The Ministry of Local Government has raised concern over widespread deficiencies in minute-writing across local authorities.
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Nicholas Phiri warned that poor record-keeping is undermining decision-making and costing councils’ access to critical development funding.
Mr Phiri emphasized that under Section nine of the Local Government Act No. 2 of 2019, all councils are legally mandated to accurately record and maintain proceedings of their meetings.
He said this through acting Director for Local Government and Administration, Adam Jere at the graduation ceremony of 40 committee clerks from councils across the country, in Chongwe district.
He also presented certificates to the participants who underwent a 14-day intensive training in professional record writing.
“Submissions received by the ministry reveal significant shortcomings in the quality and management of records, there is an urgent need to strengthen human resource capacity building within local government systems conducted for council staff,” Mr Phiri said.
He revealed that a survey across 40 out of Zambia’s 116 local authorities confirmed that minute-writing skills among committee clerks remain inadequate.
He said to address the inefficiency, his ministry, working with stakeholders, has developed a draft reference manual that is expected to be approved in the third quarter of 2026 aimed at harmonizing procedures and ensuring uniform standards writing across all the 116 local authorities.
“Poor-quality minutes are having tangible consequences on development outcomes. Weak documentation has reportedly delayed approvals of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) applications and, in some instances, disqualified councils from accessing capital grants under programmes such as the Zambia Devolution Support Programme,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary said his ministry has prioritized nationwide training for all committee clerks held at Chalimbana Local Government Training Institute, which has been commended for its role in building institutional capacity and addressing operational challenges within councils.
He has since directed all local authorities to ensure that trained committee clerks are deployed effectively across key committees, including District Development Coordinating Committees and CDF-related bodies, to improve the quality of governance and service delivery.
Mr Phiri stressed that the move signals and strengthens accountability and efficiency within Zambia’s decentralized governance system at local level.
And speaking earlier, Chilimbana Local Government Training Institute Principal James Paipi emphasised the critical role committee clerks play in local governance.
Mr Paipi revealed that training simulated the trainees with real council scenarios to better understand and take up their responsibilities of record writing.
Meanwhile, passing a vote of thanks, Yvonne Mubanga said the training has empowered graduates with guidance and standardisation in record-keeping practices.
Ms Mubanga, who is Chief Committee Clerk at Mansa Municipal Council, assured that quality minutes would be produced consistently across all levels of local governance.
She added that the training will improve service delivery by enhancing the capacity of their respective Councils.
The training programme attracted participants beyond committee clerks, including officers from human resources, registry departments, and other administrative units.
