EU demands Malawi corruption report

The European Union (EU) has called on government to finalise and circulate a report on corruption to enable stakeholders to take action.

In April this year, the Malawi Government held a high-profile conference on corruption where stakeholders discuss how to combat corruption in the country, among other issues.

However, government is yet to finalise the report, a development that has seen EU representative in Malawi Marchel Gerrmann calling on government to release the report.

The envoy made the call last Wednesday when he interacted with Nyika Media Club members at Mzuzu Hotel in Mzuzu.

He said the report is crucial as it will guide stakeholders’ action plan.

“As of early November, we are still waiting for the official report of this conference. I call on government to finalise and share the report so that we can start working on its implementation,” said Gerrmann.

He hinted that  improved service delivery for  ordinary Malawians will  be made possible if corruption is clamped down and amounts of public money that vanish are significantly reduced.

The EU representative also expressed worry over abuse of resources in local councils. Citing the example of Rumphi District Council where he had visited, he said reports by civil society organisations (CSOs) indicated that there was heavy abuse of resources.

“For Malawi to develop, it is essential that the scarce available resources fully reach their intended purposes. But what is true at the local level is also true at national level,” said the EU ambassador.

However, he commended the country for good absorption of EU funds which has seen allocations to Malawi being maintained. He said some countries have seen their envelope being reduced due to low absorption.

“Out of the 560 million euros (about K476 billion) for the period up to 2020, we have already contracted 70 percent, and most programmes are underway. A few weeks ago, we also concluded a mid-term review of EDF for Malawi. Mainly based on good absorption of EU funds, we were able to maintain the same amount for Malawi. This is good news for Malawi,” said Gerrmann.

Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nicholas Dausi asked for more time to consult on progress of the report. He said he needed more information to give a comprehensive response.