Extension workers drilled in watershed management
Lilongwe District Council has drilled extension workers in Lilongwe in integrated watershed management, a component under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme.
The two day-training, which took place in Dowa, comes before the actual implementation of the project slated for September this year.
In an interview on Friday, Lilongwe District Council director of public works Sydney Chiphaka said the training was crucial in empowering extension workers to effectively implement the project.
“The extension workers will be expected to lead the process of formulating village level action plans to guide the project implementation; hence, they need to be trained and guided on how best to undertake the tasks,” he said.
An extension worker under the Department of Forestry, Gilbert Nkhoma, said they now understand that a multi-sectoral approach will be needed in the implementation process.
“This project has several interventions aligned to different sectors which need coordination and collaboration among extension workers,” he said.
During the training, the extension workers were taken through environmental impact assessment, financial management, community procurement guidelines, environmental safeguards and grievance redress mechanisms.
About 24 628 people in the district will benefit from the programme. They will be expected to work for 12 days in a month and an extra five days outside wages period as their contribution to communities.
