Nkombo Launches CDF Communications Strategy

Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Gary Nkombo on Friday launched a new communications strategy for the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), aimed at improving citizens’ access to information about CDF grants and increasing the fund’s transparency.

“The CDF is a testament to our belief in the capacity of very Zambian to drive change and shape their own future. Through the CDF, we empower local leaders and citizens to identify their needs, prioritise their projects, and take ownership of their development agenda.,” Nkombo said at the launch event in Mulungushi Conference Centre, Lusaka.

CDF is considered a flagship policy of the Hichilema government, with funding increased to K30.6 million per constituency in the 2024 budget. The New Dawn administration is now working to increase grant uptake to 98%, so that more community projects benefit from CDF funding.

CDF money is used to finance projects that benefit local communities, including youth and female empowerment initiatives, secondary boarding school bursaries, cooperative farms, and skills development bursaries. 60% of this funding is protected for projects chosen by the communities themselves.

The new communications strategy includes the rollout of uniform branding across all CDF vehicles, documents and other assets to make sure that CDF projects are easily identifiable by the public. It also sets out methods for directly engaging communities, including town hall meetings, social media campaigns, and media briefings.

Finally, it establishes mechanisms for greater transparency around CDF funding, with the development of an online dashboard that will allow citizens to see which projects are being funded. Citizens are also encouraged to report any suspected instances of fraud or funding misappropriation.

CDF is managed principally by the Ministry for Local Government, with support from the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU). Speaking at the launch event, PDU delivery manager Jones Shimbela said, “The Presidential Delivery Unit, working with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is dedicated to unclogging bottlenecks in the delivery of CDF to the citizens by ensuring that every kwacha allocated through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is utilized effectively and efficiently”.