Implement quality projects, councils told
National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) board chairperson Richard Chapweteka has asked district councils in the Central Region to stick to quality standards in implementing projects.
He said this on Friday in Salima District at the end of a tour of Lilongwe, Salima, Ntchisi and Kasungu district councils in the Central Region to appreciate implementation of projects under the World Bank-funded Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP).
Chapweteka said the reports his office has received do not reflect what is on the ground.
He said: “We encourage them to strive for excellence because government projects must be of high quality standards.
“They are doing well in some areas, but we need them to pull up their socks and stick to standards so that the projects match the expenditures.”
Chapweteka said they are determined to hold councils accountable on public projects.
Salima District Council chairperson Limbani Katoweka promised to engage concerned offices to rectify shoddy integrated water management structures under the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme, a component of SSRLP.
“The visit has encouraged us to do better in all interventions. For instance, these check dams under Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme can help to restore degraded landscapes,” he said.
Kasungu District Council director of planning and development Davie Chigwenembe said they will strive to give people projects that are worth the funds.
The SSRLP has components such as Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme, Social Cash Transfer Programme and Livelihoods being facilitated by the NLGFC and implemented in the country’s 28 district councils.
