DPDs faulted on stalled projects
By Patience Lunda:
The Ministry of Local Government has said many development projects in district councils are not being completed due to weak directors of planning and development (DPDs).
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Charles Kalemba, said some DPDs were sleeping on the job; hence, it was not surprising that some projects stall.
“Directors of planning and development are supposed to be coming up with ideas, analysing issues and coming up with plans that can spur socio-economic development in councils,” he said.
Kalemba made the remarks during the opening of a two-week training for district DPDs in Mzuzu city, organised in collaboration with Ministry of Local Government, Mzuzu University and Local Governance Accountability and Performance (Lgap) project.
Lgap Decentralisation Manager, Winston Khamula, said capacity-building was key to effective implementation of projects.
“We have seen a shift in the role of Local Government from being a traditional conduit of services from Central Government to a strategic player in the inter-governmental space,” Khamula said.
Chikwawa District Council Director of Planning and Development, Thokozire Ngwira, said she hoped that the situation would change after the training.
The training was being facilitated by Mzuzu University with assistance from United States Agency for International Development and British Department for International Development, which recently changed its name.
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