Zambia Devolution Support Program

“The Zambia Devolution Support Programme (ZDSP), a flagship national initiative to strengthen decentralization and empower Local Authorities, provides a strategic opportunity to realize key community infrastructure investments in Shangombo District. By leveraging ZDSP’s performance-based capital grant mechanism, the proposed Simu Ward Community Hall will not only deliver critical social infrastructure, but will also enhance local governance, give citizens a dedicated space for civic engagement, support delivery of community services and foster social cohesion. Through the hall, residents will have a venue for meetings, trainings, public consultations, cultural and social events — directly contributing to improved quality of life, local ownership, and sustainable community development.”

Objectives

ZDSP seeks to build the capacity of Local Authorities (LAs) — such as district or town councils — to plan, budget, procure, and manage public funds properly.

ZDSP strengthens public financial management (PFM), procurement practices, auditing, reporting, and overall accountability at local government level.

Funds under ZDSP are directed toward small-scale, high-impact infrastructure and services such as community halls, sanitation, market facilities, water & sanitation, waste management, roads maintenance, and other local public goods.

The programme introduces a Performance-Based Capital Grant (PBCG) system to supply direct capital resources to eligible councils. This fills gaps in the previous intergovernmental fiscal framework that limited local development.

ZDSP supports local development planning, ensures towns/districts develop plans aligned with community needs, and encourages citizen engagement in deciding local priorities.

ZDSP

How ZDSP Can Help Improve Shangombo District?

  • A community hall provides a dedicated venue for community meetings, events, social gatherings, cultural events, public consultations or civic engagements. This strengthens social bonds and builds a sense of community.

  • It acts as a hub for different community uses — meetings, trainings, youth and women group activities, civic gatherings, disaster/climate-related briefings (important given district climate vulnerabilities).

  • Under ZDSP’s emphasis on citizen participation and local planning, the hall can become a physical space where community members meet, voice needs, and actively engage in local development decisions.

  • This reinforces accountability and transparency: local leadership becomes more accessible, and residents have a space to engage in dialogue with council officials and other stakeholders.

  • The hall could support multiple services: community trainings (health, education, agriculture extension), public awareness campaigns (sanitation, environmental management, climate resilience), meetings for planning local development, and even serve as shelter or emergency meeting point.
  • As ZDSP also supports smaller-scale infrastructure and public utilities (water, sanitation, waste management, infrastructure maintenance), this improves overall living conditions when such services are effectively combined.
  •  

  • With ZDSP’s support, the local council staff and leadership are being strengthened — planning, budgeting, procurement and governance systems improved — which helps ensure that the hall and other facilities are sustainably maintained and managed.

  • This reduces reliance on central government for small community infrastructure, giving the district more autonomy and responsiveness.

  • A hall can facilitate community-level economic and social programmes: e.g. trainings for youth, women entrepreneurship, community meetings on agriculture or livelihoods, small-scale civic-driven development — all of which supports local growth.

  • It enhances the attractiveness of the district, potentially encouraging more development partners, NGOs or government programmes to engage with Shangombo knowing there is infrastructure to support community gatherings and interventions.

ZDSP PROJECTS

Simu Ward Community Hall

Project Type: Construction

Project Area: Central Business District

GPS Coordinates: 22° 6’2.27″E 16°19’2.70″S

Status: Evaluation stage.

Previous
Next

↓Downloads

©2025. SMART Zambia Institute & Shangombo Town Council. All Rights Reserved.