CDF To Accelerate Rural Economic Transformation Under Grow Zambia Agenda - PS Pollen
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development says the enhanced Constituency Development Fund -CDF- will play a critical role in contributing to the attainment of the Grow Zambia Agenda by helping bridge rural-urban inequalities.
The Grow Zambia Agenda, anchored on the 10-10-5-3-3-1-1-1 targets, seeks to increase production in key sectors including agriculture, energy, tourism, copper, soya, wheat, sugar and beef over the next five years.
Speaking on Diamond Television's Breakfast Show, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary -Administration- Dr. Gabriel Pollen said decentralising resources through CDF will help transform rural communities into productive local economies.
Dr. Pollen said CDF allocations have been scaling up annually and now stand at forty million kwacha per constituency. He said the funds will be aligned with key pillars of the Grow Zambia Agenda, particularly agriculture, decentralised energy, local enterprise development and job creation.
He said substantial portions of CDF will support irrigation schemes and storage facilities, helping connect small-scale farmers to commercial markets and unlock agricultural value chains.
Dr. Pollen further said Local Authorities will use CDF to roll out solar projects under the Presidential Constituency Energy Initiative, which is intended to boost rural electrification and support rural enterprises.
“By deliberately aligning CDF investments with the Grow Zambia Agenda, we are ensuring that every classroom, Feeder Road, and cooperative project serves as a building block to reducing the rural-urban inequalities,” Dr. Pollen said.
He further said the success of the Grow Zambia Agenda will depend on ordinary citizens taking ownership of decentralised investments to achieve lasting improvements in household incomes.
The 10-10-5-3-3-1-1-1 Agenda targets ten million tonnes of maize, ten thousand megawatts of electricity, five million tourist arrivals, three million tonnes of copper, three million tonnes of soya, one million tonnes of wheat, one million tonnes of sugar and one billion United States dollars in beef export earnings.