A Study of the Viability of Zambia Co-Operative Federation (ZCF) Installed Solar Milling Plants in Zambia

This portfolio thesis is aimed at critically evaluating the viabilities of the Solar milling plants and thought process of cooperatives in rural areas on repaying back of loans using pragmatic action research. This thesis contributes to the empirically and theoretically based understanding of, the impact of the presidential funds in Zambia. A case study of Solar Milling plants across Zambia via ZCF. This study was a participatory in nature, hence, a cross sectional approach was undertaken in the first half of 2016, 2017 and part of 2018 to access primary, district and provincial corporative responses regarding viability of the solar milling plants in the community and to ZCF. In the results, several findings were established which tried to satisfy the objectives of the study. The correlation model revealed that there was a significant difference in between monthly target and monthly recovery fund.  A weak relationship was found between the two variables that indicate differences exist between the two groups. This implies that a The viability of solar milling plant and loan recovery is low and not very feasible. This result was found to be significant with p values less than 0.05 and the entire model was significant at p-values (0.0387<0.05). Regarding the factors related to Zambia Co-operative Federation (ZCF) Debt recovery on the installed solar milling plants in Zambia were revealed to repayment history, capacity of machine, Binding cooperative contract, raw material and system of recovery, OR=0.8494, p=0.001.  It was also found that despite minor difference these factors were established to directly related to debt rectory. Recommendations have been made to ZCF management to also provide resources for the cooperatives who are managing the milling plants with startup capital to buy maize and packaging materials for the mealie meal and also provide tools for recovery officers to use when following up loan payments from cooperatives. The need to train cooperators on corporate governance, book keeping so that there is comprehensive general accountability

A study of the viability of Zambia co-operative federation (ZCF) installed solar milling plants in Zambia.

Thesis of Masters of Business Administration- Management Strategy.Zambia co-operative federation has been occupied with the desire to supply affordable and quality mealie meal to the rural communities, sustain a viable projection through loan collection while maintaining “public trust”. The aim of this study is to critically evaluate the viabilities of the Solar milling plants and thought process of cooperatives in rural areas on repaying back of loans using pragmatic action research. This thesis contributes to the empirically and theoretically based understanding of, the impact of the presidential funds in Zambia. A case study of Solar Milling plants across Zambia via ZCF. This study was a participatory in nature, hence, a cross sectional approach was undertaken in the first half of 2018, 2019 and part of 2020 to access primary, district and provincial corporative responses regarding viability of the solar milling plants in the community and to ZCF. In the results, several findings were established which tried to satisfy the objectives of the study. The correlation model revealed that there was a significant difference in between monthly target and monthly recovery fund. A weak relationship was found between the two variables that indicate differences exist between the two groups. This implies that a the viability of solar milling plant and loan recovery is low and not very feasible. This result was found to be significant with p values less than 0.05 and the entire model was significant at p-values (0.0387<0.05). Regarding the factors related to Zambia Co-operative Federation (ZCF) Debt recovery on the installed solar milling plants in Zambia were revealed to repayment history, capacity of machine, Binding cooperative contract, raw material and system of recovery, OR=0.8494, p=0.001. It was also found that despite minor difference these factors were established to directly relate to debt rectory. All in all the study established that although, the trend has been going up, the PI trend is still below 1. This means each invested dollar is generating revenue of less than 1 dollar. Since the profitability index is less than 1, the project should be rejected. Recommendations have been made to ZCF management to also provide resources for the cooperatives who are managing the milling plants with startup capital to buy maize and packaging materials for the mealie meal and also provide tools for recovery officers to use when following up loan payments from cooperatives. The need to train cooperators on corporate governance, book keeping so that there is comprehensive general accountability. There is need also to increase revenue collections for the federation through support system where co-operatives are assisted with resource base to buy raw materials needed for production, By doing that co-operatives will have products readily available for communities to come buy thereby making sales and thus revenue in a sustainable manner while maintaining “public trust”, the paper ought to improve the sports pages by restructuring the entire sport desk

Health and healthcare access among Zambia's female prisoners: a health systems analysis.

BackgroundResearch exploring the drivers of health outcomes of women who are in prison in low- and middle-income settings is largely absent. This study aimed to identify and examine the interaction between structural, organisational and relational factors influencing Zambian women prisoners' health and healthcare access.MethodsWe conducted in-depth interviews of 23 female prisoners across four prisons, as well as 21 prison officers and health care workers. The prisoners were selected in a multi-stage sampling design with a purposive selection of prisons followed by a random sampling of cells and of female inmates within cells. Largely inductive thematic analysis was guided by the concepts of dynamic interaction and emergent behaviour, drawn from the theory of complex adaptive systems.ResultsWe identified compounding and generally negative effects on health and access to healthcare from three factors: i) systemic health resource shortfalls, ii) an implicit prioritization of male prisoners' health needs, and iii) chronic and unchecked patterns of both officer- and inmate-led victimisation. Specifically, women's access to health services was shaped by the interactions between lack of in-house clinics, privileged male prisoner access to limited transport options, and weak responsiveness by female officers to prisoner requests for healthcare. Further intensifying these interactions were prisoners' differential wealth and access to family support, and appointments of senior 'special stage' prisoners which enabled chronic victimisation of less wealthy or less powerful individuals.ConclusionsThis systems-oriented analysis revealed how Zambian women's prisoners' health and access to healthcare is influenced by weak resourcing for prisoner health, administrative biases, and a prevailing organisational and inmate culture. Findings highlight the urgent need for investment in structural improvements in health service availability but also interventions to reform the organisational culture which shapes officers' understanding and responsiveness to women prisoners' health needs

Exploring the drivers of health and healthcare access in Zambian prisons: a health systems approach

Background: Prison populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experience a high burden of disease and poor access to health care. Although it is generally understood that environmental conditions are dire and contribute to disease spread, evidence of how environmental conditions interact with facility-level social and institutional factors is lacking. This study aimed to unpack the nature of interactions and their influence on health and healthcare access in the Zambian prison setting. Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews of a clustered random sample of 79 male prisoners across four prisons, as well as 34 prison officers, policy makers and health care workers. Largely inductive thematic analysis was guided by the concepts of dynamic interaction and emergent behaviour, drawn from the theory of complex adaptive systems. Results: A majority of inmates, as well as facility-based officers reported anxiety linked to overcrowding, sanitation, infectious disease transmission, nutrition and coercion. Due in part to differential wealth of inmates and their support networks on entering prison, and in part to the accumulation of authority and material wealth within prison, we found enormous inequity in the standard of living among prisoners at each site. In the context of such inequities, failure of the Zambian prison system to provide basic necessities (including adequate and appropriate forms of nutrition, or access to quality health care) contributed to high rates of inmate-led and officer-led coercion with direct implications for health and access to healthcare. Conclusions: This systems-oriented analysis provides a more comprehensive picture of the way resource shortages and human interactions within Zambian prisons interact and affect inmate and officer health. While not a panacea, our findings highlight some strategic entry-points for important upstream and downstream reforms including urgent improvement in the availability of human resources for health; strengthening of facility-based health services systems and more comprehensive pre-service health education for prison officers

Mapping the Zambian prison health system: an analysis of key structural determinants

Health and health service access in Zambian prisons are in a state of 'chronic emergency'. This study aimed to identify major structural barriers to strengthening the prison health systems. A case-based analysis drew on key informant interviews (n = 7), memos generated during workshops (n = 4) document review and investigator experience. Structural determinants were defined as national or macro-level contextual and material factors directly or indirectly influencing prison health services. The analysis revealed that despite an favourable legal framework, four major and intersecting structural factors undermined the Zambian prison health system. Lack of health financing was a central and underlying challenge. Weak health governance due to an undermanned prisons health directorate impeded planning, inter-sectoral coordination, and recruitment and retention of human resources for health. Outdated prison infrastructure simultaneously contributed to high rates of preventable disease related to overcrowding and lack of basic hygiene. These findings flag the need for policy and administrative reform to establish strong mechanisms for domestic prison health financing and enable proactive prison health governance, planning and coordination