Maravi

Govt's failure to sign for capacity building funds disappoints NGOs

Govt's failure to sign for capacity building funds disappoints NGOs
By Mutuna Chanda and Fridah Zinyama
Tuesday December 04, 2007 [03:00]

SOME Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have expressed disappointment with finance minister Ngandu Magande’s failure to sign for capacity building funds for civil society on grounds that there are no proper mechanisms to monitor their usage. Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) executive director Lee Habasonde said the government was shying away from being made accountable.

Commenting on finance minister Ng’andu Magande’s recent statement that he could not sign for available donor resources capacity building for civil society because there was no legal framework to monitor their usage, Habasonde said the societies Act had enough provisions to track non-governmental organisations’ use of funds although it needed to be reformed.

“The European Union (EU) should not accept government’s position that there are no sufficient mechanisms to monitor the use of funds by NGOs,” Habasonde said. “EU should engage government on this matter before submitting to government’s position. They should negotiate and find an amicable way of funding civil society.”
Habasonde said while the government wanted to receive funds from donors, they were also supposed to be monitored.

“If the EU can support government, they should also support those that the government presides over,” Habasonde said. “If it is not tenable to support civil society, then it should not be tenable to support government.”

Habasonde said the government was using excuses of lack of a law to monitor civil society’s use of funds to try to prevent funds from reaching NGOs.

“It is surprising that government instead of deepening democratic processes is insisting on controls. Zambia has accepted being a democratic society and this must reflect even in its foreign relations,” Habasonde said.

Habasonde warned the EU against participating in silencing civil society.

“EU will be blamed for killing civil society if they agree to what the finance minister is suggesting,” said Habasonde.

Habasonde appealed to the finance minister to review his position.

And Zambia Council for Social Development executive secretary Malawo Matyola said it was not correct for Magande to say that there were no proper mechanisms to monitor the Civil Society as the Registrar of Societies had regulations which required them to submit their account details.

“As registered entities, we are required to submit our account details to the Registrar of Societies for them to monitor how we spend the funds provided to us, but the problem that we have found is that the registrar does not have adequate capacity to monitor our activities,” he said.

Malawo said had the government signed for the five million euros, the Registrar of Societies would also have benefited from the funds for capacity building purposes.
Last month, Magande regretted not being able to sign for the capacity building funds from some co-operating partners meant for the NGOs in the country citing lack of the NGO law as the reason for not signing.

Magande said that there were no proper mechanisms to monitor the funds once they were signed for.

The government is currently pondering on introducing an NGO law to regulate activities of civil society organisation through an NGO board.

Labels: CORRUPTION, LEE HABASONDE, MAGANDE, NGOs, SACCORD

posted by MrK @ 5:51 AM