Chief Kapichila Reaffirms Strong Development Commitment as CERCC Formation Advances in Lundazi
A well-connected community sensitization meeting was successfully held in Kapichila Chiefdom, bringing together key stakeholders including women’s groups, cooperatives, people with disabilities, headmen, farmers, youth groups, and Community Forest Management Groups-CFMGs.
The engagement forms part of the Eastern Province Jurisdictional Sustainable Landscape Program-EPJSLP, which is rolling out the formation of Community Emissions Reduction Coordination Committees-CERCCs across all 56 chiefdoms in the province.
The EPJSLP Environmental and Social Inclusion Officer and team leader, Godfrey Phiri, provided an overview of the programme, tracing its origin under Zambia Intergrated Forest Landscape Project-ZIFLP.
ZFIPL and explaining its continued evolution under the CERPA framework.
Mr.Phiri highlighted that EPJSLP’s core objective is to strengthen governance structures that support sustainable natural resource management and emissions reduction.
The main purpose of the meeting was to facilitate the formation of the CERCC and support the development of the Community Emissions Reduction Performance Plan-CERPP.
The process was inclusive and participatory, ensuring representation from all key stakeholder groups through elections.
His Royal Highness Chief Kapichila of the Chewa people of Lundazi district endorsed both the CERCC and the CERPP, affirming the committee’s legitimacy and readiness to spearhead emissions reduction efforts at chiefdom level.
The Traditional Leader emphasized the importance of maintaining Kapichila Chiefdom’s strong record in implementing development programmes and urged the new committee to uphold unity, cooperation, honesty, commitment, and mutual respect in serving the community.
He further expressed gratitude to the EPJSLP team for facilitating the formation process, noting that the CERCC will work closely with traditional leadership and existing structures to support emissions reduction activities and sustainable natural resource management.
EPJSLP continues to establish CERCCs across all chiefdoms in Eastern Province as part of its broader mandate to strengthen accountability, coordination, and performance under Chiefdom Emissions Reduction Performance Agreements-CERPAs, which formalize commitments by traditional authorities and communities to meet agreed emissions reduction targets.
📸 Photos by Gideon Ng’uni – BCP
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opment