The World Bank says social protection programmes have the potential to transform the resilience and economic standing of the poor of poor in the country if well run.
Rob Chase, Practice Manager for Social Protection and Jobs (Africa East) overseeing 14 countries for the Bank including Malawi was Speaking when he met the Executive Director of the National Local Government Finance Committee, Dr Kondwani Santhe at the NLGFC offices, on the sidelines of World Bank Mission to Malawi on the additional financing for Social Support for Resilience Livelihoods Project to Malawi.
“As the country battles to recover from the financial and livelihood impact of the covid-19 pandemic, the economic downturn among others, Malawi is an example of excellence in scaling up social protection in the Climate Smart Enhanced Public Works Programme in the post-Covid era”, said Chase.
Chase said the scaled-up participants, in the CS–EPWP are providing an opportunity for the country through local governments to demonstrate how CS–EPWP can better serve poor communities, creating resilience and livelihoods linked and supported communities.
He further expressed confidence and appreciation for the high standards, levels of commitment, teamwork and project execution being done by NLGFC, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Gender and the Local Authorities on the CS-EPWP.
The Practice Manager also said the global digital revolution is providing innovative and impressive alternatives that are improving the efficacy of such programmes across the world which the project should take advantage of. On Local Authorities - IFIMIS challenges, Chase said the Bank was ready to support interventions which would strengthen and modernise IFIMIS once the business process re-engineering is completed to ultimately enhance the capacity and competencies of Council staff.
“I heard what you said on enhancement plans on Mthandizi MIS which might be important to learn from other countries like Zambia who developed an open smart, free and adaptable software which can make a difference to the system that Malawi is exploring at the moment,” said Chase.
The Practice Manager was accompanied by SSRLP Co-Technical Team Leaders Chipo Msowoya and Ivan Drabek and also Trust Chimaliro - Financial Management Specialist who is on the World Bank Implementation Support Mission on the Project.
In his remarks, Dr Santhe said the NLGFC is committed to enhanced financial efficacy through perfected systems that make all users compliant and effective. He welcomed the Bank’s support commitment on what he called expired LA-IFMIS currently in use by local authorities saying it is a threat to the gains the NLGFC and the councils have achieved in accounting and financial management.
He also assured the Bank of NLGFC’s increased financial management efficiency, capacity building of local governments and enhanced controls as the project’s fiduciary agent.
Santhe said this is an enabler to efficiency in the generation of data, reconciliations, liquidations, increased unqualified audits by councils and contributing to serving the poor of the poor under such social protection programmes and effectively achieving project objectives.
He also assured the Bank that NLGFC is a bridge to the economic transformation of Malawi through the local governments in line with decentralization and fiscal decentralisation in particular with councils as a catalyst for economic development and service delivery since councils work directly with the communities.
The Executive Director said the NLGFC is adaptive to new technologies and system changes and is a team player with a focus on achieving results in set time frames assuring the Bank that the project will meet its objectives. Dr Santhe added that NLGFC’s procurement capacities will be strengthened around the SSRLP portfolio to the unit to ensure that it delivers effectively and is responsive to emerging demands.
He cited as an example that the NLGFC led in making local authorities upscale the CS - EPWP from 35,000 participants to 453,000 participants in one and half months in all 28 district councils as a demonstration of the capacity and ready ability to undertake large and growing programmes,’ said Santhe.
The Executive Director said the visit by the Practice Manager to the NLGFC is a clear confidence boost and the manifestation of how highly the bank considers fiduciary issues and the implementation progress of projects it supports in keeping with Project Implementation Conditions which he said are major pillars for continued and sustained support.
Dr Santhe also said the digital alternatives to analogue or manual systems if well supported with the right investment and orientation, capable of enhancing internal and external controls, ease monitoring of resource use and payment of participants, quickly inform effective data management and decision making and enhance efficient and effective support systems for the project.
The SSRLP components include Climate Smart Public Works Programme, Social Cash Transfer Programme and Livelihood Support among others
