An Agenda for Inclusive Development
When the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was expanded, it was more than just a fiscal adjustment; it was a bold political statement. Development needed to be local, immediate, and inclusive, rather than remote, slow, or selective. Three years later, the CDF is quietly reshaping Zambia’s development landscape, demonstrating what happens when resources meet people at their point of need.
The evidence is compelling. Between 2022 and 2024, more than 7,299 projects were completed nationwide. Each of these projects is not just a statistic; it represents a tangible delivery of services. In classrooms, over 661,000 desks have been provided, restoring dignity to learners who previously squatted on dusty floors. The construction of 2,269 new classrooms and 290 staff houses for teachers has begun to alleviate the chronic issues of overcrowding and teacher shortages in rural education. A child in Kanchibiya or Kalomo now learns in conditions that inspire hope rather than neglect.
CDF has helped build over 2,000 new classrooms.
The changes in the health sector are equally significant. The construction of 290 new health posts and 163 maternity annexes has brought essential services within walking distance for mothers, who once risked their lives traveling long distances to deliver. Coupled with 160 new staff houses, these facilities are fully staffed and functional, providing life-saving health services.
Access to clean water, often a crucial element in rural development, has also improved due to the CDF. With 1,792 boreholes and 531 water schemes, communities from Gwembe to Petauke can now draw safe water close to their homes. This has eased the burden on women and children, giving them more time for school, farming, and building their livelihoods.
The empowerment component of the fund tells a different story. More than 47,000 community groups and 15,000 small enterprises have accessed grants and loans, with a focus on youth and women. These investments are not mere handouts; they are seeds of entrepreneurship that are fostering agro-processing, poultry farming, trading, and grassroots innovation.
CDF embodies participatory democracy, where development is chosen, implemented, and owned by the people themselves.
Despite these successes, challenges persist, including limited technical skills, uneven contractor capacity, and bureaucratic delays. However, these should not be seen as failures but as opportunities to strengthen our systems. The Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) views these lessons as a roadmap for the next phase: enhancing technical capacity, refining financing mechanisms, and expanding accountability measures that keep citizens at the center of development.
The larger point is this: the CDF is more than just a budget line; it is a governance reform that shifts power from Lusaka to constituencies, and from policy elites to ordinary citizens. It embodies participatory democracy, where development is chosen, implemented, and owned by the people themselves.
As a delivery agenda, the message is both simple and profound: governance must be judged not by its intentions, but by its visible impact. On that score, the CDF is proving that when the government prioritizes delivery, transformation follows.
This is the standard the PDU must continue to uphold: development that is not abstract but tangible; not distant but experienced. In every borehole, classroom, clinic, and grant, the CDF reaffirms the national vision: “Delivering for the People.”