Germany is one of Zambia’s larger international cooperation partners. At government negotiations Germany and Zambia agreed to continue cooperation in the following priority areas:

• Water and sanitation
  
• Good governance (decentralisation, promoting public participation, good financial governance/public financial management)

There are two further areas in which Germany and Zambia are engaged in cooperation:

The BMZ Special initiative ONE WORLD – No Hunger:

Zambia is a pilot country for this initiative. Several projects to promote cooperation between the private sector, civil society and public authorities with a view to facilitating agricultural innovation and fighting malnutrition are being supported. A green innovation centre is promoting skills and technological innovation for issues ranging from production to marketing focusing on two value chains, legumes and milk. Projects on agricultural financing enable farmers to take out loans to purchase seeds or tractors, for instance, and get training on financial matters and business management. Another project is aimed at fighting malnutrition.

Energy:

In response to climate change, Germany is pursuing a regional programme to encourage greater use of renewable energy sources in Southern Africa. Germany pledged a considerable amount of funds to Zambia for an innovative programme to expand the use of solar power in collaboration with the private sector, amongst other programmes.

Focal Area Water and sanitation

Zambia has enormous water resources. Big parts of the rural population have no access to safe drinking water. Especially in the mushrooming peri-urban settlements, sanitation services are often poor. Climate-smart management of valuable water resources is still in its infancy.

In the light of climate change, one focus of cooperation is on improving the sustainable management of Zambia's water resources. Germany has been a key supporter of the reform process to commercialise the water supply in Zambia and develop an independent regulation system. Through its involvement Germany is seeking to improve access to safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation facilities for the poor in rural and urban areas.

Focal Area Good Governance

Good governance is the basis for favourable economic development and successful poverty reduction. German development cooperation activities in support of good governance can be seen in the following areas:

Zambia's budget planning, implementation and auditing is often not sufficiently systematic and structured, public revenue is too low. Through development cooperation projects on good financial governance, Germany is providing advice to the Ministry of Finance and the Zambian tax authority on how to improve management of public finances and increase tax revenue.

Germany is supporting Zambia's efforts to implement its policy of decentralisation. The measures focus on advising the relevant government ministries and selected districts on issues such as budget planning, financial management, regional planning and service orientation.

In the field of public participation, Germany is helping to strengthen civil society partner organisations and networks with a view to enabling them to play a more effective role in shaping decision-making processes. Together with the EU, efforts are being made to improve the access of poorer people, in particular, to justice.