By Arnold Tutu
About 70,000 pupils and patients in Mumbwa District, Central Province, now have access to reliable drinking water every day, following the successful piloting of a results-based contracting model by Government to address long-standing water supply challenges in rural schools and health facilities.
The initiative, implemented through the SafeManzi pilot and supported by Uptime Global in collaboration with the University of Oxford, is delivering measurable improvements by ensuring that service providers are paid only after independently verified results confirm the provision of safe and reliable water.
Speaking on the programme, Water Development and Sanitation Minister COLLINS NZOVU said the model aligns with President HAKAINDE HICHILEMA’s directive to ensure safe drinking water is available in all public institutions.
Mr. NZOVU said investments in water infrastructure must be matched with sustained support for operation and maintenance, noting that the approach is economically sound and strengthens resilience against the growing climate-related threats facing rural communities.
He said the ministry remains committed to its mandate and is encouraged by the strong results recorded under the SafeManzi model, which demonstrates a practical pathway towards achieving national water security goals.
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary GABRIEL POLLEN described results-based funding as an innovative and cost-effective solution to persistent rural water challenges.
Dr. POLLEN said his ministry will play a central role in coordinating implementation through Provincial and District offices, particularly as pressure on water resources intensifies.
Uptime Global Chief Executive Officer DUNCAN MCNICHOLL said the organisation has pioneered results-based funding for reliable drinking water in 16 countries since 2020, benefiting about five million people daily in 2024.
Dr. MCNICHOLL said Zambia presents a unique opportunity to scale up the model in support of the Government’s 2030 commitments under Sustainable Development Goal 6.1.
Professor ROB HOPE of the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment has emphasised the importance of sustained Government leadership, warning that without long-term maintenance, well-intentioned water projects risk wasting public and donor resources.
Professor HOPE said results-based funding offers Zambia a sustainable and cost-effective route to equitable and lasting outcomes, adding that ensuring reliable drinking water in every rural school and clinic by 2030 is ambitious but achievable.
WALTER PANZIRER, Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, observed that by delivering safe drinking water directly to schools and clinics through an accountable, results-based model, the initiative is improving both health and education outcomes.
The success in Mumbwa comes against a challenging global backdrop. In 2023, an estimated 447 million children worldwide lacked access to basic drinking water in schools, with Africa remaining the only region where fewer than half of schools provide such services.
The absence of safe and reliable water continues to undermine education, healthcare delivery and human development, particularly in rural communities where maintenance of water systems has long proved difficult.
In response to these challenges, the Zambian Government piloted a Results-Based Contract in 100 government schools and health facilities across Mumbwa District. Under the model, a professional service provider is contracted and remunerated only after verified confirmation that reliable water services are being delivered.
The initiative is anchored in a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding involving the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation, in partnership with Uptime Global, reflecting a coordinated approach to improving water service delivery at district level.
Since implementation, system breakdowns are now repaired within 72 hours, routine water safety testing is conducted, and bacteriological contamination has been significantly reduced. These outcomes are being achieved at an estimated cost of about one US dollar per person per year, or approximately 400 dollars per institution.
Building on the Mumbwa pilot, Uptime Global, with financial support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and the Grundfos Foundation, is working with Government to co-develop a results-based contracting model that will extend reliable drinking water services to 1,500 schools and clinics across Central Province.
The SafeManzi framework is expected to support a future national scale-up to more than 10,000 rural schools and clinics, potentially benefiting over three million learners and patients nationwide.
