The Government of the Republic of Zambia through parliament established the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in 1995, under CAP 281 of the Laws of Zambia and Section 45 of the Local Government Act No. 2 of 2019 to support micro-community projects as part of the wider decentralization and local development policy. This fund was established to provide finances for micro economic programs at local level based on community needs.

The CDF remains a strategic tool for accelerating the decentralization agenda and promote sustainable local development in all constituencies in Zambia.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia has prioritised decentralisation as a major driver for attaining development, reducing poverty and supporting job creation through citizen engagement and participation at the local level.

To actualise decentralisation in line with the Constitution, the Government has decided to take significant resources from the Central Government to the Local Government level and in this regard, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has been identified as a major tool to take resources closer to the people.

The expanded scope of the CDF covers three (3) specific areas namely, Community Projects; Youth, Women and Community Empowerment and public Boarding School and Skills Development Bursaries.

The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is established under Article 162 of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No.2 of 2016 and operationalised by the Constituency Development Fund Act No. 11 of 2018.The Act provides for the management, disbursement, utilisation and accountability of the CDF.

In addition, there are pieces of legislation that are related and supportive to the management,

disbursement, utilisation and accountability of CDF which include among others:

1. a) The Local Government Act No. 2 of 2019;
2. b) The Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 2018;
3. c) The Public Procurement Act No. 8 of 2020;
4. d) The Urban and Regional Planning Act No. 3 of 2015;
5. e) The National Planning and Budgeting Act No. 1 of 2020; and
6. f) Anti-Gender Based Violence Act No.1 of 2011.

(a.) PROCESSING A CDF APPLICATION

1. The CDF Committee (CDFC) shall receive project proposals from the Ward Development Committee (WDC) through Secretariat;
2. Application forms shall be obtained free of a charge from the Local Authority, Parliamentary Constituency Office, any Public Institution in the Constituency, identified financial institution or the Local Authority Website;
3. Application forms shall be typed or filled in a clear handwriting and submitted to the WDC;
4. A Ward Development Committee shall, on receipt of the project proposals from a community consolidate and submit a proposed project list to the Local Authority not more than two weeks after the deadline for applications.

The submission shall be signed by the Chairperson of the WDC and accompanied by minutes of the Meeting of the Committee and the Zonal Assembly Meeting. Where the Chairperson is not available, the Vice Chairperson shall sign and where the Vice Chairperson is not available, the

21 Committee shall nominate a member amongst themselves who shall sign the

submission list;

1. The WDC shall, in preparing and submitting a proposed project list, ensure that the proposed project list is in line with the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) or any other development plan available;

• The CDFC shall only consider dully signed application forms by the Ward Development Committee Chairperson as in (d) above;
• A CDFC shall, in consultation with relevant technical teams on receipt of a proposed project list from a WDC, review the proposed project list and estimated costs of the proposed projects;
• A CDFC shall, in considering the applications submitted by a Ward Development Committee, rank the proposed projects in order of priority. In an event that the total cost of the projects listed exceeds the allocation for a particular Constituency, the order in which the proposed projects are listed shall be taken as an order of priority for purposes of allocation of funds. However, ongoing projects shall take precedence over new projects;
• The CDFC shall invariably consider the recommendations of the technical teams in the approval process of projects. Any deviation from the recommended project costs shall not exceed five percent (5%);
• A CDFC shall, where the proposed budget for projects in a Constituency is less than the allocation, indicate the difference as an unallocated amount on the proposed project list for that particular Constituency;
• A CDFC shall, after the review of the applications, recommend for approval to the Provincial Local Government Officer (PLGO) within seven (7) days;
• A PLGO shall, within fourteen (14) days of receipt of the applications approve or reject the applications. A proposed project list shall be deemed to have been approved where the PLGO fails to inform the CDFC of the decision within the period specified; 22

A PLGO shall cause to be published the approved project list in the Gazette and any other electronic media platform, except that the requirement to publish shall not affect the implementation of an approved project.

 

(b) DISBURSEMENT OF CDF FUNDS.

For successful CDF applicants; grants, bursaries and loans are credited directly into the appropriate bank accounts.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) follows to ensure correct use of the CDF, also to ensure that the correct beneficiaries receive the funds, and that the funded community projects are being developed.