Since gaining independence in 1964, Zambia has avoided war and upheaval. However in 2011, Zambia’s reputation as a politically stable country was tested when the new government posed a threat to the civic space.

The strategic decade-long work of civil society organizations (CSOs) came under threat until 2021 when the newly elected government reaffirmed democratic rights.

Decades of stability turned into restrictions

In 2011 Zambia faced a period of restricted civic space. A newly elected government then used retrogressive legal frameworks such as the Public Order Act and the 2019 NGO Act to impede and restrict citizens' right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and demonstrations that were guaranteed in the national constitution.

In parallel, CSO leaders faced threats for alleged non-compliance with government requirements resulting in, among others, excessive discretion of the State in dictating CSO activities.

A peak in closing civic space followed in 2016-2017 when CSO activists were arrested for demanding public accountability and increased monitoring of government expenditure specifically public procurement processes.

This resulted in some CSO leaders being arrested. Some journalists were also prosecuted for accessing and publishing alleged unauthorized public information. Three private broadcasting stations had their licenses suspended, while some members of the opposition were arbitrarily detained.

Since Zambia is a democratic country in which citizens’ freedoms of expression, assembly and demonstration are guaranteed in the Constitution and regional and international human rights treaties, the former government’s actions dominated the national discourse—taking away attention from debates around social service delivery, including education.

A strategic approach

During these times, civil society organizations worked closely with now President Hichilema, supporting him as an opposition leader while he faced abuses including 120 days of incarceration. This resulted in President Hichilema building a strong relationship with civil society, making him a champion of most civil society positions once he became president.

Although some activists' excessive alignment with the new government tarnished the voices of civil society, many organizations including Education Out Loud supported Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC), leveraged the political will of the new government and issued compelling statements on their expectations from the new government immediately after the elections.

Civil society's unwavering commitment to democracy

The general elections held in 2021 brought positive change in the political situation in Zambia. The new government opened local civic spaces and public discourse by introducing major policy changes such as the enactment of the Access to Information Act and the removal of the legal provision on defamation of the President.

The new government also engages directly with CSOs. Ministries attend civil society-organized meetings such as budget symposiums, policy dialogues and event commemorations. Similarly, the government invites civil society to make technical and financial contributions toward important activities.

Civil society is also freely participating and contributing to the convening of local education group meetings, known locally as policy implementation and technical committee (PITC) meetings.

The PITC is the Zambia’s supreme policy dialogue platform that brings together key education stakeholders namely the government, CSOs and cooperating partners to discuss and address pertinent issues relating to Zambia's education sector.

Civil society can also hold press conferences without being sanctioned by the government or forced to disclose their sources of funding.

As a result of these efforts, Zambia has emerged as the third most democratic country among nine nations grappling with the threat of autocratic rule according to the 2024 Democracy Report by the Varieties Democracy Institute.

What could CSOs in other countries learn from Zambia?

1. Even under autocratic regimes, advocacy CSOs can tactfully influence promising opposition political leaders to ensure they enact important policies neglected by their predecessors once they assume power.
2. The alignment of CSOs to opposition political parties may have dire short-term consequences and therefore should be done with the utmost subtlety, neutrality being the most sustainable and effective option in the long term.
3. With political will, it's possible for any government to open civic space without fearing the loss of power.
4. A new government presents a great opportunity for CSOs to communicate their policy requests as most governments are more likely to be responsive in the early days of being in power.
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Read other blogs in this series.