Enhanced CDF Transforms Ndola with Skills and Projects

Thousands of Ndola residents are reaping the rewards of the enhanced Constituency Development Fund (CDF), with more than 11,000 young people trained and over 200 community projects completed across the city since 2022.

According to Ndola City Council, the increased CDF allocation has improved lives through infrastructure, education support and empowerment programmes designed to open up opportunities for local people. Council public relations manager Rebecca Mushota said that between 2022 and 2025 a total of 11,191 youths had benefited from skills development bursaries funded through the CDF.

Those young people were trained in practical, employable trades, from heavy equipment operation and driving to metal fabrication, tailoring and food production, equipping them for both employment and self-employment.

Education and road rehabilitation emerged as the biggest priorities, each accounting for 46 completed projects over the four years. The health sector also saw significant gains, with 29 facilities built, including health centres and maternity wings. Empowerment efforts have widened too, with 1,700 groups accessing grants and a further 681 benefiting from empowerment loans.

The fund's reach extends further still. Mushota pointed to the construction and rehabilitation of 23 markets and market-related facilities, 18 police posts, 16 water and sanitation projects, a magistrate's court annex and a bus station, alongside boarding bursaries for 290 secondary school pupils.

"Ndola City Council is the supervisor of the various projects, and the institution works with many stakeholders in implementing them," Mushota said, underlining the collaborative effort behind the city's transformation.