Citizen Alliance (CA), a local civil society organization advancing human rights and good governance, and the Lilongwe City Council (LCC) have agreed to strengthen their collaboration in addressing social and economic challenges affecting the residents in the city.
Speaking during an interface meeting on Wednesday, LCC Mayor, Councillor Richard Banda, emphasized that it is only through collaboration with its stakeholders that the council can deliver quality services to its residents.
CA organized the interface meeting through its Bwalo La Nzika Programme to provide a platform for council officials and members of the civil society organizations (CSOs) to discuss and find solutions to challenges affecting the livelihoods of the residents.
Banda appreciated the role the CSOs play in promoting the rights of the residents by constantly reminding the council about its duties and obligations to the citizenry.
“Let me express my gratitude to Citizen Alliance for the good work you are doing on joining hands with the city in making sure that we provide better services to the citizens. Through our interface meeting, it is clear that the civil society has a bigger role in providing checks and balances when it comes to service delivery,” he said.
“Going by our discussion on key areas requiring constant checks include ; sanitation and waste management, enforcement of by-laws, urban poverty, insecurity and inadequate market space Let me assure citizen alliance and all stakeholders that LCC is geared to serve the citizens well. You have heard the various interventions that the Council is undertaking such as plans to construct a magnificent bus terminal , upraise market, modern car parks , leisure centres and a better waste management facility just to mention a few. It is our shared view that we will soon implement the flagship projects as these only require investors who are serious in financing the projects,” added the mayor.
Banda assured the CSOs of his council’s commitment to providing better services to the citizens of the city for a better life and development of the city.
Speaking earlier, CA Executive Director Baxton Nkhoma asked the council to address sanitation and hygiene concerns in the markets, stressing that this is key in ensuring an environment that is free from diseases such as cholera.
Nkhoma also emphasized the need for the city to take a proactive role in tackling urban poverty by introducing social cash transfer programmes.
“Let us not cheat one another here that it’s only the rural masses that need social cash transfer interventions. We, in the city, also have households who are very poor and deserve to be considered,” he said.
