Malga sees council relocations promoting growth

Malga executive director Hadrod Mkandawire said this in an interview last week in reaction to the scheduled relocation of district councils of Blantyre, Zomba and Lilongwe from the cities’ respective central business districts. Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development spokesperson Chimwemwe Njoloma last week said Zomba District Council is set to relocate to Chingale while Lilongwe District Council will move to Chinguwo Forest and Blantyre District Council’s new location is yet to be identified. “However, on the converse, we are of the considered view that this will result in high infrastructure costs to host the new headquarters and possible increased operational expenses.

Therefore, we would have loved if there was a cost benefit analysis and thorough convenience analysis to support this decision at the moment.” But he also observed that where the district council headquarters move from a more central point to the far tip of the district, it would inconvenience service users and citizens from the other locations of the district. Mkandawire said the move may also have implications on the citizens, especially where district council offices move from the central business areas and there are some pertinent questions Malga would have loved if they were sufficiently addressed in the first place. He called for the need for consultations with all key stakeholders, including Malga as an umbrella body of local authorities on the matter.