Analysing the Effectiveness of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) on Youth Empowerment in Zambia: A Case of Lusaka Central Constituency

Abstract

Youth entrepreneurship has increasingly been recognised as a critical pathway for addressing unemployment, poverty, and economic marginalization in many developing countries, including Zambia. In support of decentralisation and inclusive local development, the Government of Zambia expanded the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to include empowerment grants and loans targeting vulnerable groups, particularly the youth. CDF allocations have increased substantially from K1.6 million per constituency (2021) to K25.7 million (2022), K28.3 million (2023), and K30.6 million (2024) financing initiatives such as the construction of health posts, classroom blocks, and water and sanitation infrastructure (e.g., boreholes and improved water reticulation). This study aims to assess the utilization of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for youth empowerment in Lusaka Central Constituency. The specific objectives of the study were to assess the utilization of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) on youth empowerment in Lusaka central constituency, to evaluate the effectiveness of CDF on youth empowerment in the Lusaka Central constituency, and to identify the challenges associated with access to CDF on youth empowerment in the Lusaka Central constituency. Stratified simple random sampling was used for the quantitative phase, and purposive sampling was used for the qualitative phase. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was utilized, integrating a structured youth survey with interviews of CDF administrators and pertinent stakeholders. The quantitative sample size was determined using the Yamane formula (95% confidence level; 5% margin of error), yielding a target of 398; 312 youth questionnaires were successfully completed (reported response rate: 90.7%), and 55 interviews were conducted using purposive selection of information-rich participants. Findings show that awareness, while generally high, remains uneven: 32.1% of youths reported being unaware of CDF opportunities, representing a significant missed empowerment opportunity. Although 67.9% affirmed that funds are available, only 38.5% reported having applied for a CDF loan, indicating a gap between perceived availability and actual uptake. This discrepancy points to a disconnect between perceived availability and actual uptake of the funds. It implies that while youths may believe that funds exist, many are unable or unwilling to translate this belief into concrete applications. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between youths’ challenges in accessing grants and loans and their perceptions of bureaucratic delays in fund disbursement. The Pearson correlation of -0.592 (p < 0.001) indicates a strong negative association, meaning that youths who face greater difficulties, such as limited technical skills, low literacy, and challenges in preparing bankable proposals, are more likely to view bureaucratic processes as a major obstacle to fund implementation. Furthermore, the descriptive statistics on how most youths perceive the allocation of CDF youth empowerment funds as lacking transparency. The clustering of responses around “disagrees” (as shown by the median and mode of 2) suggests that concerns about fairness, openness, and accountability are widespread among young people in the constituency. The high proportion of respondents who disagree that the process is transparent may reflect concerns about political influence, favouritism, inadequate communication of selection criteria, or lack of feedback to unsuccessful applicants.