During a meeting between Local Government Accountability and Performance Project (Lgap) officials, Mangochi District Council assistant director of finance Davies Maferano has bemoaned the council’s failure to collect sufficient revenue in markets.

Maferano told market committee leaders, chiefs, the council secretariat and civil society organisations (CSOs) that the situation is negatively affecting the council’s service delivery.

The complaint follows concerns over city council’s mismanagement of funds or the lack of efficient collections. In January this year, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development revealed that it will enforce effective the use of Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis) in the 35 local government councils.

The ministry’s chief director Ernest Ntchentche said that District commissioners [DC] as financial controllers, need to understand payment procedures through Ifmis so that they sign for things which they are conversant with, thereby tracking resources which are in their control. Hence, the ministry conducted a two-day training on Ifmis for top managers in local authorities from the Northern Region.