MK800m project to enhance fiscal devolution to local councils
Malawi Local Government Association (MALGA)—a national umbrella body of all local government authorities—has announced the scaling up of its Strengthening Budget Advocacy Programme, now focusing on policy change to enhance fiscal devolution, among other areas.
Currently, less than 11 percent of the national budget is devolved to local governments, which makes them struggle to execute their mandate, according to Hadrod Zeru Mkandawire, MALGA Executive Director.
Mkandawire said the scaled up programme, pegged at MK800 million, will, therefore, strengthen engagement with relevant Parliamentary committees and other key actors from the Central Government on fiscal devolution.
“The project will strengthen evidence generation from the local level to inform MALGA’s policy dialogue and advocacy work at the national level to influence policy change on areas of fiscal devolution and decentralization in general.
“It is also expected to contribute to strengthening the capacity of parliamentarians to advocate for improved fiscal devolution of the social services budget.
“Within the course, and at the end, the project is also expected to contribute to generating evidence for policy makers and planners to effectively inform the design of improved health financing systems at the local level,” said Mkandawire.
He added the programme will also support selected members (local authorities) to produce and disseminate citizens’ budget.
“The programme will also strengthen the capacity of MALGA as a national association of local government authorities on budget analysis, policy influencing and expenditure tracking of the devolved budget,” he said.
According to Mkandawire, European Union, the Government of Ireland and UNICEF Malawi will contribute about 76 percent of funds of the scaled up project while other partners will contribute the remaining 24 percent.
The programme will run for three years, starting February, 2024.
Mkandawire further said the programme is building on the incremental gains of a similar project, which UNICEF Malawi has been supporting since June, 2022, and is phasing out and closing on 30th April, 2024.
Among others, the phasing out programme influenced partial devolution of the drug budget and devolution of the health facilities rehabilitation funds.
The programme also helped operationalize MALGA Health Services Managers Network—comprising all directors of health and social services—which is a key policy dialogue and advocacy enabler for MALGA.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :