An exciting new project - Enhancing Local Government Capacity for Development – was launched today by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Amos Malupenga in Lusaka, Zambia with the EU Ambassador to Zambia and COMESA, and representatives of participating councils, development partners and government ministries in attendance.

A joint initiative of CLGF, the Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) and the Ministry of Local Government (MLG), the project is supported financially by the European Union and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).  

Assisting decentralisation process

This project sets out to contribute to both the Decentralisation Policy 2012 and the 7th National Development Plan 2017. With the Decentralisation Policy significantly increasing the mandate of local government, it is vital that capacity is strengthened to allow councils to provide quality services and stimulate social and economic development. There is also a need for increased community participation, enhanced efficiency and accountability.

Ten local authorities have been targeted and the project will identify and address their capacity gaps by enhancing governance by improving leadership, institutional and operational capacities; improving the ability to plan and implement inclusive service delivery and promoting local economic development; and building capacity for LGAZ to represent and support the local government sector in the decentralisation process.

Main activities

The project will run for 36 months and the main activities include:

• local authority capacity assessments

• capacity building of individual local authorities and at organisational level 

• peer learning between Zambian and European local authorities

• developing and implementing Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) in five selected local     authorities

• developing Local Economic Development strategies in 10 local authorities

• implementing the Health Sector Devolution plan in target local authorities

• developing and implementing LGAZ stakeholder engagement and advocacy strategy 

• producing and disseminating knowledge products on the decentralisation process and         local government   

• raising general public awareness of the decentralisation process and the role of local   government in development

Target audiences

Those targeted within the ten councils include elected and appointed officials of councils; representatives of Ward Development Committees; LGAZ officials; the ministries of Local Government and of Health; Chalimbana Local Government Training Institute (CLGTI); community based and faith based organisations; chambers of commerce; research Institutes; and relevant government departments at provincial and district levels.