Talking Interoperability #7 – Zambia

The 7th session of the “Talking Interoperability” webinar series discussed the experience of the Zambian Ministry of Community Development and Social Services with the implementation of Zambia Integrated Social Protection Information System (ZISPIS).The ZISPIS operationalizes a unified national register of beneficiaries for key social protection interventions and serves as a backbone of an integrated digital ecosystem for management of Social Protection programmes in Zambia. The solution also enforces workflow controls, applies accountability mechanisms, and is integrated in real-time to banks/Payment-Service-Providers which significantly improves cost-effectiveness, efficiency, convenience of disbursing and receiving social support entitlements as well as standardizing management of social cash transfers and other social support interventions.

The presentation also highlighted challenges to interoperability, data protection issues and the ZIPSIS role in addressing interoperability challenges.

Presenters: Dr David Phiri – Director ICT, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Craig Kilfoil – Senior Payment Systems Specialist, World Bank, Lubasi Musambo – Principal Officer in Charge of SCT MIS, Ministry of Community Development and Social Services

Discussants: Christabel E. Dadzie – Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank Alejandro Grinspun –  Senior Economist in the Social Protection Team, FAO

Moderator: Richard Chirchir – Principal Management Information System Specialist, Development Pathways