Malawi creates network to accelerate public reforms
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mwnation
The Malawian government is launching a network to identify administrative bottlenecks and accelerate public-sector reforms. The first team will bring together more than 35 officials from 10 institutions to design solutions and support implementation over nine to 12 months, Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi said.
Malawi has launched the Government Empowerment Network (GEN), a mechanism designed to accelerate the implementation of public-sector reforms by removing administrative bottlenecks. Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi presented the initiative on Tuesday in Lilongwe, according to Mwnation.
The first cohort will bring together more than 35 ‘champions’ from 10 ministries, departments and agencies. Working in inter-institutional teams, they will spend nine to 12 months diagnosing problems, designing solutions and advancing reforms set out in government contracts. Saidi explained that the mechanism was intended to strengthen ownership of reforms by public administrations, rather than impose measures designed solely by the central government.
The GEN is led by the Public Sector Reform Management Unit, which is attached to the Office of the President and Cabinet. The launch was also accompanied by the presentation of a public reform information management portal, intended to centralise data on their implementation. The model has already been applied in Uganda, Colombia, Ecuador and Morocco, where more than 120 public servants worked on about 20 reforms, according to information presented at the meeting.
