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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 8

Publication Date: August 25, 2023

DOI:10.14738/assrj.108.15319.

Matole, A., Kawila, L. E., Simui, F., & Muleya, G. (2023). An Exploration of the Link Between Civic Engagement and Community

Development in Lusaka District Zambia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(8). 257-266.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

An Exploration of The Link Between Civic Engagement and

Community Development in Lusaka District Zambia

Adrian Matole

Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia, Lusaka

Lushinga Eliazer Kawila

Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia, Lusaka

Francis Simui

Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia, Lusaka

Gistered Muleya

Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia, Lusaka

ABSTRACT

In a democratic nation like Zambia, Civic engagement is expected to improve the

wellbeing of the people in the community. Given the expected outcome of Civic

engagement, this article explored the link between Civic engagement and

community development in Lusaka district, Zambia. The study rids on case study

design to generate evidence on the link between civic engagement and community

development. The objective of this article was to explore the link between civic

engagement and community development. Data was generated from a total sample

of 23 participants. Finding of this research were that civic engagement act as a

reflection of citizen’s ownership of community development, interface in solving

community problems and facilitator in preferential option for those in absolute

poverty. Findings also revealed that civic engagement helps to strengthen national

governance. Therefore, this article concludes that in order to make democracy a

reality and meaningful, civic life should result into community transformation. The

article recommends that there is need for Ministry of local government and rural

development to enhance and create more structures were citizens can interface

more often with civic leaders.

Keywords: Civic engagement, community development, democracy, National governance.

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

In the history of independence, Zambia was founded on the principle of citizens coming

together to attain a new nation based on equality, rule of law, social compact and respects for

the human dignity among others (Phiri, 2006). This was a democratic experience that was to

be measured by quality of functions performed by citizens. This brings to the fore the insights

by Kaumba (2015) who argues that critical recognition should be made of the fact that people

have asserted congruence between governance and democracy. This then prescribes that the

Zambian people have opted for the choice that governance in Zambia will be founded on

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 8, August-2023

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democratic tenets. This chosen polity or political governance system necessitates that the

people (shall) have controlling influence on the decisions and affairs of government and that

the people are supreme to government. In recognition of this, government is expected to

institute responsive mechanisms that ensure that the people are treated with equal respect and

as of equal worth in the exercise of their controlling influence.

An overview of civic engagement is also provided by Levinson (2012) who elaborated on the

importance of initiating deliberate platforms for people to learn about Civic life. In the context

of Zambia were civic life is concerned, Matenga (2010) argues that civic engagement is not a

new phenomenon, as it has a long tradition, with its roots traced back to the early days of

colonialism. The narrative is that a large number of informal groups and formal institutions

such as welfare associations, churches and mining trade unions played an important social and

political role at both local and national levels. Other notable actors in the arena of Civic

Engagement in Zambia have been political parties, cooperatives, environment organisations,

service organisations, and human rights activists, among many others.

In the political discourse, Matole (2021) argues that democracy is the process through which

citizens can make independent decisions that have influence on their aspirations. Therefore,

this article argues that civic engagement is a vital tool that citizens can use to govern

themselves. This reflects well with an ideal that achieving good governance requires citizens to

continuously navigate towards a particular vision and making sure that day-to-day

management of affairs is always lined up with nation’s goals and aspirations of the people

(Maingaila, 2021).

Despite the anticipated opportunities that comes with civic engagement, the survey conducted

by World Bank (2021) shows that between 2015 and 2020, welfare levels have deteriorated

significantly in both rural and urban areas in Zambia. Similarly, the survey by Hubbard et al,

(2020) shows that access to adequate water and sanitation was one of the key developmental

challenges in the capital city of Lusaka, where water and sanitation infrastructure built in the

1960s and 1970s for a population of 300,000 is insufficient to meet the needs of the current

population of approximately three million. Access to sanitation infrastructure in these areas is

similarly low, with nearly 88% of households using pit latrines. It was also reported that many

key global health indicators are poor in Zambia. For example, the mortality rate for children <5

years old was 60 per 1000 live births in 2017, which is above the average of 43 per 1000 live

births in the World Banks’s low- and middle-income countries aggregate grouping. Sixty-one

percent of deaths in Zambia in 2016 were caused by communicable diseases and maternal,

prenatal, and nutrition conditions compared with 50% in the World Bank’s low-income

countries aggregate grouping. Additionally, out of the whole population in Zambia, 54.4 % live

below the poverty line (USD1.09) and out of these, 40.8 % of the population live in extreme

poverty (Living Conditions Monitoring Survey, Central Statistical Office Zambia, 2015).

In reference to the above information, it is clear that there is limited understanding on how

civic engagement can be of benefit to the people in the community. Therefore, this research was

informed by the discerning reasoning that the underlying principle of citizens taking part in

democratic dispensation is to ensure citizen driven development (Matenga, 2010).