An evaluation of the communication strategies used by Zambia environmental management agency (ZEMA) in promoting environmental sustainability: A case study of Kabwe and Lusaka Districts

Zambia has been facing numerous challenges of environmental issues which resulted in various programs and projects to try and address these problems. Despite the efforts to put in place various programs to ensure environmental sustainability through ZEMA and other cooperating partners, the environment remains at risk hence requires more action by various stakeholders including the communities and there are still gaps in the promotion of Environmental sustainability as the affected communities lack information on how best they can promote environmental sustainability. Communication does not just happen. It must be organized, developed and built. It is in this regard that ZEMA has developed an overall institutional strategy to address the communication needs to different audiences.
The study was aimed at evaluating the communication strategies used by Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) in promoting Environmental Sustainability. The main objective of the study was to assess the communication strategies used in sensitising the people of Kabwe and Lusaka so that they are aware of environmental sustainability.
The study was conducted in Kabwe and Lusaka Districts where 100 questionnaires were administered to 100 Kabwe and Lusaka residents. Of the four in-depth interviews conducted, two were done in Lusaka while the other two were done in Kabwe. One Focus Group Discussion was also conducted. SPSS and thematic analysis were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data respectively.
The study results indicate that despite ZEMA having a communication strategy in place, public awareness on environmental sustainability is very low. This has been attributed to inadequate sensitization, limited communication channels, and inadequate resources among others. It becomes important that reinforcement of the communication strategy is considered, more stakeholder involvement and a wide diversification of appropriate communication channels. There is need to allocate more resources to the environmental sector particularly communication and sensitization. Without the environment, there will be no development and no human life hence there is need to safeguard the environment and ensure environmental sustainability