The Promoting Active Citizen Engagement for Democratic Governance (PACED) project is a flagship initiative of the Zambia Transparency & Accountability Lab, designed to empower citizens to play a central role in shaping accountable, transparent, and democratic governance systems in Zambia.
Launched to respond to the growing need for inclusive civic participation, PACED strengthens citizen voices, promotes public accountability, and enhances the responsiveness of duty bearers at local and national levels.

Objectives:
The PACED Project aims to:
• Increase citizen awareness of their rights and responsibilities in democratic governance processes.
• Strengthen citizen participation in public policy, budgeting, and service delivery monitoring.
• Enhance accountability by building platforms for dialogue between citizens, elected officials, and service providers.
• Empower marginalized groups, including youth, women, and people with disabilities, to actively engage in governance and decision-making spaces.

Key Interventions:
• Community Dialogues & Town Hall Meetings: Facilitating inclusive platforms where communities engage directly with duty bearers to raise concerns, track commitments, and co-create solutions.
• Civic Education Campaigns: Using both traditional and digital media to spread awareness on civic rights, election participation, transparency, and social accountability.
• Training & Capacity Building: Equipping community leaders, youth activists, and civil society actors with tools to advocate effectively, track budgets, and demand better public service delivery.
• Social Accountability Tools: Promoting the use of scorecards, citizen report cards, and community-based monitoring frameworks to assess the performance of public institutions.

Impact Highlights:
• Over 5,000 residents engaged across the six target wards through awareness campaigns and dialogues.
• Ward Action Plans developed in collaboration with citizens and local authorities to address pressing service delivery challenges.
• Increased civic participation by youth and women in Ward Development Committees (WDCs) and public meetings.
• Strengthened collaboration between local leaders, duty bearers, and citizens, leading to improved transparency and responsiveness.

Implementation Areas:
PACED Project is being implemented in the following six wards of Choma District:
• Three wards in Choma Constituency – Mubula, Kulundana and Batoka Ward,
• Three wards in Mbabala Constituency – Mbabala, Chilalantambo and Macha Ward