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President Bingu wa Mutharika will have to engage the overdrive gear for reforms to appease some of the country’s cooperating partners who are still anxious to see change.
According to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), an implementing agency of the Japanese government’s technical cooperation with other countries, urgent reforms are needed in public sector management.
In Wednesday’s report on Jica assistance to Malawi obtained from the agency’s headquarters in Tokyo, the agency advises that Malawi needs to strengthen systems, management, and governing capacity in law making, judiciary and public administration to turn the corner.
“It is essential to improve government’s capacity, advance institutional reforms and ensure transparency for attaining objectives discussed in the Vision 2020 and poverty reduction strategy paper,” reads the report. “It is also critical to ensure transparency of the government through empowering civil society.”
The report, however, notes that the following reforms are under way: “to review the personnel system, and treatment of public servants including the presidential office; to strengthen the auditing of public administration and improve legal systems and organizations for preventing corruption; to develop the information system of public sector management; and to make policy adjustments concerning financial management, decentralisation and privatisation.”
Noting that an unstable economy, low social indices, HIV/Aids plight, booming population growth, food insecurity remain some of the country’s problems, Jica advised that “it will be necessary for the government of Malawi to formulate and implement policies in which the poor will be able to enjoy benefits directly.”
“In future, all projects should be accordant with the Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (MPRSP),” said the agency. “In order to realise poverty reduction, therefore, every aid organisation must formulate and implement projects compatible with the MPRSP.”
“Moreover, it is necessary to consider sector-wide approaches (Swaps) that have been advocated particularly in main sectors such as agriculture, health and medical care and education,” it added.
According to Director for East Africa division Hanatani Atsushi, Jica channelled technical assistance worthy about US $1.4 million last year.
Atsushi said his organization, now under the leadership of former head of UNHCR Sadako Ogata, is considering increasing the African allocation of assistance from 15 to 17 percent.
”Africa still remains a primary issue to Japan,” he said.
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