AfDB assesses its performance in Malawi

The Tunis-based African Development Bank (AfDB) team was in the country recently to conduct a country portfolio performance review and design a new strategy for Malawi.

AfDB country representative for Malawi Andrew Mwaba confirmed in an email-response at the weekend that the mission, in partnership with the bank’s employees in Malawi, undertook work from July 30 to August 15 2012.

“The mission conducted a country portfolio performance review [CPPR] which assessed the performance of ongoing programmes that would provide lessons to be taken into account in designing the proposed new country strategy paper,” said Mwaba.

Currently, AfDB supports Malawi through the interim country strategy paper (ICSP) covering between 2011 and 2012. 

Mwaba said during the period, extensive discussions were held with government on the motivation of the new strategy in tandem with the country’s plans and with development partners in light of possible areas of collaboration.

The bank’s review of its performance as well as the designing of its new strategy paper for Malawi cover the period 2013 to 2017 

He said the mission also consulted the private sector and civil society organisations on focus areas of operation for the bank.

 Mwaba said the mission’s outcomes comprised a new strategy paper’s workshop which served to reflect and make recommendations on fundamental issues such as potential areas of focus for the bank in Malawi for the next five years. 

“After extensive discussions of the findings and proposed areas of intervention, the workshop identified some of the main challenges facing the country as being infrastructural constraints, limited diversification, limited human capital development, implementation capacity constraints, weak business environment and maintenance of macroeconomic fundamentals,” he said.

Mwaba said the workshop, therefore, proposed that energy, infrastructure, private sector development and governance could be the key areas of focus for the bank’s new strategy. 

According to Mwaba, the new strategy for Malawi will reflect on principles of ownership of development priorities, focus on results, transparency and accountability, among others.

“Further consultations with government, relevant stakeholders and internally within the bank will follow up to end 2012 when the CSP [country strategy paper] will be presented to the board,” he added.

AfDB has been supporting the development effort in Malawi since 1969.

The bank has over the years supported Malawi to develop and improve its infrastructure (roads, water and sanitation), increase productivity and diversification of the agricultural sector, strengthen human skills and institutional capacity through improved education and health services, improve the country’s connectivity to regional and global markets, and the development of the private sector, among others.