Money amounting to 2.6 billion Kwacha has been plundered under Nchalo Greenbelt Authority, a report by the National Audit Office has revealed, a development that has subsequently affected the implementation of mega-farms at Nkhwazi, Nyamithambo, and Mwananjobvu schemes in Chikwawa District.
The revelations were made by Greenbelt Authority Board Chairperson Wester Kosamu during the handover of rehabilitation schemes to contractors Ground Force.
“The matter has already been reported to the Anti-Corruption Bureau while we are focused on starting work on the ground so that the dream of Chikwawa becoming a food basket could be realized, ‘’ said Kosamu.
He has since revealed that government has at the moment settled dues amounting to 80 Million Kwacha to all employees under the authority in the Lower Shire.
At least 338 million Kwacha has been invested in setting up the mega farm program which will utilize water from canals under the Shire Valley Transformation Program from Kapichira Dam whose water is channeled from the Shire River.
Speaking to MIJ Online later, Chairperson for Nyamithambo Association under Nchalo Greenbelt Authority Limited Lyson Moyo hailed the government for revamping the project saying the project will go a long way in ensuring that people are food secure and that they are empowered economically.
At the ceremony, GBA also handed over a 500 million Kwacha dyke construction project out of the projected 4 kilometers along Lalanje River as a way of protecting Mwananjobvu Irrigation scheme which pleased Traditional Authority (TA) Ngowe of the area.
Group village head Nyamithambo from the area of Senior Chief Ngabu in the district thanked the government for the initiative saying it will give job opportunities to over 400 people in his area.
The Greenbelt Authority is a Parastatal organization established under the Greenbelt Authority Act No. 23 of 2017. The main objective of the organization is to champion the development of large-scale irrigation, to accelerate Socio-economic transformation through increased agricultural productivity, agro-processing, and easy access to markets.