CDCs to Strengthen Community Participation in Development Planning in Nkhata Bay
By Peter Magawa……..
Nkhata Bay District has established Constituency Development Committees (CDCs) across all six constituencies to improve community participation in the planning and implementation of development projects under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
District Community Development Officer for Nkhata Bay, Jacob Moloko, says the committees will bring development planning closer to the people by giving communities a direct role in identifying and prioritising their needs.
Moloko says the CDCs are an important structure at community level that will help ensure development projects reflect real local challenges.
“These committees are very crucial because they are a key development structure at community level,” he said.
He added that the committees will also oversee development projects funded under the K5 billion CDF allocation to ensure proper implementation and involvement of communities throughout the process.
“We have already briefed them on their roles, and soon we will organise orientation meetings to take them through CDF guidelines and leadership principles,” added Moloko.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for Nkhata Bay North representing Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Kondwani Botha, says the CDCs will improve coordination between communities and development structures.
Botha says the committees will work with Village Development Committees (VDCs), Area Development Committees (ADCs), and traditional leaders to ensure that development priorities reflect the needs of local people.
He says the initiative will also improve community ownership of development projects across the district.
