Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and partners hold a draft financial assessment report validation to help Lusaka City Council expand its fiscal space

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“My vision for Lusaka City Council and other local governments is that through partnerships with stakeholders such as the United Nations – we can move towards developing digital tools that will help enhance our fiscal spaces as local authorities and once sustainable and concrete digital tools are rolled out only then can we attain financial growth as we move towards more resilient, sustainable and inclusive cities”, Said Ms. Chilando Chitangala, Mayor Lusaka City Council.

She was speaking at the Expert Group meeting to review and validate the Financial Performance Assessment Report of Lusaka City Council that was held from 26th to 27th November 2024 at Protea Hotel in Livingstone. She noted that the validation meeting was a culmination of rigorous data collection processes, compilation of relevant financial data and the generation of a financial assessment report all aimed at helping the local authorities build resilience, fiscal autonomy, financial stability, debt management and sustainable development.

Mr. James Njoroge Muchiri, Deputy Governor of the County of Nairobi shared the experience of an enhanced revenue collection and expanded revenue sources that they have implemented to improve revenue collection efficiency. He underscored that, “digital technologies have become a major part of modernizing city operations and transforming service delivery. The City County of Nairobi has invested in modern technology to promote service delivery and to streamline revenue collection processes. We are also in the process of implementing automated systems to track payments, fines, fees, and taxes to reduce leakages and improve collections”.

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) was represented by Ms. Sweta Saxena, Director of Gender, Poverty, and Social Policy. She applauded the collective effort that laid the groundwork for the assessment report between Lusaka City Council technical working group and the United Nations technical team composed of ECA, UN-Habitat, and United Nations Capital Development Fund. She underlined that the report demonstrated how partnerships between local governments and international organizations could create actionable insights to expand municipal fiscal space and improve service delivery.

Ms. Beatrice Mutali, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Zambia further emphasised the importance of UN joint programmes and commitment in supporting government efforts in addressing complex urban challenges, like rapid population growth, climate change, and economic disparities. She noted that, “as partners, we all share a common goal: to enhance the ability of city governments across Africa to develop and implement strategic policy reforms aimed at expanding and strengthening urban fiscal space. These efforts are critical to supporting broader national “building forward” priorities, without leaving no one behind”.

This initiative to enhance the capacities of member States is funded under the United Nations Development Account (DA) project which serves as a mechanism to fund capacity development initiatives that are designed to contribute to the implementation of long-term programs of the United Nations Secretariat. The Financial Performance Assessment is the first phase of the 15th DA project. The panel discussions on “Strengthening Fiscal Sustainability for Urban Resilience: Linking financial Assessments to Strategic Outcomes”, the Questions and Answer sessions, deliberations, including participants’ comments, inputs and recommendations will enrich the draft report.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).