World Bank says corruption is one of Malawi’s major obstacles to prosperity
Corruption continues to be one of the major obstacles blocking Malawi’s road to prosperity, this is according to World Bank country manager Greg Toulmin.
Toulmin has said this in quotes reported by a local newspaper.
“The World Bank continues to emphasise the need to address corruption both in relation to the funds we administer and in relation to government funds,” Toulmin said as quoted by Weekend Nation.
The World Bank country manager was responding to an inquiry on the role of the bank in the fight against corruption in the country after a basket fund by the country’s development partners—the Financial Reporting and Oversight Improvement Project (Froip)—withheld its contribution to the procurement of the Integrated Financial Management System (Ifmis), a software used in the management of public funds.
Toulmin said the bank and other development partners had initially planned to contribute to the procurement of Ifmis under Froip.
“But after discussions on various procurement options between the bank and government, it was mutually agreed that Froip would not finance the procurement, and that government could procure the system through its own resources and procurement systems,” he explained.
Instead, government continues to use the Ifmis that was easily manipulated, resulting in Cashgate, the massive looting of public funds that led to government losing K236 billion, between 2009 and 2014, which could happen again if the process is not stopped, according to the former Auditor General Stephenson Kamphasa who audited the system and discovered that it remains porous.
Cashgate exposed “the reality of the pervasiveness of corruption in Malawi” and rightfully increased stakeholder demand for “much greater scrutiny” in the management of public resources, according to Toulmin.
He said while technology in the form of the Ifmis is an important tool to help reduce the abuse of public funds, he cautioned, there was also need to address the human factor.
“Technology on its own cannot address human elements that affect effective administration. These include such issues as behavioural attitudes, incentives for managerial accountability and staff performance at all levels,” Toulmin said.
Malawi government spokesperson Nicholas Dausi said what Toulmin said is his personal opinion.
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We know this already Mr World Bank. Just help us to deal with the scourge before Malawi disappears. We have very powerful politicians who are hellbent to destroy the society fibre just to loot some more. Malawians have reached a point where they have given up but we know that’s not the solution. World Bank, please help…..We have run out of ideas on how to deal with the scourge.
Just vote for UTM all this will come to an end
Malawians have been moulded into thieves by their political leaders. Stealing is now an acceptable culture highly condoned by DPP and other opposition. In fact most political parties are recruiting the best of skilled thieves into their leadership ranks. That’s the challenge we have Mr. World Bank. Help Malawiaans to hold these thieves accountable.
Tractorgate was well patronized by people from MCP, including the head of the legislature. We need CSOs to identify a member of parliament to move a motion to do the needful. Any volunteer from MCP?
I take it as just moral decay as a result of multiple results…The education sector is one of the highly corrupt institutions in the country..Audit any secondary school am sure we will have a prison for shool heads snd auditirs..
SKC will drain the swamp!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 all Thieves including The Thief in Chief will be locked up!!
Deal with the mbava lurking within UTM already. In any case is oudlnt be surprised if all career political thieves from DPP and MCP young UTM once in power. These politicians are like nyerere, the move around even at night.
It’s not the technology, I agree. The problem is moral decay in this land. So don’t buy another system. Deal with the human factor
There is no truth in the report by World Bank. Living in Malawi past 4 years as an expat from Australia, I do not see any corruption here. Only hard-working, honest people. Government is good too.
SKC needs to get rid of everyone tied to corruption in his camp. You dont need these idiots, they need you to protect them when you win and feel like they are the ones who put you there. You can ascend to plot number one without them. Trust your team of your peers. Nawe usawete njoka.
Dausi has no words to say coz he knows for sure that he and Cahaponda are the masterminders for corruption in Malawi. The EU as well as other developed countries are tired of this corruption thing. Their tax payers money is only benefiting DPP top brasses.
Mbavazi zawononga kwambili, ndiye mbava zina zimene zapanga graduate from DPP corruption college zifuna tizivotele chaka cha mawa zilowe m’boma. Shame on Malawians! Onsewa akapume ena ayendetseko dzikoli basi. Nkhanga zawona!