Kasama set to empower 138 small businesses through CDF grants

Kasama Municipal Council has identified 138 beneficiaries who will receive empowerment grants worth K5.4 million to support their small businesses and drive economic development across the district.

The grants, drawn from this year's Constituency Development Fund allocation, will benefit residents from Kasama Central and Lukashya constituencies. Each constituency has 69 beneficiaries, with K2.7 million allocated to each. Recipients were chosen following a thorough assessment and verification process that involved a range of stakeholders.

Kasama Municipal Council assistant public relations manager Charity Chaiwila said the council carried out careful checks to confirm that applicants were genuine residents whose proposed ventures would serve their communities. Approved projects span agriculture, retail, hardware and other business ventures aimed at improving livelihoods.

Ms Chaiwila said beneficiaries were selected from wards right across Kasama to ensure communities throughout the district feel the benefit of the initiative. The council has also put monitoring and evaluation measures in place to track each business and ensure the funds are used as intended.

Before accessing the money, beneficiaries will complete financial management training designed to equip them with the skills to manage and use the resources effectively. Training sessions are expected to begin soon, with details to be shared with all successful recipients.

While some recipients of previous empowerment programmes had struggled, Ms Chaiwila noted that many others had successfully grown their businesses and contributed to local economic growth. She urged this year's beneficiaries to treat the training seriously, stressing it would help them manage their ventures once the funds are disbursed.

The expanded CDF allocation reflects the New Dawn government's drive to decentralise resources and put development decisions closer to the communities they serve, with the fund having grown substantially since 2021 to deliver tangible support at constituency level.