By Dean Chisambo
Nkhatabay North Constituency legislator Mackenzie Chipalamoto Nkhwazi has expressed concern over the distribution of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) loans, arguing that the current focus on women and youth has left many men without access to the facility.
Nkhwazi raised the concern on Monday in Parliament after the Minister of Local Government and Decentralisation, Ben Phiri, presented a ministerial statement on the implementation of the CDF.
The legislator questioned the criteria used to allocate CDF loans, saying the programme appears to favour women and young people while excluding men, despite the financial hardships many of them face.
He argued that financial pressures have contributed to rising cases of suicide among men and stressed that they should also benefit from government empowerment initiatives.
Nkhwazi said men should not be sidelined because they are equally important in supporting their families and contributing to national development.
“Many men are committing suicide because of financial difficulties. There is a need to empower them by giving them access to loans that can help reduce the financial stress affecting their lives,” he said.
Responding to the concerns, Minister Ben Phiri said the government would consider the matter and explore ways of ensuring that men also have access to CDF loans, noting that financial challenges affect all citizens regardless of gender.
The minister also assured Parliament that the CDF programme would commence next week after local councils completed the recruitment of directors and engineers required to oversee the projects.
