MINISTER of Local Government and Rural Development, Gary Nkombo has announced that Mayors, Town Clerks and Council Secretaries in all local authorities are now eligible for public financial aid through access to loans under the Public Service Microfinance Company (PSMFC).
Mr Nkombo announced the development on behalf of President Hakainde Hichilema who made the directive and further disclosed that the loans will be accessed at nine percent interest.
He urged the officers to take this as an opportunity for empowerment and not misuse.
ZANIS reports that the Minister said this when he officiated at the 2024 Local Government Excellence awards and awards for women in Local Government in Lusaka last night organized by Local Government Association of Zambia(LGAZ).
And speaking earlier at the same event, Local Government Excellence Awards Committee Adjudicator, John Banda bemoaned the low number of entries by local authorities for the awards.
Mr Banda disclosed that only 14 out of 116 Local Authorities sent in their entries which translated into 12 percent overall participants.
He further said 10 distinguished women that currently work as councilors or officers took part in the individual awards that were sponsored by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Mr Banda added that the adjudication committee was impressed with the quality of submissions by the local authorities.
“The competition was not an easy one as it only had a few points separating the competitors in the local authorities category. We strongly recommend that these awards should be integrated in the reward system of Local Government,” he advised.
Choma Municipal Council was among the local authorities that walked away with a K25 000 kwacha under its Public Private Dialogue Platform submission.
