Background
In 2020, the Auditor General’s Office carried out a review of records relating to the fight against COVID-19 at the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Health (MoH), Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) and selected districts.
The Report of the Auditor-General reviewed that as of 31st July 2020, Zambia had received pledges and commitments from both local and international (bilateral and multilateral) amounting to K6.3 billion. Germany as one of the Cooperating partners pledged EUR18.5Million which is equivalent to which was equivalent to K362 million.
The Report shows that the Ministry of Finance had not indicated the actual funds received from the cooperating partner listed above as of 31st July 2020. In light of the audit conducted by the Auditor General and the increased public discussions around the utilization of COVID-19 resources, the Alliance for Community Action (ACA) conducted a fact-checking exercise around the use of the mentioned resources. Specifically, the claim checked was “is the lack of information on the donations from Germany an indication that funds were misapplied by the government of Zambia?”. This is the first in a series of fact-checking stories on the application of COVID-19 resources.
Procedure
ACA wrote a letter to the German embassy inquiring on pledges and commitments on COVID-19 donations to Zambia. The letter contained two (2) issues:
(1) The exact amount Germany gave to Zambia as of 31st July 2020 and as of 1st December 2020.
(2) The specific task or purpose the Government of the Republic of Zambia committed to undertaking?
Findings
The following are the findings:
- Germany had committed 23.75 million Euro. The formal commitments were made on the 15th of June and on the 28th of July 2020. As of 1st December 2020, Germany had committed 28.75 million Euro.
- The Government of the Republic of Zambia Ministries is not directly managing the resources provided by the German Government. Reporting is handled by the implementing institutions.
- The public sectors that received support via COVID-19 funds were Water/Sanitation, Health and Governance, including support to the justice sector, support to local authorities and civil societies at all levels of government. For example, Lusaka Water and Sanitation company received funds for the improvement of water supply and Correctional Services received funds for providing COVID prevention materials to inmates
- The COVID-19 funding focused on four (4) areas:
(i) expanding social protection measures through cash transfers for the most vulnerable
(ii) support Zambia’s health system through procurement of health supplies like protective equipment, essentially medicine, testing and lab capacity
(iii) ensure people have continued access to essential water and sanitation services critical for good hygiene and pandemic control
(iv) supporting Zambia in stepping up prevention measures and behaviour changes campaigns and crisis management.
Conclusion
It is a fact that Germany has made a commitment of 23.75 million euros. It is a fact that the Ministries have not received any funds from Germany, but these funds were received by implementing institutions. It is also a fact that these funds are not managed directly by the Ministries but by implementing institutions, who are responsible for reporting on the use of the funds. The claim that the lack of indication of donations from Germany by the Ministry of Finance is a sign of misapplication of funds is False.
This Fact-Check has been supported by the German Development Cooperation