Government Releases Fresh CDF Funds for Local Projects

The government has released an additional K500 million for the Constituency Development Fund, bringing the total disbursed so far in 2026 to K2.2 billion — roughly a third of the year's full allocation.

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Dr Gabriel Pollen confirmed at a media briefing that the funds had already been channelled to all 116 local authorities for approved projects and programmes.

The 2026 CDF allocation stands at K40 million per constituency — up from K1.6 million in 2021 — bringing the national total to K6.245 billion, the highest in Zambia's history.

Dr Pollen said that under the Community Projects Component, 2,293 projects valued at approximately K2.79 billion have been approved countrywide, with over K215.7 million already spent by the end of the first quarter. A further K3.7 million per constituency has been set aside specifically for road maintenance, with more than 567 kilometres of roads already worked on as of March 2026.

The cumulative impact of CDF spending since 2022 is substantial. Dr Pollen cited the construction of 5,088 classroom blocks, delivery of over 732,000 desks, construction of 599 health posts and 272 maternity annexes, and the drilling of 6,317 boreholes providing clean water to communities across the country.