NICE Trust has encouraged Malawians to establish Citizen Forums platforms where community members can discuss their challenges, needs and development priorities.

NICE Trust District Programmes Officer for Chiradzulu, Chimwemwe Rejoice Saiti, said this on Monday during an engagement meeting with people around Chiradzulu.

She was interacting with women, youth, persons with disabilities, farmers, business people and other community representatives on the importance of these forums.

Rejoice Saiti said through Citizen Forums, people can express their views; engage with duty bearers and service providers, and work together to identify solutions to community challenges, thereby promoting democracy, citizen participation, transparency and accountability.

She added that a Citizen Forum gives citizens a platform to make their voices heard and contribute to positive change in their communities.

She therefore encouraged people to come together and discuss their challenges in such meetings and be able to seek possible solutions from community representatives.

One of the participants, Lukiya Mayere, applauded NICE Trust for bringing them together to discuss important issues affecting their areas, underlining that she is expecting to see change in terms of development projects implementation.

According to Mayere, if delayed, the community will be rallying to seek accountability from local authorities.

Adam Arusha Hassan – Staff Reporter, Blantyre