While the 2025 National Budget was premised on gender focused goals aimed at inclusive development out comes and themed “Building Resilience for Inclusive Growth and Improved Livelihoods”, with a total allocation of K217.1 billion, representing a 22.0% increase over 2024, it carried bold gender lensed promises. Placing Women and girls at the    at the centre of development, with commitments to keep more girls in school, expanding social protection, more provision of agricultural inputs to women farmers- who are largely small-scale, strengthening health systems to improve maternal outcomes and ensuring protection of women’s rights. A year later, the question remains: how much of this ambition has turned into reality?

The reality on the ground reveals a mixed picture of progress and persistent gaps. Strides have been visible in the education sector, where the Keeping Girls in School initiative disbursed more than K15 million to cover school and examination fees for over 20,000 vulnerable girls in all provinces of Zambia. In addition, the GEWEL 2 programme, supported by the World Bank, continues to provide women and girls with both social protection safety nets and opportunities to strengthen their livelihoods. This has given thousands of households some breathing space against poverty.

On social protection, the government went further than expected. During the drought, they extended the programme, making around 2.3 million households received cash transfers, many of them women headed. Drought response programmes such as the cash plus, cash for work, women economic empowerment and wetlands agricultural programmes were implemented to mitigate drought effects. For these families, the transfers were not just numbers in a budget but a lifeline against hunger.  Social protection investments remain key to poverty alleviation which remains highly feminised in the Zambian context.

Investments in health have also grown, with a greater focus on maternal and reproductive health, including new cancer treatment facilities. Focusing on reducing maternal mortality rates remains key especially with figures standing at 278 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 representing a decline of over 30% over six years.  Among other reasons, the reduction in these maternal mortality rates is attributed to more institutional deliveries owning to expansion of infrastructure in the country. 

Education infrastructure expansion has been done; with new schools and early childhood centres providing a clearer pathway for girls to stay in the classroom.

Even women’s livelihoods were not forgotten. Though still modest in scope, the Women’s Economic Empowerment project has provided asset transfers, training, and support to help vulnerable women strengthen their incomes. These stories of progress show that the budget has not been entirely silent on its promises. This has also been complemented by the 30% CDF allocation towards women's economic empowerment at local government level.

But the picture changes when we look closer at where the government has fallen short. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Committee (NGOCC), have been vocal about the decline in allocations for gender rights protection. Despite a strong legal framework, the Anti-GBV Act remains underfunded, shelters for survivors are inadequate and prevention services remain patchy. For many women facing violence, the protection promised on paper are not yet felt in their lives.

CDF Allocations 

CDF with its different components, has been a game changer in translating and actualising national priorities to the local levels and meeting the aspirations of the people. With 30% allocation for women empowerment funds channelled to women cooperatives, women have been able to collectively access the finances required for productive activities. It should be noted, though, that these resources are far from being enough considering the percentage allocation and access is still a far-fetched dream for many women due to low literacy levels and other bottlenecks.

Women in Zambia make up 70% of small-scale farmers, with 20% among them being female household heads (FAO, 2024). Agriculture has also been a stumbling block. Women remain under-represented in the Farmer Input Support Programme, with men accounting for 61 per cent of beneficiaries.  The situation of women is further worsened by the climate crisis and shocks such as the past drought period Zambia experienced recently, with heightened security and safety concerns. Zambia Rural women, already burdened by limited literacy and poor digital connectivity, are further disadvantaged by the e-voucher system. The prediction that women would finally have equitable access to inputs and subsidies has not materialised, leaving a gap between aspiration and practice.

 Gender data or the lack of it presents another challenge. Without gender-disaggregated reporting, it is nearly impossible to tell whether women and men are benefiting equally from major government programmes. Marginalised groups, such as adolescent girls, rural women, and women with disabilities, remain largely invisible in official reporting. This invisibility risks keeping them excluded even from well-intentioned policies.

The scale of interventions also matters. While programmes like Keeping Girls in School and GEWEL continue, their reach has been reduced compared to earlier years. Many of the poorest and most remote women remain outside the net, watching as promises reach others but not them.

Energy 

The effects of the droughts on the energy sector have also been dire for women, who make up over 70% of the SMEs & MSES dependent on energy for products. Zambia which is heavily dependent on hydroelectricity, has rendered many vulnerable to shocks.  The tariff reductions on solar products have enabled pivoting for most of these women, as indicated by anecdotal data. The government in the 2025 budget offered tax rebates on imported renewable energy products, which led to a slight decline in their costs.

In the end, the story of the 2025 budget is neither one of total failure nor full success. There are clear signs of delivery in education, health, and social protection outcomes. Yet the persistent gaps in agriculture, the underfunding of GBV response, limited allocations of CDF to women empowerment compared to the number of requests, and weak monitoring systems mean that implementation has been uneven. The government has shown intent, but intent alone cannot change lives without consistent delivery.

Moving forward, the lesson is clear. Zambia must prioritise Gender responsive planning and budgeting to put at the centre women’s needs, such as funding for GBV response services and more social protection, so that survivors receive real support. Agricultural programmes must be gender lensed and reformed to ensure women farmers are no longer pushed aside and ensure women’s stewardship and equal participation. Investments in gender-disaggregated data are essential to track who benefits and who remains excluded.  Furthermore, programmes showing strides like Keeping Girls in School and social safety nets need to be scaled up rather to sustain the gains so far. Only then will the vision of a gender-responsive budget one that truly leaves no one behind become more than just a promise on paper.