Press Release
Contributing to Digital Transformation in Zambia’s Disaster Preparedness and Response
08/18/2025 - Today, the African Risk Capacity (ARC), with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), has officially handed over ICT equipment in the form of tablets for data collection and laptops for data processing to the Government of Zambia. This initiative is aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of Zambia’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU), a critical unit of the government that supports disaster response. This is a significant step towards ensuring timely, effective, and accountable disaster responses.
With the SDC’s strategic support, ARC is implementing a comprehensive package of capacity-building activities in Zambia designed to strengthen the country’s beneficiary targeting mechanisms, enhancing ARC’s contingency planning processes and advance its Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems. Specifically, this initiative will:
- Facilitate an in-depth assessment of existing M&E systems in Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Financing, as well as an assessment of beneficiary identification and targeting systems for disaster response
- Enable the digitalization of beneficiary identification for timely response, minimising inclusion and exclusion errors
- Guide the development of an M&E framework, manual, policies, and guidelines, and Management Information System (MIS) to digitalize the new M&E system, ensuring its operational effectiveness and long-term sustainability.
The enhanced Beneficiary targeting and M&E system will enable rapid identification of the most vulnerable households affected by extreme weather events while generating critical data and knowledge to drive evidence-based decision-making in disaster preparedness, response, and risk reduction. This digital transformation will also strengthen accountability and improve the implementation of contingency plans and broader DRM strategies.
By moving from manual to digital beneficiary targeting processes, the DMMU will achieve measurable improvements in response timelines, accuracy, and transparency of beneficiary targeting during disaster response. This handover marks an important step in Zambia’s digital transformation journey, ensuring that assistance reaches the most vulnerable households more quickly and effectively.
Today’s handover of tablets and laptop for use at satellite and district levels addresses critical challenges identified during an in-depth needs assessment. These tools meet the need for modern digital solutions and enhanced monitoring, and evaluation systems.
This partnership between the Government of Zambia, SDC and ARC is laying a strong foundation for a data-driven disaster management systems towards protecting lives and livelihoods in times of disasters.
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