2022 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance Survey
First Edition
Zambia, 2022 - 2026
Get Microdata
Reference ID
ZMB-ZSA-MSME-2022-V1.0
Producer(s)
Zambia Statistics Agency, Bank of Zambia
Metadata
Created on
Jan 17, 2026
Last modified
Feb 26, 2026
Page views
17345
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BC03 What are the majaor challenges_other specify (BC03_SPECIFY)
Data file: Business-Business_Level_21B_Anonymised
Overview
Valid:
297
Invalid:
0
Type:
Discrete
Width:
255
Range:
-
Format:
character
Questions and instructions
Categories
| Value | Category | Cases | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business not doing pretty well | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Customers paying late | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| DISEASES | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Delayed payments from creditors | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Delayed payments when sold on credit | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| FEW CUSTOMERS | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| Few fish from the source, therefore it expensive | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Getting various types of relish | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| HIDING FROM AUTHORITIES | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| HIGH COST OF STOCK | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| He is not in cooperative and so he has difficultues to buy fertilizer | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| High cost of Fertiliser | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| High order prices | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| High transport costs | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| I don't have any challenges | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| INSUFFICIENT WATER SOURCES | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| LACK OF TRADING PLACE | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| LACK OF WATER FOR WATERING CROPS | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| LIMITED NUMBER OF SUPPLIERS | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| LITTLE CAPITAL | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| LOW CAPITAL | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| LOW CUSTOMER TURN OUT | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| LOW PRICE | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| LOW SCHOOL ENROMENT AND LOW FEES THAT LIMIT ON THE GROWTH OF THE SCHOOL | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Lack of i puts e.g ferts, pesticides, generator | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Long distance to ready market | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Long distances to market and poor road network | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Low turn out of customers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| MORDEN MACHINERY EQUIPMENT FOR CAPENTRY | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Market penetration and lafk of advertising | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| NO CHALLENGE CURRENTLY | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| NO CHALLENGES | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| NO CHANLENGES | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| NO CURRENT CHALLENGES | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| NO DEMAND FOR PRODUCTS | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| NON | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| NONE | 12 |
4%
|
|
| NOT FACING ANY CURRENT CHALLENGES | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| No challenges | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| None | 3 |
1%
|
|
| Not happy with quality of stock delivered | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Nothing | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| POOR IRRIGATION SYSTEM | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| PRICE OF FERTILIZER | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Pest infestation in the fields of maize | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Poor road network and distance to the nearest market | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| SALE ON CREDIT PEOPLE DELAY IN PAYING | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| SCARCITY OF TREES TO MAKE CHARCOAL | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| SMEs not favoured by some policies In the market | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| STORAGE | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Short fall on Capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Spending too much on repairing Machine | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| TOO MANY SUPPLIERS | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| TOO MUCH COMPETITION | 3 |
1%
|
|
| TRADING SPACE IS SMALL | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| TRANSPORT | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| TRANSPORTATION | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| The trnsport(bicycle) is damaged hence difficult in movements | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| To much competition | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Tomatoes sometimes rotten resulting in losses | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Too many Fisher man and pricing competition | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Too much competition | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Too much deaths of poultry | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| UNCOMPETITIVE PRICES | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| Uncprices | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| aquiring equipment | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| bad road | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| bad road network | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| bad road network, expensive transport | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| bas road network to wholesale shops which are 40 kms away | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| business is slow | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| business is slow sometimes | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| canoe is too small to use in my fishing business | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| challenge in finding markets | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| change of whether | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| charcoal and cooking oil are expensive | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| chickens dieing. | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| closing hours | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| coldness no fast business | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| competition | 5 |
1.7%
|
|
| cost of feed and chemicals | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| cost of transporting the goods from the source | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| customers not buying on a daily basis | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| cycling long distance to the wholesale suppliers of flour. | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| delay in supplying chicks | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| delay payment from customers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| delayed payment by debtors | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| delayed payments and low prices | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| delayment in people paying back | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| difficult in moving produce from home to customers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| difficult to grow the seeds because of free range animals in the village | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| difficulties to access fertiliser | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| difficulties in obtaining chemical and sprayers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| disease | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| diseases | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| does not have good stock | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| doing the busniess from home | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| expensive fertiliser . bad road network | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| expensive fertiliser and seed | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| expensive transport | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| expensive transport | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| few clients | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| few clients use this route,location has affected how she prices her clothes due to area | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| few customers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| few customers and high competition | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| few equipments | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| finances and contracts | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| financial support | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high competition | 3 |
1%
|
|
| high competition in prices | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high cost of charcoal | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high cost of transportation | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high cost of transportation of the bags of flour | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high expenses in transportation of good via potoon to my village | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high price of roofing sheets | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high prices of commodities | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high transport cost | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high transport costs | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high transport cost | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high transport cost of hiring ox cart when going and coming from ordering fish | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| high transport costs | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| inadequate capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| inadequate customers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| inconsistencies in supply of milk because its seasonal | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| increase in cooking oil prices | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| its far where to buy feed and draw water | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of a boat and fish net | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of a shop and when you are sick the business goes down | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of adiqaute capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of capital to rent the frezit making machine | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of customers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of customers buying with cash | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of electricity | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of farm labourers to hire | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of funds | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of machinary | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of machinery | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of money | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lack of space | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| lack of sponsors | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| lacking right equipment for fishing | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| less capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| long distance and bad road to mansa rown where breweries are found | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| long distance to the FRA depot | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| long distance to the FRA satelite depot | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| long distance to the nearest market | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| long distance to wholesale shops , and high prices of items(groceries) | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| long distance to wholesale shops and bad road | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| long distances whence the goods are ordered | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| loss of Chickens | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| loss of business and expensive inputs | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| low demand of the product | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| low price and delayed payments | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| low turnovers sometimes | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| medicine,spray for tomatoes | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| money to collect the maize from the farm is difficult to find | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| money to open shop and capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| money to rent a shop and capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| monitoring the farm is in luapula and copper belt | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| no capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| no challenge | 8 |
2.7%
|
|
| no challenges | 12 |
4%
|
|
| no challenges are being faced currently | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| no challenges at the moment | 4 |
1.3%
|
|
| no challenges now | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| no enough money to buy flour and cooking oil | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| no money for chemicals | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| no problems | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| no support from the local Authorities | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| non | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| none | 8 |
2.7%
|
|
| none no challenge | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| none of the above | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| not having enough customers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| nothing | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| nothing at the moment | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| ordering chicks | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| paying back the loan | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| people dont pay on time | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| people not buying the fish on a daily basis | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| poor road | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| poor road network | 2 |
0.7%
|
|
| poor road networks | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| poor transport system.oxcart | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| poor transportation of product to the market | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| price of feed | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| prices of items high | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| reduced production | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| reduced the nu,ber of clientele | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| registration fron national council for construction | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| renting a banana boat to transport charcoal is expensive | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| she has no challenges | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| smal capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| some goods are not sold very slow since i bought them | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| some of the customers not pay back on time | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| spare parts | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| spending to much money on school fees | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| stiff competition | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| stiff competition | 5 |
1.7%
|
|
| stiff competition from foreign security firms | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| still lack of trading space | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| still waiting for the farm produce thats when he would determine | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| taking care of a sick child hence failing to have enough time to harvest | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| taking time to have next clients at times | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| the economy is bad people are not buying | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| the road is bad to wholesalers | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| theft | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| theft, machines often break down | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| there is more competition | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| things too expensive | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| too many competitors | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| too many people are opening lodges in the area | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| too many people are now selling chickens | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| too many people selling the same commodity | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| too many people selling the same items | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| too many suppliers of the same goods | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| too much fraudsters | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| too much powercuts/ load shedding | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transport | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transport cost | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transport fees high | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transport is a problem and fertilizer inadequate | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transport is a problem and no electricity | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transport is difficult | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transportation | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transportation cost very high | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transportation costs are too high | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| transportation to carry thevgoods for delivery | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| vegetables not being bought on a daily basis | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| very little capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| very small capital | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| walking long distances | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| water bills | 1 |
0.3%
|
|
| where to get vegetables | 1 |
0.3%
|
Warning: these figures indicate the number of cases found in the data file. They cannot be interpreted as summary statistics of the population of interest.