Chirundu District Commissioner, Patrick Kasambila says the expanded Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Loans and Grants Component is designed to finance viable entrepreneurship ventures in the area.
Mr Kasambila said the Government desires to ensure that youths and women become entrepreneurs that will create both sustainable jobs and wealth creation.
The Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) reports that, Mr Kasambila said this when he met some expanded CDF loans applicants in Mushungu Ward of
Chirundu Constituency during the ongoing field appraisals.
He implored youths and women to take advantage of CDF and other empowerment programmes by the Government by getting fully involved in entrepreneurship ventures in the district if they are to meaningfully contribute to national development.
Earlier, Chirundu Town Council Social-Economic Planner, Tionenje Mbewe said successful CDF loan applicants will benefit from the tailored made financial and mentorship programmes from all the participating banks.
Mrs Mbewe said the local authority has realised that most people that got loans in the previous allocation seemingly didn’t get the much-needed financial literacy.
The Chirundu Town Council Social-Economic Planner explained that the ongoing CDF Loans field appraisal is part of the due diligence by the local authority to know
applicants rather than just relaying on desktop appraisals.
She pointed out that the ongoing CDF Loans field appraisals in themselves are not final but are now part of an elaborate scrutiny process to ensure that applicants provide viable business proposals.
At the same meeting, Chirundu Constituency Development Fund Committee (CCDFC) Chairperson, Robson Sianduba advised successful loan applicants to develop a culture of paying back loans.
Mr Sianduba said CDF Loans are a revolving funds, hence the need to pay back when they are due so that many other applicants can be considered in the future.
He has since urged successful loan applicants to put the money to good use and help President Hichilema to actualise his vision of economically empowering Zambians.
Chirundu District Commissioner, Patrick Kasambila has been incorporated in the newly reconstituted Chirundu Constituency Development Fund Committee (CCDFC) as part of the CDF Act amendments by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) following the presidential directive.
