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Government has announced the successful completion of the nationwide scale-up of the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme, increasing coverage from 1.3 million to 1,555,840 vulnerable households across the country.
Community Development and Social Services Minister, Doreen Mwamba, said the expansion marked one of the largest social protection increases in Zambia’s history.
Speaking during a media briefing at her office in Lusaka on Thursday, she said the increase meant millions of Zambians now received support to meet basic daily needs.
Mwamba explained that the government initially planned to enroll 250,000 additional households in 2025.
However, after what she described as one of the most extensive sensitisation campaigns undertaken nationwide, more than 300,000 households were added.
“This achievement confirms two realities: our outreach efforts were effective, ensuring vulnerable citizens were fully informed, and the demand for social cash transfers is immense, strengthening government’s resolve to act,” she said.
The minister further announced that SCT payments for January and February will begin on Friday, February 20, reaching over 1.5 million households, including the newly enrolled 305,000 beneficiaries. She said payments will run for four weeks and assured that no eligible household would be left behind.
Mwamba added that the disbursement includes 23,000 households under the SCT Nutrition-Sensitive Pilot in Kawambwa, Monze, Mumbwa and Chibombo, a programme designed to link poverty reduction with improved child nutrition and long-term human capital development.
She urged beneficiaries to use the money wisely on food, small business investments or participation in savings groups.
She noted that all new enrolments were carried out using scientifically developed poverty targeting methods aligned with Zambia Statistics Agency profiling standards.
Beneficiaries included households with elderly persons aged 60 and above, persons with disabilities, child-headed households and households caring for chronically ill individuals.
Mwamba also highlighted that the recently revised SCT guidelines now allowed continuous registration throughout the year, which will enable more households to join the programme progressively.
She reiterated that government remained committed to ensuring that no eligible household was unfairly excluded and that the ongoing expansion of the programme will continue as part of broader social protection efforts.
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