Author(s): Dennis Zulu
As social entrepreneurship continues to evolve globally, its role in providing social goods and services to vulnerable populations in a sustainable way has continued to attract increasing interest from countries across the world, with Zambia being no exception. Using a comprehensive review of available literature, this paper examines the development of social enterprises in Zambia. It further identifies and analyses challenges that impact their viability and sustainability as a business model in the country. Evidence from across the world, suggests that viable and sustainable social enterprises have the potential of assisting Governments to address deficits in the provision of social goods and services. The realisation of this potential is however dependent on the Government’s commitment to addressing the challenges in the Zambian business environment that constrain the development of vibrant social enterprises. To address these challenges, the paper recommends that the Zambian Government undertakes pragmatic steps to establish a supportive enterprise ecosystem with the following features: First, an enabling environment, with policies, legislation and institutions that recognize, regulate, and facilitate the growth of social enterprises. Second, financial institutions that tailor suitable financial products and services for social enterprises at affordable interest rates and third, business development services that can support operational efficiency, innovation, and growth prospects for social enterprises. The paper concludes that the presence of such a supportive ecosystem can indeed promote the establishment and growth of viable and sustainable social enterprises in Zambia. Such impactful social enterprises can become enduring agents of transformational and positive social change in Zambia.