The Roads Fund Administration (RFA) has said it is worried that some councils do not have the capacity to implement projects which the administration initiates.
Speaking on Monday during the commissioning of streetlights along the Masauko Chipembere Highway in Blantyre, RFA Board Chairperson, Bernadette Mandoloma, said due to councils not having the required capacity, projects take too long to be completed and sometimes the final product is substandard.
“Our request goes to the Ministry of local Government and Rural Development on the matter [of lack of capacity]. We fail to meet deadlines because of, among other things, lack of capacity by some of the councils,” she said.
Responding to the statement, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kondwani Nankhumwa, who commissioned the streetlights, said officials at council level had not acquired proper management skills.
“We have engaged an extra gear in making sure that at council level, we deploy civil engineers and procurement officers who are conversant with what they are doing. We will make sure that there is sanity in as far as capacity in implementing projects is concerned,” he said.
According to Mandoloma, RFA has already financed Mzuzu and Lilongwe cities and is now working with Zomba City on a similar project.
“We are keen to see the city councils carry out the projects with diligence and efficiency. We cannot afford to continuously relax when funds are available,” she said.
The K450 million street-lighting project which starts from Larji Kurji Roundabout to Midima Roundabout in Limbe started in September 2016.
RFA pumped in 90 percent of the total amount and Blantyre City Council paid the balance.
Two contractors, High Performance Capabilities (HPC) Africa Private Limited and the CAS Civil Contractors, were contracted for the project on the 8.7 kilometre stretch.
CAS Civil Contractors supplied poles for the project while the lights have been installed by HPC Africa.
To curb vandalism, the streets lights have been automated, and in a bid to save electricity, energy saver bulbs have been used.
Blantyre City Mayor, Councillor Wild Ndipo said apart from reducing crime in the city the lights will promote trade.
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