THE ROLE OF CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUND (CDF) IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT

CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUND (CDF) IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Zambia working with partners at national and district level in Lusaka and Kitwe namely; - the Civic Forum for Humanity and Habitat (CFHH), Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ), the Alliance for Zambian Informal Economy Association (AZIEA) and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the Copperbelt University (CBU) have agreed to increase dialogue and policy engagement with policy makers in an effort to accelerate the realization of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 11 of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Further, the parties aim to engage policy makers at national and local authorities’ level to accelerate urban development, improve housing and public service delivery of goods and services to informal settlements.
The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is a government program in Zambia that funds local community development projects for the purpose of human development and infrastructure projects that improving public delivery of goods and services. The idea behind CDF is to ensure that resources are directed toward specific communities based on their unique needs with an emphasis on improving infrastructure, healthcare, education and other essential services.
The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) plays a significant role in urban development by providing financial resources to support human development and local infrastructure initiatives. The CDF is allocated by governments through the budget to support grassroots development in both rural and urban constituencies. In 2021, the government increased funding to all 156 Zambian constituencies to the amount of K27 million. In the 2024 budget the CDF increased further to K30.8 million per constituency.
The Constituency Development Fund can play an important role in enhancing local development and improving the delivery of goods and services to communities, particularly in underfunded or marginalized areas. However, to achieve its full potential, CDF must be managed with transparency, accountability and a focus on community priorities. Effective oversight, careful planning and a commitment to timely disbursements of resources is crucial to making the CDF a sustainable and positive force for human and urban development.