Arusha — Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda has called on local governments in the country to go for community-based development projects whereby the village and ward community development officers work with the people.

The Prime Minister was speaking at the 11th graduation ceremony at the Community Development Training Institute Tengeru. He said the most sensible thing was to involve the people in their communities in development projects instead of imposing ideas on them.

He said what was needed was giving guidance through community development officers and project planners in setting up community based projects. "The councils should make the best use of the CDTI graduands and ensure in two years to come each ward has a community development officer," he added.

The government, he said, aimed at empowering the people through their local councils by giving them experts needed in their development projects.

The premier revealed that that only 39 per cent of all wards in the country had community development officers up to June 2008. Only Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Arusha, Iringa, Coast, Rukwa regions had manned their wards with community development officers by 50 percent. All Dar es Salaam wards have community development officers.