NKOMBO ENCOURAGES CITIZENS TO PRIORITISE DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

By SIMON MUNTEMBA

CITIZENS, more especially those in rural areas should identify and prioritize their own developmental needs through the decentralisation policy if they are to realise meaningful development, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Gary Nkombo has said.

Mr Nkombo said   Government was taking practical measures to encourage Zambian citizens to make independent decisions on national development.

He explained that, by encouraging citizens to prioritize own developmental needs through the decentralisation policy, that would result in more meaningful development to rural parts of the country.

According to the Ministry’s public relations officer Chila Namaiko, the Minister was speaking during the 3rd Africa Rural Development Forum (ARDF) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), under the patronage of President Félix Tshisekedi who is also chairperson of the African Union.

Addressing the delegates, Mr Nkombo called for increased investment in rural development if Africa was to achieve more meaningful development in line with the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, ‘The Africa We Want’.

On Zambia’s efforts to enhance rural development, Mr Nkombo cited how  Government had undertaken to leverage on Constituency Development Fund allocation by setting aside K25.7 million per constituency in the 2022 national budget from partly K1.6 million to provide financing for projects and empowerment programmes identified by the communities.

“The fund is premised on complete ownership of planning, implementation and management of the programmes and projects by the communities,” Mr Nkombostated.