Minister Chinsinga upbeat about revitalizing council operations

Minister of Local Government Professor Blessings Chinsinga has expressed government’s optimism about revitalizing council operations using drastic measures his ministry has undertaken to fix broken systems.

Among others, the government has challenged councils to start developing plans that are in line with ongoing efforts to support public institutions to adopt innovative reforms for improving public service delivery and the achievement of both the Malawi 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Since 1994 when Malawians voted in a multiparty government, levels of service delivery have continued to dwindle in Malawi’s local councils as evidenced by challenges to deliver public services effectively.

Despite citizens expressing dissatisfaction over the performance of the government in delivering critical services and observing the continued deterioration of service provision over the years, there has been no improvement forcing Malawians to accuse the Central Government of laxity.

Writing on his Facebook page on Monday, Chinsinga said it is against this background that the Tonse Alliance government introduced the Public Sector Innovation Challenge to revitalize council operations.

On Monday, Chinsinga presided over the K100 million ($100, 000) award ceremony of the first ever Local Authorities Public Sector Innovation Challenge.

The challenge saw four councils emerging victorious, getting awarded K25 million ($25 000) each.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is funding the challenge.

In category 1 of the challenge, Dowa District Council emerged winner with their proposal entitled Electronic Ticketing System (E-Ticketing) linked to IFIMIS; and Mwanza District Council won with their proposal entitled; Integration of National Registration Bureau System with Hospital Management Information System.

On client facing service and products, Zomba District Council emerged winner with its proposal entitled; Integrated Thondwe Market Waste Management System through Biogas Technology while Chiradzulu District Council emerged winner with its proposal entitled ‘Organic Fertiliser production.’

Chinsinga said Public Sector Innovation Initiative seeks to address the alluded challenges, by enhancing mechanisms, processes and structures for coordination, learning, innovation, and knowledge management in the public sector.

“I wish to encourage all the other councils, to emulate the good example set by these four winning councils, as they are parading on the path of deepening the decentralisation agenda, in the course of achieving sustainable transformational change, with the objective of improving delivery of services to the people we, as local governments, serve,” he said.

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