Blantyre District launches K35bn development plan

Blantyre District Council on Friday launched a K35 billion Blantyre District Development Plan for the five-year period dating back to 2017 and is expected to end in 2022.

Speaking at Traditional Authority Kapeni’s area, director of rural development in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Malango Botomani said it is important to have district development plans as a tool for guiding implementation of development projects.

“We have to commend Blantyre District for launching the plan. We have structures on the ground such as area development and district development committees and these are doing quite well,” she said.

Blantyre district commissioner Bennet Nkasala described the plan, under the theme Sustainable Development a Responsibility for All, as a positive development for the district which worked without a blueprint.

He said the plan includes food security, the environment, water, roads and bridges and urged development partners to consult the council before implementing projects.

Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Cecilia Chazama, who was legislator for the area said district councils need to plan projects and prepare for emergencies.

“With the recent floods, we suffered a lot because we had not planned for them,” she said.