Budget and Finance Committee of parliament has hailed Mulanje District Council for its outstanding performance in the Governance Enabling Service Delivery (GESD) project.

The committee’s chairperson Gladys Ganda said this during a visit to the district on Saturday to appreciate how the district managed to scoop position one in the last Local Authority Performance Assessment (LAPA).

“We have visited a number of districts but when we were inspecting the projects here, we could see that Mulanje is indeed number one in terms of performance of GESD funds, " said Ganda.

Mulanje District Commissioner Stallichi Mwambiwa attributed the success to teamwork, saying without it, they would not have been celebrating.

He said right now, Mulanje District Council is fighting to beat the 76 percent it got last time.

National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) Executive Director Dr Kondwani Santhe described the implementation of Performance Based Grants in the GESD project as a mixed bag full of lessons especially on issues to do with accountability, quality infrastructure as well as cost element.

He then said moving forward, the committee wants to see councils implementing complete package projects not just school blocks without desks and teacher houses among others.

Reported by Loness Gwazanga [Mana]