Saturday, May 10, 2025

Govt wants more capacity building for local authorities

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North-Western Province Permanent Secretary, Jeston Mulando, has called for extensive capacity building in local authorities to enable them effectively implement the planning system.

Mr Mulando said consultations on the review of special planning registration in Zambia, revealed that there are a lot of capacity gaps at lower levels within the planning system.

He said for instance, there are too few planning inspectors and land administrators.

Mr Mulando said this in a speech read for him by his Deputy, Nkolola Hazemba, during a one-day provincial stakeholder consultative forum on the draft regional and urban Planning Bill in Solwezi today.

He, however, said it was gratifying to note that the proposed legislation tries to strike a balance between creating a system that could be implemented now by the current capacity, whilst ensuring that officials and other stakeholders strive to improve that capacity in the future.

Mr Mulando, further, noted that the application of the town and country planning Act is more biased to state owned land excluding customary tenure.

He said such a biased state of affairs has resulted into a lopsided nature of development in the country with state land which constituted only six percent of the land in the country receiving more development focus and investments at the expense of the rural areas.

Mr. Mulando said as a result the draft bill has a provision proposing for harmonising the role of both government and the traditional leaders in dealing with development in rural areas.

ZANIS/WEN/EML/ENDS/SJK

10 COMMENTS

  1. ‘He said such a biased state of affairs has resulted into a lopsided nature of development in the country with state land which constituted only six percent of the land in the country receiving more development focus and investments at the expense of the rural areas.

    Mr. Mulando said as a result the draft bill has a provision proposing for harmonising the role of both government and the traditional leaders in dealing with development in rural areas.

    Sad state of affair, but let us give a chance to this bill as see what will happen.

  2. Tondwe you have asking about land rates on every blog manje tizaziba bwa tilikutali meanwhile you are right there in zed. Nyamula phone ufuse then let us know

  3. The only problem is that the same cooperating partners are the ones you try to shut up when they try to educate and allow people to express themselves, Fr Bwalya for example.I think things will be better if Boma stops trying to intimidate civil society.

  4. Let Local Authorities collect PAYE and only pay some %age to central government. That is the best way to self capacity not when Lusaka does a bamba zonke

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