It has always been said that Zambia is the forgotten country inside the African continent. In fact, it is not a country that comes to mind for Europeans when thinking about Africa because nothing stands out, good or bad. If you do not appear on the news, you do not exist.
Perhaps, the only popularity advantage Zambians have would be Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Possibly, there are many people who are not even aware that the discovery by Dr. Livingstone is located on the border of this country.
With this post, we want you to know a little more about Zambia, a country that we have worked with since 2014 and whose development is slow but exciting.
In the political world, Zambia has a stable reputation compared to their neighboring countries. Edgar Lungu became the 6th president of Zambia in January 2015 after a narrow victory that entitles him to 5 more years as President of the republic.
At an economic level, Zambia does not have access to the ocean and therefore, its wealth is based mainly off of the copper industry, being the 2nd largest produced of the mineral behind the Congo. But its excessive dependence on copper has made it vulnerable to the mineral’s fall in prices, so it is necessary for the country’s economy to diversify. Another resource, agriculture, is underdeveloped, and although it generates 85% of total employment, it basically focuses on subsistence crops such as corn, which is the main crop and the basis of the Zambian diet. For its part, international tourism, centered on Victoria Falls and safaris, is also an important source of income.
In terms of education, great pillars for the development of any society, the situation is not rosy since up to 9 years of education is free but after, secondary school costs money and the vast majority of families do not have the ability to pay this expense. The dropout rates are very high at 80%.
Another of the great problems that plagues our beloved Zambia is health. It is estimated that around 12.3% of the adult population is infected with HIV. Life expectancy at birth is only 52 years and infant mortality rate is at 102 deaths per 1,000 births.
As you can see, the reality of the country shows that we have a lot of work to do. In fact, the latest data indicates that 86% of the Zambian population is below the poverty line and the population is one of the fastest growing in the world and will triple by 2050.
Because of this and much more, here we continue to do our bit so that Zambia can dream of not being forgotten and become a country that has much to say on the African continent. Will you help us?
