National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) says it will soon start monitoring and tracking all projects implemented through Enhanced Public Works Programme (EPWP) online by using live monitoring tool.

NLGFC Information and Communication Technology (ICT) officer Erasmus Chikupira said this on Wednesday in Karonga during a training of District Environmental Sub- Committee (DESC), Extension workers and foremen.

Chikupira said the introduction of the EPWP live monitoring tool is aimed at improving monitoring and reporting of sub-projects implementation in the micro-catchments.

“We have introduced EPWP live monitoring tool because during the previous Public Works Programme there was a big gap in monitoring and reporting the progress of the projects from the districts, National and even to our donors.

“So we have deliberately come up with this initiative so that we track every progress happening on the ground and count for every amount of money invested in the catchment areas in all the ten districts where EPWP are taking place,” he said

Chikupira added that the tool will also capture real time data and has digitized processes in EPWP more especially the date capturing the amount of work done by beneficiaries at each project site in order to facilitate payment of wages.

“This tool is simple, efficient and reliable as it can be accessed right away on mobile phones by dialing *248# for both TNM and Airtel lines.

“Using this tool we will be tracking the right people who are supposed to get paid basing on the amount of work they have done on the ground. If the beneficiary doesn’t complete his or her work, then they will be given half of their payment,” he said

Commenting on the development, Karonga Acting EPWP Coordinator Maxwell Lowole said the initiative is crucial as it will provide the required data as the activities will be implemented in catchment areas.

Lowole further said that the EPWP live tool will also assist in promoting transparency and accountability during the implementation of the projects.

With financial support from GIZ, NLGFC will be conducting the trainings in ten districts councils namely Chitipa and Karonga in the North, Nkhota-kota, Kasungu, Dowa and Lilongwe in the center and Balaka, Chiradzulu, Phalombe and Blantyre in the south.

Story Credits: Andrew Mkonda Banda