Advocating EFA in Zambia

Abstract

Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa with a population of eleven million people. 44% of Zambia’s citizens live in urban areas (FTI, 2007). Zambia is highly ethnically heterogeneous and has over seventy different tribes. The country’s economy is vastly dependent on its copious natural resources, including copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, water and fertile land. The falling prices of copper led to a major economic crisis in the 1970’s that lasted until the 1990’s. During this period, government expenditure on social services decreased dramatically, hindering the development of the education sector and other social services.