Africa-Press – Zambia. Government has released K805 million for Constituency Development Fund for first quarter for 2021. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Gary Nkombo announced that the Treasury has ok March 30, 2022, released a total of K805 million of the Constituency Development Fund-CDF.
Mr Nkombo said the amount which is for the first quarter of this year, will be shared among all the 156 Constituencies countrywide. He said that the funds released are earmarked for various community projects, youth and women empowerment for the first quarter of this year.
Mr Nkombo said, of the K805 million released, each Constituency will receive K5.1 million for the first quarter to enable them implement various developmental projects.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Wisdom Bwalya announced that each constituency has been allocated over K6 million for the first quarter.
Mr Bwalya made the announcement when he closed a virtual workshop on CDF Guidelines orientation for provincial Permanent Secretaries and provincial government heads of departments today.
“Let me at this stage make a mention that government has finally released the funding for the first quarter to the tune of K6 million plus for each every constituency in the country, we are talking of 156 constituencies,” Mr Bwalya said
Mr Bwalya disclosed that all the councils will receive the money in their accounts by tomorrow, with those who are banking with ZANACO starting to receive the money this afternoon.
“As a Ministry we are doing our part and some of the districts that are dealing with ZANACO should be getting funds this afternoon,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary further appealed to provincial permanent secretaries to ensure accountability of the funds and warned the councils against laxity in the procurement process of developmental projects.
“My appeal to the permanent secretaries is that let us keep an eye so that these funds are prudently utilised,” Mr Bwalya said. He also noted a challenge of slow utilisation of funds as something that should not be allowed.
“The challenge that we are likely to encounter, Provincial Local Government Officers, is to allow laxity on the part of local authorities of funds not being utilised and thus denying our people the much desired development,” Mr Bwalya said.
He warned that such laxity shall not be forgiven as it will deny the people of Zambia the development they desire. “And I think we will not be forgiven for this because for a long time people have been crying for this development,” the Local Government Permanent Secretary said.
“My appeal is to everyone that is involved in this process to ensure that we speed up the process, project should be expeditiously implemented, taking into account the need for accountability,” He also urged provincial Permanent Secretaries to provide strict oversight in the utilisation of the CDF funds as they are meant for the public.
“I thought I should make a mention and appeal to provincial permanent secretaries, who provide oversight at provincial level. These funds, especially for local authorities, they belong to the public, councils are just there as managers of these funds under the eyes of the Provincial Local Government Officers,” Mr Bwalya said.
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