibuye urged his constituents to build and secure their future through savings.

“To the people of Mkushi North Constituency and the rest of the country, let us build our future by embracing a culture of saving and to secure our children’s future. Saving starts with small coins. By saving money and even food for the future, we secure our future”, he said.

Speaking during a courtesy call to the Area MP, RUFEP Programme Coordinator Mr. Michael Mbulo said the mandate of RUFEP was to ensure that rural people have access to and use of sustainable financial services in Zambia.

“RUFEP has been working with various partners such as Financial Service Providers (FSPs), Digital Financial Service (DFS) Providers, FinTechs and NGOs with interest in financial services provision for rural communities. In Mkushi North, we are working with ZRDF. As RUFEP, we do not do actual implementation but work through partners (such as ZRDF) as a sustainability strategy, so that when we are not there, they can continue working with rural communities”, Mr. Mbulo said.

The Community Based Financial Institutions (CBFIs) Linkages Project by ZRDF supported by RUFEP linked 25 SILC Groups and built capacity of over 100 SILC Groups by December 2020 when the project closed.

On the 23^rd March 2022, RUFEP visited ZRDF in Mkushi North Constituency to meet Savings Groups supported by the Partner (ZRDF) in Luano Valley and to document lessons learnt.

RUFEP Knowledge Management and Communications Specialist, Mr. Cephas Moonga said the mission by RUFEP was conducted to harvest knowledge and lessons learnt from the project which completed in 2020 and to promote the Financial Literacy Week.

Speaking during a debriefing meeting in Masansa at ZRDF Offices before field visits, Mr. Moonga said continuity of project innovations beyond the RUFEP support was key to sustainability of interventions.

ZRDF Executive Director, Mr. Brandy Mungaila disclosed that following the project completion in 2020, his organization went beyond the catchment area and exceeded the targets set under the initial RUFEP supported project.

Mr. Mungaila disclosed that 52 SILC Groups were linked to ZANACO by March 2022 and assured that ZRDF will continue to build capacity of the groups beyond the support from RUFEP.

“While the RUFEP supported project under the Saving Group linkages targeted to link 25 SILC Groups to ZANACO, ZRDF has continued to support the groups and currently 296 SILC Groups had received capacity building support while 52 were linked to ZANACO”, he said.

And RUFEP Programme Coordinator Mr. Michael Mbulo said RUFEP’s implementation strategy was indirect through partners adding that ZRDF’s success was RUFEP’s success.

“By Mid-Term Review in 2018, RUFEP had exceeded its target of 140,000 Households in terms of outreach and this has increased to over 500,000 by March 2022. Credit goes to all our implementing partners including ZRDF for this success”, Mr. Mbulo said.

He said as RUFEP (2014-2022) was winding up its operations, it was necessary to document lessons learnt through data collection and knowledge harvesting as part of impact evaluation.

Mr. Mbulo thanked ZANACO for supporting RUFEP’s mission to expand rural financial inclusion through innovations such as the Community Based Financial Institutions Linkages Window and for the partnership during the Financial Literacy Week.

On the same day, RUFEP, ZRDF and ZANACO delegation visited selected SILC Groups linked to ZANACO in Mkushi. The groups visited are based in Fiwila and Kaloko Areas of Luano District.

Among the Savings Groups met in Fiwila and Kaloko Areas included Kamichelo, Wishalila, Twafweni, Tukamona, Tubombeshe, Kampoko Youth and Twafweni SILC Groups.

SILC Group Members shared testimonies of how Savings Groups have empowered them and improved their livelihoods.

Savings Group beneficiaries testified that they have increased their agricultural productivity through purchase of inputs, bought livestock, built better houses and have food and nutrition security.

Speaking during a meeting with Kamichelo SILC Groups, ZANACO Mkushi Branch Manager, Mr. Felix Kangwa expressed happiness that the engagements with the groups by the Bank through the partnership with ZRDF and RUFEP were bearing fruits.

Mr. Kangwa encouraged group members to continue saving within their groups and the bank to build their future and that of their children.

“From the testimonies, we have seen the goodness of saving. Save in the groups and loan each other or bring the money to the bank for safe keeping and to ensure money circulates. We want groups to grow so that we have bigger testimonies in future”, he said.

Later, in Kaloko and Fiwila, the delegation proceeded to meet Wishalila SILC Group where RUFEP, ZRDF and ZANACO continued to enlighten group members on the importance of saving.

Speaking during a meeting with Wishalila SILC Group, Mr. Mbulo said RUFEP’s partnership with ZRDF and ZANACO aims to ensure rural Savings Groups are part of the financial system to secure savings.

“ZRDF is training groups in financial literacy so that members can keep, save and invest to make more money. When your money grows you need to keep it safe with ZANACO. As we commemorate the financial literacy week across the country, we need to learn how to use money and invest to improve our lives”, he said.

The Financial Literacy Week contributes to the achievement of the objectives of the National Strategy on Financial Education (2019- 2024) launched in 2019. The objective of the strategy is to improve knowledge, understanding, skills, motivation and confidence for the Zambian population to secure positive financial outcomes for themselves and their families by 2024. The financial education and literacy campaigns target children, youths, adults and all age groups.

 

Rising Fountains Development Programme (RFDP) is targeting to reach 3,000 beneficiaries of the Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) in the North-Western Province of Zambia with support from RUFEP.

RFDP has taken the challenge to promote Savings Groups in North-Western as the province has the lowest number of Community Based Financial Institutions (CBFIs) or Savings Groups in Zambia, due to the limited number of Savings Group Promoters.

According to SaveNet data, North-Western had less than 10,000 Savings Group members by 2019 as compared to other provinces in Zambia.

Supported by RUFEP under the Agency and Mobile Banking Window of the Innovation and Outreach Facility (IOF), RFDP is implementing a project called Sustainable Financial Inclusion and Linkages Project in North-Western Province aimed to form and link VSLAs to Madison Finance.

Speaking when a RUFEP Team went on a monitoring field visit in North-Western Province and to meet the VSLAs groups formed, Project Manager, Maxwell Kakwisa thanked RUFEP for supporting RFDP to undertake the Sustainable Financial Inclusion and Linkages project in North-Western Province.

Mr. Kakwisa said RFDP partnered with Madison Finance to link 125 VSLAs to the Financial Service Provider by the end of the Project.

“We are working in Solwezi, Kalumbila and Mushindamo targeting to reach 3000 beneficiaries by encouraging them to form savings groups to be linked to Madison Finance. We make sure all individual members have mobile money accounts so that they are also financially linked as individuals”, he said.

RUFEP Programme Coordinator Michael Mbulo said the field visits were conducted to monitor progress by implementing partners and to physically assess progress on the ground.

Mr. Mbulo said the partnership with was not new as RUFEP had supported a previous project by the implementing partner in Lundazi, Eastern Province under the Savings Group Linkages Window One.

He said RUFEP was hopeful that Rising Fountains Development Programme would meet the set targets before the end of the project by April 2022.

The team later met with Savings Groups under Chief Mumena’s area in Kalumbila district who gathered at the chief’s palace to attend a training on financial inclusion and linkages organized by Rising Fountain Development Program.

Mr. Kakumba Shenende is a smallholder farmer in Chief Mumena’s area in Kalumbila district of Northwestern Province and a member Altar Savings Group.As beneficiary, Mr. Shenende disclosed that Savings Groups have helped smallholder farmers like him not to be dependent on the Farmers Input Supply Programme (FISP) by the government.

“I grow various crops and keep livestock. I’m productive throughout the year. Savings groups have helped me to have access to finances all the time for my farming inputs other than just depending on government programs like FISP. The fact is that FISP inputs cannot fully sustain your farming but the money from savings groups is able to buy extra inputs to supplement FISP”, he narrated.

Jesus Cares Ministries (JCM) has linked thirty rural Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to the Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco) in Kapiri Mposhi District of Central province.

Jesus Cares (JCM) is implementing a project named Financial Inclusion for Self Help Groups (SHGs) with  support from the Rural Finance Expansion Program (RUFEP) under the Innovation and Outreach Facility (IOF) matching grants.

Supported by RUFEP under the Community Based Financial Institutions (CBFIs) Linkages Window of the IOF, the project aims to link the Self-Help Groups in the area to formal financial institutions and to promote use of mobile money services in their saving activities.

On the 20^th September 2021, RUFEP visited the Self-Help Groups supported by Jesus Cares Ministries in Kapiri Mposhi rural to monitor progress by the implementing partner. Before visiting the groups, the RUFEP team first made a stopover at the Jesus Cares Ministries’ Headquarters in Kabwe where the implementing partner briefed RUFEP on the progress made by the Project.

Project Manager Mrs. Mwiche Chishimba said the project targeted to link 203 SHGs to formal financial institutions in Kapiri Mposhi and Kabwe in Central Province and in Katete and Chipata in Eastern province.

Mrs. Chishimba disclosed that JCM trained the groups on business management and income generating activities and convinced them on the benefits of being linked with formal financial institutions.

“It was a challenge to convince the groups to start saving in a bank due to lack of understanding but after training them for about three months they appreciated the benefits of saving money in a bank account”, she said.

After the briefing, RUFEP and JCM team traveled to Kapiri Mposhi where meetings were held with Thandizo and Mulungushi Self Help Groups in Katuba and Mulungushi villages of St Pauls’ area.

Thandizo Self Help Group members testified that the linkage with Zanaco has made their saving easy as their money is now deposited at the bank for safe keeping instead of keeping it in homes.

Chairlady for the Group Beatrice Lumambwe thanked RUFEP and Jesus Cares Ministries for supporting rural Self-Help Groups and promoting linkages with financial service providers.

Katuba Headman Gilbert Lwengele said promoting Savings Groups such as Self-Help Groups was changing livelihoods of rural people in Katuba. Headman Lwengele added that this has also brought unity among women who are now doing great things to empower themselves and their households.

Jesus Cares Ministries encouraged the group members to continue working hard in their business and to continue using the knowledge they have acquired even after the RUFEP project ends.

And Mulungushi Self Help Group members linked to FINCA shared with the RUFEP team how their livelihoods have been transformed through Self Help Groups.

Mrs. Charity Mulubwa is the Project Officer for Jesus Cares Ministry. She disclosed that the project has supported a total of Fifty-Seven (57) Groups out of which thirty-four (34) were rural groups. She added that out of the 34 rural groups, 30 were linked with Zanaco.

RUFEP Programme Coordinator Michael Mbulo encouraged Jesus Cares Ministries to continue promoting linkages for rural self hep groups to formal financial service providers to expand rural financial inclusion.

Meanwhile, many young people are now beginning to reap the benefits of belonging to savings groups. Bollen Nganuka a Grade Twelve School leaver and member of Mulungushi Self-Help Group disclosed that proceeds from farming have helped him to raise his initial capital for saving with his Group. Bollen now plans to go to college to further his education.

Another inspiring story is that of Clere Njobesha who had failed to get her grade twelve results as she was owing her former secondary school about Four thousand kwacha.  After joining Mulungushi Self Help Group, she got a loan and used it to start business activities which saw her clearing the arrears at the school. After getting her results, Clere has applied for enrolment to start her nursing studies.

RUFEP is happy that the youth have taken interest to participate in Self Help Groups in Kapiri Mposhi rural to empower themselves. Further, youths were encouraged to join saving groups such as Self-Help Groups to unlock their potential and support themselves instead of depending on parents and guardians.

National financial inclusion in Zambia has increased from 59.3% in 2015 (Finscope, 2015) to 69.4% by 2020. This is according to the FINSCOPE 2020 topline findings released by December, 2020.

Rural financial Inclusion also increased from 50% in 2015 (Finscope 2015) to 56.9% by 2020 according to the FINSCOPE 2020 Survey findings.

According to the Finscope (2020) Survey findings, the increase or growth is mainly attributed to increased uptake of mobile money which registered an increased from 14% in 2015 to 58.5% by 2020.

The Topline findings were released at the Finscope (2020) Survey Dissemination Workshop held on the 17^th December, 2020 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka organized by Bank of Zambia (BoZ).

Presenting the findings, BoZ’s Financial Sector Development Assistant Director Brenda Mwanza (BoZ) highlighted that informal financial inclusion declined from 37.9% in 2015 to 32.3% by 2020 as more adults were using formal financial inclusion.

“On gender, while the female population increased to 52.6% from 50% in 2015 and the male population declined to 47.4% from 49% in 2015, males are more financially included (71.8%) as  compared to females at 67.9% by 2020”, Ms. Mwanza highlighted.

She added that formal financial inclusion was in the age group between 26-35 years (69.3%) and lowest in the age group of 66 years and above.

Financial Health is the ability of individuals to use financial services to manage daily needs, protect themselves from shocks and help them achieve their main goals.

The FINSCOPE 2020 Topline Findings included baseline findings on financial health and literacy which were presented by Financial Sector Deepening Zambia (FSDZ)’s Director Analytics, Mr. Floyd Mwansa.

The survey findings showed that only 13.6% of the adult population was financially healthy.

“Adults in urban areas were found to be more financially healthy at 15.8 % than rural counterparts (11.7%). Males were more financially healthy 14.2% compared to females at 13.1%.” Mr. Mwansa disclosed.

Financial literacy refers to awareness and knowledge of key financial concepts required for managing personal finances. The survey findings indicate that  the urban population had high financial literacy (31.9%)  than the rural population(16.2%).

Further males were more financially literate than the females while the level of financial literacy increases with education levels.

Speaking during a Panel Discussion, RUFEP Programme Coordinator Michael Mbulo said more sensitizations were needed to convince rural people on the reality of mobile money to increase uptake.

Mr. Mbulo said RUFEP was working with implementing partners such as World Vision, Atlas MARA, FINCA, Kasama Christian Community Care (KCCC) to promote digitization of Savings Groups and uptake of mobile money.

He said digitizing Savings Groups through use of mobile money is much safer as Treasurers do not need a box to put money but use their mobile phones to save which is much efficient.

“To increase mobile money uptake, rural people need sustainable access to power to charge their mobile phones. RUFEP is also working with solar energy providers to provide access to power and to promote of mobile money-based payments.

FSDZ Chief Executive Officer Betty Wilkinson said digitization of savings groups is much safer by promoting cashless transactions as touching money is the biggest risk in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

She said FSDZ was working with Chiefs to share information on COVID-19 and sensitizing communities on health requirements such as washing their hands through various media platforms.

“FSDZ conducted a survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on households in Zambia. The survey revealed that families have been negatively affected by the pandemic and those who borrowed were failing to pay back loans. People are losing jobs and business and are selling their assets to cope with the failing economic situation due to COVID-19”, Ms. Wilkinson disclosed during the Panel Discussion.

And German Savings Bank Foundation for International Cooperation Representative Reinhold Hörnle said while the findings of the FINSCOPE 2020 were critical, there was need to increase rural financial inclusion.

Mr. Hörnle said there was need to harmonize the level of effort by all stakeholders as more needs to be done to increase financial inclusion.

The National Financial Inclusion Strategy (2017-2022) targets to increase rural financial inclusion to 75% and national financial inclusion to 80% by 2022.

In 2004, the outbreak of the Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) decimated the livestock population in Kazungula and Mwandi Districts of Southern and Western provinces respectively.

The loss of livestock due to CBPP increased the vulnerability of smallholder farmers who depend on animal draught power for agricultural production, milk sales for household incomes and nutrition security.

In July 2019, ZayoHub submitted the Mafisa Bond Livestock Finance Project proposal to the Rural Finance Expansion Programme (RUFEP) to co-finance the Livestock Finance pilot in Mwandi and Kazungula Districts which was approved and financed with a grant agreement of 10^th February 2020.

Funded by Transform Project and Vitol Foundation with co-financing from RUFEP, the project aims to increase livestock ownership among smallholders in the target areas.

The co-financing from RUFEP for the project came under the Rural Finance Equity and Innovation Window III of the Innovation and Outreach Facility (IOF) matching grants for pilots in financial product development.

Mafisa is a local traditional practice where a person with a herd of cattle entrusts another person (usually vulnerable and without any livestock) to take care of their animals and is paid or rewarded with an animal or more after an agreed period of time.

ZayoHub’s Mafisa Bond Livestock Finance Project borrows from this traditional practice with some modifications to suit the project objectives.

The Mafisa Bond Livestock Finance pilot project targets to cover 150 smallholder farmers in Magumwi area under Chief Imonga, Lipumpu area under Chief Nsando in Mwandi District and Sikaunzwe area under Chieftainess Sekute in Kazungula Districts.

The project further aims to improve the indigenous breeds through cross breeding with exotic breeds such as Boran and Tuly to improve disease resistance, meat quality and milk production.

On the 1^st December 2020, RUFEP and the Rural Finance Unit of the Ministry of Finance conducted field visits to assess progress of the Mafisa Bond Livestock Finance Project by ZayoHub in Lipumpu and Sikaunzwe areas and to document testimonies from project beneficiaries.

Speaking during the field visit in Lipumpu, Mafisa Project Manager and Livestock Specialist Yobe Banda said the target beneficiaries were clustered and grouped into three categories according to the number of cattle they possessed.

Mr. Banda said beneficiaries were expected to take care of the animals for a period of 5 years according to the number received per category and later pay back to the project for sustainability.

“In the first category, a person with less than 5 animals receives 1 pregnant heifer while a person with 6-10 animals fall in the second category and receives 3 pregnant cows. Beneficiaries in this category choose one person to be given the bull. Category three is for people with 11 or more cattle and is for mentors with experience in livestock management,” he said

Speaking on behalf of the Community, Induna Siyambwe Mulonda Lipumpu thanked ZayoHub and RUFEP for the Mafisa Bond Livestock Finance project which has empowered the community in Lipumpu with infrastructure for livestock management.

Induna Lipumpu urged ZayoHub to extend the project to other areas so that more people could benefit from the initiative.

The project also targets to empower vulnerable women as beneficiaries. Christina Simasiku, a widow in Sikaunzwe area in Kazungula district disclosed that following the death of her husband, she became vulnerable.

Ms. Simasiku said she was grateful that the project identified her as a vulnerable and empowered her with livestock.

Eustace Chabalala is another beneficiary in Sikaunzwe Area in Kazungula District. Mr. Shabalala received 3 cows and a bull from the Mafisa Bond Livestock Finance project.

“All the three cows I received have already calved giving me a heifer and two bulls. My vision is to ensure that I multiply these animals in the years to come”, he said.

In 2004 when the Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) broke out in Kazungula District, Mungole Kawana lost all his 300 herds of cattle.

Narrating his ordeal during the field visit, Mr. Kawana said when he lost all his cattle, he lost his source of livelihood as a smallholder farmer who depended on livestock for a living.

“I had to till the land using my hands which reduced my agricultural productivity. I lost income from milk sales and this increased my vulnerability to poverty” he said.

Later, with a bit of savings from his meagre income from rudimentary farming without animal draught power, Mr. Kawana bought three cows which he nurtured and has multiplied to a sizeable herd.

When ZayoHub came to Sikaunzwe area in Kazungula District, Mr. Kawana was identified as a mentor for the community with more than 11 animals. He is one of the beneficiaries of the Mafisa Bond Livestock Finance Project.

Mr. Kawana surrendered part of his land to the Mafisa Bond Livestock Finance project to drill a borehole to provide water for animals and to build a spray race for the community to dip their animals.

Meanwhile, ZayoHub engaged AfricaPride to provide livestock insurance cover for all the animals from Zayohub.

Zayohub Partnerships Manager Constance Chibiliti disclosed that ZayoHub further engaged AfricaPride to consider providing insurance products to smallholder farmers.

She thanked RUFEP for the support to the project which was channeled to provision of veterinary services and training of smallholder farmers on livestock management.

Through pilot products like Livestock Financing, rural smallholder farmers can also be targeted to adopt livestock insurance to reduce their vulnerability and to promote rural financial inclusion. Through such innovations and pilots, the Rural Finance Expansion Programme is hopeful that Financial Service Providers could develop products tailored to the needs of rural people that could be scaled up for rural outreach.

RUFEP partnered with United Bank for Africa (UBA) to facilitate digital payments using VISA Cards by beneficiaries of the Girls Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihoods (GEWEL) project by the World Bank.

In December 2019, RUFEP signed a grant agreement with UBA to support the Women Farmers Empowerment Project under the Agency and Mobile Banking Window II of the Innovation and Outreach Facility (IOF).

The aim of the project is to promote Digital Financial Services (DFS) by facilitating payments targeting 4,500 women beneficiaries of the Farmers Input Support Program (FISP) and the GEWEL Project.

The GEWEL Project by the World Bank provides financial support in form of seed money for empowering vulnerable women with income generating activities to improve their livelihoods and to support girls’ education.

The project further aims to contract 45 Agro-dealers to act as Super Agents to pay beneficiaries using UBA’s Point of Sale (POS) Machines. Under the Project UBA issued VISA Cards to beneficiaries who could either withdrawal their benefits from Agro dealers or any bank Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

From the 2-3^rd December 2020, RUFEP and the Rural Finance Unit of the Ministry of Finance conducted field visits in Sinazongwe and Gwembe Districts of Southern Province to monitor progress of UBA’s RUFEP supported project and to meet the beneficiaries of the GEWEL Project by the World Bank.

The first point of call was the District Administration Offices in Sinazongwe which coordinates the implementation of the GEWEL Projects in the districts in conjunction with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS).

Sinazongwe District Community Development Officer Getrude Muvwimi disclosed that communities participated in selecting beneficiaries for the GEWEL Project.

Mrs. Muvwimi said officers from the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services  collaborate with the communities to identify beneficiaries and to ensure that those that are on the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) are not enlisted as beneficiaries for the GEWEL Project.

“The beneficiaries’ age groups range from 19-64 years and these are people who are fit for work and are able to do business”, She said.

Mrs. Muvwimi added that GEWEL Project beneficiaries receive life skills and business training from the Community Based Volunteers and are urged to save at least ZMW200.00 to start up Savings Groups.

Speaking during the meeting with beneficiaries in Sinazongwe at Sialwala Primary School, RUFEP Programme Coordinator Michael Mbulo said RUFEP came to Sinazongwe to verify if the beneficiaries were receiving their payments using UBA VISA Cards and to assess any challenges for the project.

Mr. Mbulo said under Strategic Partnerships, RUFEP partnered with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS) by providing financial support for the installation of a database server for the GEWEL Project at the Ministry.

In Sialwala area, about 32 beneficiaries of the GEWEL Project confirmed accessing empowerment funds from the GEWEL Project using UBA VISA Cards.

Ellen Ndelenge disclosed that as a beneficiary, she received a mobile phone from the JEWEL Project and a VISA Card from UBA.

“Once the money was deposited in my account, I received a notification by a Short Message Service (SMS). Thereafter, I went to Sinazeze and withdrew the money from Atlas Mara Bank using the UBA VISA Card”, Mrs. Ndelenge said. She disclosed that she used the money to pay school fees and to buy two goats.

Queen Siachoona is another beneficiary of the GEWEL Project in Sialwala area in Sinazongwe. Mrs Siachoona said apart from buying food, she used the ZM1,240 she received to start business adding that together with other beneficiaries, they formed a savings group to start saving.

Tryphine Mukume a business woman and a beneficiary of the GEWEL Project in Gwembe District. Mrs Mukume said she withdrew the money deposited in her account from Monze using a UBA VISA Card.

She added that the beneficiaries formed Tusenke B Savings Group with a membership of 14 women who meets every Tuesday to save and access loans at 20% interest.

However, some beneficiaries could not access their empowerment funds from the GEWEL Project as they found that their accounts had insufficient funds or had their accounts debited without the cash coming out.

Matilda Sianyuka disclosed that when she went to withdraw her money from an ATM in Monze, she found that her account had insufficient funds.

UBA’s Digital Banking Team Member Mwamba Kayenga promised to investigate a few cases where the beneficiaries could not receive their money.

He said usually when that happens, the system might have detected some queries on registration details of the beneficiary which needs to be corrected adding that the money still remains in the Community Development account.

Mr. Mwamba further disclosed that the project had a challenge to recruit suitable Super Agents in Sinazongwe and Gwembe Districts to act to intermediate payments to beneficiaries for the project.