Piloting CDF would have curtailed challenges - Wateraid

GOVERNMENT should have piloted the enhanced Constituency Development Funds (CDF) allocation to selected constituencies before rolling out country wide to avert challenges, Wateraid Zambia has said.

Wateraid Zambia Policy and Advocacy Specialist Chama Mundia stated that piloting CDF would have helped to inform the strengthening of the implementation infrastructure within local authorities, CDF Committees and WDCs.

Ms Mundia suggested that Government would have followed the way it piloted the move from direct input supply to E- voucher under the Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP) and harnessed key lessons.

She explained that this would have curtailed challenges faced this year where only 10% out of the 75% disbursed by the Ministry of Finance was utilized as of September 2022.

Ms Mundia said this when she made a presentation on “key findings from the study on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and linkage to proposed legislative amendments” during a WaterAid Zambia Stakeholder Caucus on CDF which attracted participation from Members of Parliament, Civil Society Organizations and Government.

She recommended some key areas of attention that could support the optimal implementation of CDF.

Ms Mundia noted that CDF was a critical opportunity for advancing better water, sanitation, and hygiene outcomes.

She said addressing key areas of attention will ensure that basic services such as water, sanitation and hygiene are provided effectively and efficiently.

Meanwhile, Ms Mundia has called for the generation of the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) to be expedited as IDPs guide the prioritization of projects for them to be more long term and well informed.

“One of the key issues when it comes to the CDF is that it should be informed by the Integrated Development Plans (IDP) of the Constituency. But again, out of the 116 local authorities, only 30% to 36% have fully developed IDPs. Already in terms of prioritization of projects in our constituencies, what is informing our prioritization and what is going to guide us even as we implement CDF to actualize development?” she asked.

Ms Mundia further said Wateraid was recommending an assessment to ascertain the implementation competencies and gaps of local authorities with regards CDF. She said another area of focus was comprehensive strengthening of Public Finance Management in local authorities.

“Weak Public Financial Management in local authorities is problematic. According to the 2019 Auditor General’s Report, close to Three Billion Kwacha in Local Authorities was in audit query. Thirdly, we call for the review and amendment of the CDF Act of 2018 to incorporate new provisions introduced in the CDF Guidelines to ensure that implementation is well guided and framed within the law. We also call for the review and simplification of CDF Guidelines to respond to the observed low assimilation and absorption of CDF Guidelines especially by the communities, WDCs and CDF Committees,” she said.

The WaterAid Zambia Policy and Advocacy Specialist outlined some key capacity building priorities to be spearheaded by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Members of Parliament.