Chilima to launch Malawi development strategy report Thursday

Vice President Salous Chilima ,who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms,  will on Thursday preside over the official launch of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) III Mid-Term Review Report at a virtual event to be coordinated from Lilongwe from 2pm.

A statement from the National Planning Commission (NPC) says the launch of the report by the Vice President demonstrates commitment by the new administration in ensuring the continuity of development plans despite changes in political regimes.

“The review report will help stakeholders to gain lessons on how to accelerate implementation progress by highlighting interventions that are making impactful change towards the improvement of lives and the well being of local Malawians but also help in defining the capacities required for enhancing performance in the areas that are lagging,” says the statement signed by NPC Communications Specialist Thom Khanje.

Khanje  further says the review also serves as an accountability mechanism for various stakeholders that have a role to play in the country’s development agenda.

Malawi is in the course of implementing MGDS III which started in 2017 and will end in the year 2022.

According to the NPC statement, MGDS III is the third in the series of MGDS development plans which began in 2005 as the medium-term strategies for operationalising Vision 2020.

“MGDS III’s main focus is on building a productive, competitive and resilient nation. The year 2020 being the half way in the implementation of MDGS III made it necessary for Malawi to take stock of progress and identify things that are working, those that are not working and why,” reads the statement.

According to Khanje, the review focused on performance of the Key Priority Areas (KPAs), Flagship Projects and Other Development Areas (ODA) in the period under review.

“The review report presents an account of both achievements and challenges made half way through the implementation period. For example, progress has generally been registered in the macro-economic environment of the country, especially on attaining single digit inflation, sustained GDP growth at around 5% percent per annum and a fairly stable Malawi kwacha against major trading currencies,” says Khanje in the statement.

He says during the period under review, Malawi registered noticeable improvements in ICT, maternal health, child health, sanitation, irrigation, rural electrification and several other areas.

” Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals has also largely been on track, with Malawi registering progress in 18 indicators while it is on track on another 80 indicators although progress on a further 66 indicators has been slow,” reads the statement.

However, NPC says the country faced challenges in various areas such as the fight against malaria and tuberculosis. while  energy supply also remains low while agriculture is still hugely rainfed, undiversified and characterized by low productivity.

” This report has acknowledges some gaps in implementation capacities at all levels, including in the coordination of implementation and monitoring of development projects,” says Khanje in the statement.

NPC was established through an Act of Parliament in 2017 with the mandate of coordinating development of the long and medium-term development plans of the country and overseeing their implementation, and collaborated with the then Department of Economic Planning and Development (EP&D) to review implementation of the MGDS III for the period 2017 to 2019.

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