Project implementation under the reformed K5 billion Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is set to start on July 1 across all councils with government promising tighter accountability, performance-based financing and strengthened project oversight.
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Principal Secretary Dingiswayo Jere told the Parliamentary Local Authorities and Rural Development Committee in Lilongwe yesterday that recruitment of constituency work supervisors, accountants and procurement officers to support implementation of the expanded fund is underway.
He said 687 personnel will be recruited to serve all 229 constituencies, adding that Treasury has already released K252 million to facilitate the recruitment exercise.
Jere, who led a delegation from the ministry, the Local Government Service Commission and the National Local Government Finance Commission (NLGFC) to brief a parliamentary committee on the status of CDF implementation, said preparations are nearing readiness for the rollout, with about 95 percent of vacancies in local authorities already filled.
“We are on top of it all. Once we say we are rolling out, we are rolling out,” he said.
He further said the Ministry of Finance has disbursed K15 billion to the Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (Medf) for loan disbursements under the reformed CDF framework.
With only months remaining before the onset of the rainy season, Jere said government and councils are racing against time to accelerate implementation timelines, particularly for infrastructure projects, which account for about 70 percent of CDF activities.
Taking his turn, NLGFC budget analyst Jonathan Banda said K3.9 billion has so far been released to constituencies for preparatory activities, but noted that actual fund disbursement will be phased and dependent on resource availability.
However, committee chairperson Edward Chileka Banda said implementation continues to face bottlenecks, particularly around financing arrangements.
He said the committee plans to engage the Ministry of Finance to accelerate disbursements and align them with implementation timelines.
“The impression is mixed. There is confidence and hope, but there is also concern and anxiety, particularly around the cash flow arrangements,” said Banda.
He questioned the decision to route spending processes through multiple administrative stages, warning that capacity challenges within councils could trigger further delays.
Meanwhile, Malawi Local Government Authorities (Malga) executive director Hadrod Mkandawire has said councils are expecting funds to start flowing soon to enable delivery of intended development projects.
In an interview, he warned that delays could pile pressure on councils already working against tight timelines.
Under the reformed arrangement, each of Malawi’s 229 constituencies is expected to receive K5 billion for development projects, translating into a potential national allocation of about K1.145 trillion. In the previous financial year, each constituency received K220 million under the CDF.
