The Editor Zambia
President Hakainde Hichilema’s announcement that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) will rise to K9 billion in 2027 following the creation of new constituencies is one of the most progressive policy signals Zambia has received in recent years.
The move is a reflection of a government that understands that development must not remain concentrated in towns and cities but must reach the villages, farming blocks, growth centres, and remote communities where poverty remains most severe. 
For decades, many rural areas were left behind, with poor roads, inadequate classrooms, understaffed clinics, and limited opportunities for young people. Communities often had to wait for the central government to decide when their needs would be addressed.
The expansion of the CDF has changed that thinking by placing resources closer to the people and empowering communities to determine their own priorities.
President Hichilema’s plan to increase the fund to K9 billion is, therefore, more than a budget announcement. It is a statement of intent that rural Zambia matters.
Already, the impact of the enhanced CDF has been visible across the country. New classroom blocks have been constructed where children once learned under trees.
Rural health posts have been built, reducing the long distances mothers and children travel to seek medical care.
Boreholes and water schemes have improved access to clean water. Small bridges and feeder roads have opened up markets for farmers.
These are not luxuries.
They are life changing investments.
With more constituencies being created, increasing the total allocation is both logical and fair. More constituencies mean more people to serve, more wards requiring infrastructure and more communities expecting development.
Rather than spreading existing funds too thinly, the government has chosen to expand the resource envelope. That is smart governance.
The poor stand to benefit the most from this decision. In urban areas, families may have alternative services nearby, but in rural districts public investment often determines whether children go to school, whether farmers can transport maize, whether women can access maternal healthcare and whether youth can find skills training. CDF directly responds to these practical needs.
Another important benefit of the increased fund is empowerment. CDF has created bursary opportunities for vulnerable learners, skills training for school leavers, and grants for cooperatives run by women and youth.
These programmes are helping people move from dependency to productivity. A larger fund means more citizens can access such opportunities.
Critics often point to implementation challenges such as delays, low utilisation, and weak monitoring.
Those concerns are valid, but they are management issues, not reasons to abandon a successful concept. The correct response is to strengthen systems, improve transparency, and build local capacity.
President Hichilema’s remarks, encouraging engineers and professionals to participate in delivering projects on time, show that the government is already thinking about practical solutions.
The President is right to urge Zambian engineers to move beyond a payroll mentality and form partnerships capable of winning contracts under CDF. This approach can create jobs, build local expertise, and ensure quality infrastructure is delivered by Zambians for Zambians.
The increase to K9 billion also deepens decentralisation, one of the most important reforms of modern governance. When resources are controlled closer to communities, citizens can better monitor how money is spent and leaders become more accountable.
Development becomes visible and measurable.
What Zambia needs now is continued civic participation. Communities must identify priority projects, councils must spend prudently, and beneficiaries of loans must repay so others can benefit.
If managed well, the enlarged CDF can become one of the most effective anti-poverty tools in the nation’s history.
President Hichilema’s announcement is, therefore, not merely about figures on paper. It is about hope for forgotten communities, dignity for the poor, and opportunity for rural families. It is a progressive step that deserves national support.
