K90 MILLION DISBURSED FOR LAND DEVELOPMENT TO COUNCILS

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources says K90 million has been disbursed to 91 councils countrywide under the Land Development Fund since 2011. In the last five years, the ministry released K66 million of the Land Development Fund to 58 councils to fund projects that can help open up newly created districts for development. Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Jean Kapata said new district councils are allowed to independently identify projects which can open up their areas for development. Ms. Kapata says some of the projects include surveying project sites, creating new roads, supplying electricity and providing water reticulation systems in the new districts. She says her ministry is currently in the process of releasing K10 million for seven districts. The Minister said this when she concluded her tour of North-Western Province where she inspected projects that were funded from the Land Development Fund in Kalumbila, Manyinga and Mushindamo districts. North-Western Province got over K5 million out of the K66 million Land Development Fund that was disbursed from 2016 to 2021. And Ms. Kapata has congratulated Kalumbila, Manyinga and Mushindamo districts for utilising their shares of the Land Development Funds prudently. She has since encouraged the new councils to apply for more funds and continue with projects that will facilitate development in their areas. And Mushindamo District Council Secretary Pamela Zulu explained that the over K2 million funding from the Land Development Fund received was put to good use by the council. – ZANIS