Govt targets 85% CDF Utilisation
By Patricia Banda
Government has projected to attain a target of 85 percent utilization of Constituency Development Funds -CDF this year.
Local Government Permanent Secretary Technical Services NICHOLAS PHIRI says the preliminary assessment indicates a positive trajectory for 2024
Mr. PHIRI says 2023 utilization statistics reveal some shortcomings, largely due to challenges that were either legal or political in nature.
He told ZNBC news in an interview that the Ministry has taken steps to address them such as amendment of the procurement act.
Under the new amendment, He said the protection period for projects has been reduced from four weeks in 2023 to just 14 days for 2024.
Additionally, the standoff period for contractors to lodge complaints if dissatisfied with the procurement process has also been shortened from 10 days to five working days.
Mr PHIRI however explained that the Ministry is encouraging information sharing between local authorities to share best practices.
