UPND Chairman General William Banda has called on authorities in Chitambo District of Central Province to ensure that local people are prioritized when awarding Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects.
Mr Banda said, in line with CDF guidelines, residents of the district should be given first priority in the awarding of contracts to empower local entrepreneurs.
He made the remarks during the presentation of four wheelchairs, two sewing machines, 68 bales of secondhand clothes, and other items donated by the First Family to vulnerable members of the community and the royal establishment.
“The President instructed that when there are projects in districts, they should be given to locals because you have youths, men, and women who want to work and earn an income to feed their families. Giving contracts to people from Kabwe, Ndola, or Lusaka deprives residents of this area,” Mr Banda said.
Mr Banda, who was accompanied by UPND Central Province Secretary Hastings Mulimba, UPND Information and Publicity Secretary Fred Khunga, and other provincial and district officials, also criticized miners who come from outside Chitambo with multiple mining licenses, depriving local people of access to their own mineral resources.
He stated that corruption may have been involved in cases where individuals hold more than one mining license, and urged those engaged in the practice to stop, so that locals can benefit from their resources.
The Chairman General assured residents that he would present the challenges they are facing to President Hakainde Hichilema.
He further encouraged people in the area to form cooperatives to make it easier for them to access CDF contracts and participate in mining activities.
Chitambo District UPND Vice Chairperson Christopher Kabango said the donation of the items to the people of Chitambo demonstrates the love and care the First Family has for the district.
Meanwhile, Memory Musonda, mother to one of the wheelchair beneficiaries, said the empowerment would make life easier for her 16-year-old daughter who has been immobile due to the lack of a mobility aid.
