Nkhata Bay District Council has said the newly constructed district council chamber has boosted the council’s revenue generation besides changing the face of the boma.
Council chairperson Hannock Kachingwe said in an interview on Wednesday that the new chamber, constructed jointly under the District Development Fund (DDF), has a bigger space compared to the previous one, thereby creating a favourable environment to those who hire it for meetings or conferences.
He said: “The previous chamber was small. It could not accommodate more than 30 people, but this one can take up to 60 people. Most importantly, its magnificent appearance attracts people to hire it.
“The money we generate from hiring the facility for conferences helps us in running the council’s operations such as procuring fuel for vehicles that collect garbage.”
On his part, Nkhata Bay District Council information officer Chisomo Kambandanga said besides the DDF funded chamber, the council has enjoyed at least 15 World Bank-supported performance-based grant Governance to Enable Service Delivery (Gesd) funded projects which he said have helped the council improve on service delivery.
“Gesd funded projects have helped us do things better than before and we will continue doing better than this. It has helped us in the way the council must deliver its services to the communities,” he said.
Among other projects, Gesd has also funded the construction of a fence and shelters at Chintheche Market, Kamwala Clinic in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kabunduli and Nkhwali Market shelter in T/A Timbiri.
Nkhata Bay Boma resident James Manda expressed excitement with the council’s chamber, saying it will give officers a conducive place to deliberate issues that concern the district.
He said: “We learn that full council meetings also take place in the chamber.
That is how crucial the facility is to the district. I just urge authorities to ensure timely maintenance to make it last.
