Minister of Local government and rural development, Kondwani Nankhumwa MP, on Saturday officially opened Mulanje Park Stadium which is believed to enhance revenue generation capacity for Mulanje Council.
The 6000 seater Stadium has been funded by German Development Cooperation (KFW) through Local Development Fund (LDF) costing about 442 Million Kwacha.
Speaking during the official opening, Nankhumwa said the aim of this development is to maximise revenue collection.
“We need to maximise revenue collection at district council but we cannot do this effectively without proper infrastructure. This is why the Government through LDF with funding from KFW initiated this development for Mulanje Council and other councils in the country.”
“We understand that physical autonomy is fundamental for Councils to deliver high quality services in order to contribute to maximum revenue generation,” said Nankhumwa.
Nankhumwa also emphasized the commitment of President Peter Mutharika to youth empowerment.
In the 2017/18 financial year, Government has allocated a substantial amount for the construction of community stadiums. The goal is to have a stadium in each and every district in the country.
MP for Mulanje South, Hon. Bon Kalindo, expressed gratitude on behalf of the people of Mulanje for the development because the district has been without a Stadium for more than 50 years.
“We are grateful to the Government, KFW, LDF, contractors and all development partners for effective implementation of this initiative. This will help in developing Mulanje because it will be a site for different entertainment activities and will also contribute to tourist attraction,” said Kalindo.
Kalindo promised to take a deliberate move in civic educating the people of Mulanje to own the facility in order to avoid issues of vandalism. He added that part of the funds from the District Development Fund will be used to develop and maintain the Stadium.
The people of Mulanje through the Council were urged to jealously guard the facility by ensuring that it is utilized diligently and sustainably.
Furthermore, the Council was encouraged to remember that proper functionality of the Stadium will entirely depend on how the Council will regularly maintain it.
Commenting on the issue of maintenance and safety, the Chairperson for the Council, Charles Kaputa, said that there’s a committee that will be committed to ensuring that there’s tight security within the facility.
In addition, the committee has formulated rules and policies to help maintain the Stadium.
Mulanje Stadium is one of the five stadiums that have been constructed for Councils across the country. Other Councils include Karonga, Rumphi, Kasungu and Mangochi, with similar developments to commence soon in Zomba and Ntcheu.