Examining Zambian Government Strategies on Economic Empowerment: A Case of the Supporting Women’s Livelihoods Programme in Milenge District

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Zambian Government’s Supporting Women’s Livelihoods (SWL) Cash Empowerment Program in promoting sustainable women’s economic Empowerment in Mikula Ward. Milenge District, Luapula Province. This study assessed improvements in women’s livelihoods. The program’s effectiveness in addressing barriers to economic empowerment, the sustainability of beneficiaries’ investments, and key implementation challenges. A descriptive and analytical design was employed. Involving 120 SWL beneficiaries selected through purposive and simple random sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and key informant interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential tests, including Chi-square, ANOVA, and linear regression. The findings revealed mixed outcomes. Notably, 48.6% of respondents reported reduced confidence in managing finances after participating in the program. Indicating persistent weaknesses in financial capability despite access to cash support. Beneficiaries reported improvements in income-generating activities. Debt repayment and access to productive assets. However, gaps remained in financial literacy, savings, and reinvestment. Chi-square tests found no statistically significant association between SWL participation and Women’s decision- making power or control over household income (P – 0.05). Furthermore, 30.7% of respondents neither saved nor reinvested their grants, raising concerns about long – term sustainability. The study concludes that the SWL program contributed to livelihood improvement, but its effects on broader and sustainable economic empowerment were limited and uneven. it recommends strengthening financial literacy, entrepreneurship and agribusiness training, group savings and credit mechanisms, market-oriented skills development, mentorship, gender-sensitive community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation systems to improve sustainable empowerment outcomes