Nkhata Bay Council touts development budget

Nkhata Bay District Council has said throught its 2024/25 budget, the council is geared towards implementing some projects in the district.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday after the full council approved the 2024/25 K8 billion budget, Nkhata Bay district director of planning and development Edgar Chihana said the budget will cover the council’s operations.

He also said there has been an increase in funds on Governance to Enable Service Delivery and District Development Fund.

Chihana said the council will take precautionary measures before implementing projects to be sure of their outcomes.

“The council will also empower local structures to play a leading role in monitoring projects in their areas to ensure success,” he said.

Presenting the budget, the council’s finance committee chairperson Acran Chenya said they will source the money from central government transfers, development partners and local revenue.

“Among the projected programmes in the budget are construction, renovation and furnishing of health facilities and construction of Usisya Police Unit,” he said.

Chenya also said there will be an average of 30 percent upward adjustments in the council’s licences, fees and permits in the 2024/25 fiscal year.

Commenting of the budget, Nkhata Bay North West legislator Julius Chione Mwase (Democratic Progressive Party) commended the council for approving the budget and thanked the finance committee for an even distribution of funds across the district.

In random interviews, residents expressed optimism with the implementation of projects funded by the council in the 2024/25 financial year.

Anderson Manda, a resident at Nkhata Bay Boma, advised local structures to monitor the projects to protect public funds.