By Vincent Gunde
Dowa District Council’s Chief Administrative Officer Mathews Mkandawire, has advised partners implementing various interventions in the district to attend District executive committee (Dec) meetings to share progress reports of their projects.
Mkandawire said it is the requirement by the council that soon after the project has been approved by Dec, partners must attend Dec meetings saying this enhances cooperation, transparency and accountability of projects being implemented in the district.
He said it is sad that there is growing tendency of partners not attending Dec meetings after presenting their projects for reasons best explained by themselves, saying this tendency must be stopped forthwith because once the project has exited, communities come to the council for clarifications.
Mkandawire appealed to partners and sector heads to be focused that they are there to serve the communities and the communities have high expectations from them that the projects being implemented are in the interest of all.
He advised partners to align their projects to the district’s Development Plan (DDP) and Socio-Economic Profile (SEP) saying this is a booklet which contains all the priority needs of the Dowa people and outside projects are not welcomed in the district.
The officer said he is aware that some partners are relying much on the ministry’s guidance on the projects to be implemented in a particular district observing that this is a welcome development but there’s need to consult the council responsible for their DDP and SEP.
“SEP which is at the ministry is for all councils across the country, issues vary from district to district, Dowa people have their needs and aspirations,” said Mkandawire.
In his remarks, Dowa District Council’s Acting Chief Planning Officer Yusuf Laki, expressed his deep concern over most Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) not complying to submitting their Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to the council and the CSO Network for the district.
Laki said by not submitting their MoUs to the council, the CSOs concern are telling the council that they don’t work in the district and there’s no need for the council to put them on the list of projects implementing partners for the district.
Dowa District Council has over 35 CSOs implementing their projects in the district with most of them concentrating in Dowa west which is flat than Dowa East which is hilly.
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