Minister Ben Phiri pushes councils to safeguard K17billion World Vision development legacy
Malawi’s Ministry of Local Government has confirmed it has set local councils a strict timeframe to develop maintenance policies, aimed at ensuring development projects across the country remain sustainable long after their completion.
Minister of Local Government Dr Ben Malunga Phiri revealed the deadline on Tuesday in Lilongwe, during a handover ceremony in which World Vision officially presented a series of development projects implemented in the Chigodi and Chilenje areas to local community members.
Phiri urged World Vision to complete a full handover of the developments to communities through their respective councils, insisting the move would allow public funds to be properly allocated toward ongoing maintenance of the projects going forward.
MP pushes for constituency funds to support upkeep
Member of Parliament for the area, Pilirani Kaphagawani Buleya, used the occasion to appeal directly to the Ministry, calling for a portion of Constituency Development Funds to be set aside specifically to help maintain and further progress the projects once they pass into community hands.
Meanwhile, World Vision Board Director Esther Chafumuka urged community members to make the most of the facilities handed over to them, stressing the importance of ensuring the projects remain sustainable long after the organisation concludes its work in the area.
K17 BILLION invested, over 22,000 households benefiting
According to figures released by World Vision, more than US$10 million — equivalent to roughly K17 billion — has been ploughed into development projects across Chigodi and Chilenje, benefiting over 22,000 households in what stands as one of the organisation’s most substantial community investment programmes in the region.
With the handover now complete, attention turns to whether local councils and community structures can successfully take up the mantle of maintaining the infrastructure, ensuring the substantial investment continues delivering benefits for years to come rather than falling into disrepair once external support winds down.