President Hakainde Hichilema has urged the church and traditional leaders in Central Province to take advantage of the delimitation of constituencies to nudge local authorities to use the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) on impactful developmental projects.
President Hichilema says the increase in the number of constituencies is aimed at addressing the developmental needs of the people at community level.
He said the church and traditional leaders should get involved in identifying critical developmental needs of the people, adding that councils should not be left to decide alone on the kind of developmental projects to be undertaken in their areas.
President Hichilema was speaking in Kabwe when he met the church and traditional leaders of Central Province shortly after commissioning the Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles.
“As government, we want the church and traditional leaders to work closely with the councils to develop the country through CDF. There will be more money going into the councils following the delimitation of constituencies. The money should benefit the people,” he said.
President Hichilema said government remains committed to improving the welfare of citizens through implementation of viable policies.
The Head of State has since directed Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, to ensure that the church is incorporated among CDF beneficiaries to foster development at community level.
He said government has allocated sufficient resources for the rehabilitation of feeder roads and the implementation of various developmental projects across the country.
Mr Hichilema said the increase in the number of constituencies is a clear indication of government’s commitment to equitable distribution of resources to all parts of the country through CDF.
President Hichilema also called on the church to pray for peaceful elections as the country heads towards the August 13, 2026 general elections.
“The church should promote peace and unity so that we can have peaceful elections. We don’t want chaos,” President Hichilema said.
Meanwhile, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) Central Province Coordinator, Moses Banda, who represented the church mother bodies, said the church is impressed with the transformative policies that government is implementing in various social sectors.
“As a church, we are happy with the transformative policies being implemented by the government such as the free education, school feeding programme and many others. These policies have lessened the burden of families,” Bishop Banda said.
And the chiefs in Central Province have commended government for increasing their salaries, and for the various developmental projects being undertaken using the CDF.
Provincial Council of Chiefs’ Chairperson, Chief Chibale, appealed to government to expedite the construction of palaces.
He also urged government to help in resolving boundary disputes through its established systems.
Meanwhile, President Hichilema has assured the farming community that government will look into the price of cotton to encourage more farmers to venture into cotton farming.
