By Salome Gangire

Blantyre, January 28, Mana: Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Esmie Kainja has urged councils to prioritize projects that significantly impact the lives of communities in their 2025/26 budgets.

Speaking on Monday during a draft budget review session for Neno District Council in Blantyre, Kainja emphasized the importance of aligning projects and programmes with the needs of communities.

“Prepare budgets that transform lives. Communities should also be made aware of the core projects the council is undertaking,” Kainja said.

She stressed that projects must be completed on time to ensure communities benefit fully and avoid delays.

Kainja noted that the budgets should align with Malawi Vision 2063 and the First 10-Year Implementation Plan (MIP-1).

Neno District Commissioner Rosemary Nawasha said the council's draft budget for the 2025/26 fiscal year is projected at K14.4 billion, with K6.3 billion allocated for personal emoluments.

According to Nawasha, development partner resources constitute 71.4 percent of the budget, followed by central government transfers at 27 percent and locally generated revenue contributing 1.6 percent.

"In the 2024/25 financial year, we focused resources on development projects such as healthcare improvements, primary education infrastructure, environmental management, agriculture interventions and social cash transfers, among other areas," Nawasha said.

She added that the council plans to also prioritize infrastructure development in agriculture, education and health sectors in the coming fiscal year.

Key projects lined up for implementation include: construction of Mchena and Mlindi Primary School blocks, decking of the Kakwesa concrete bridge, extension of the Chakhumbira water system, drilling of boreholes in Neno South, construction of Fifi Bridge and Kaingilira water system, establishment of Zalewa bus depot, rehabilitation of Midzemba Health Centre, and construction of the Mlindi Extension Planning Area office.

Director of Finance for Neno District Council, Charles Manzi, said efforts are underway to boost locally generated revenue by introducing e-ticketing in the district.

Manzi pointed out that in the 2024/25 financial year, the council achieved 96.3 percent of its locally generated revenue target, collecting K109,878,400 out of the projected K114,156,000 as of December 31.

The budget review session, which began last week in Blantyre, aims at scrutinising and validating council and city budgets to ensure alignment with national priorities and effective resource allocation at the local government level.