Malawi President reshuffles govt departments

Malawi President Peter Mutharika on Thursday reshuffled several government departments and ministries to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the civil service.

The Public Service Reforms Commission, chaired by Vice-President Saulos Chilima, said in a statement that among the changes, the Department of Culture has been relocated from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to the Ministry of Information and Tourism.

The statement said in view of this change, the full names of the two ministries will now be the Ministry of Information, Tourism and Culture and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, respectively.

The other change involves the Public Sector Reforms Management Unit which has been relocated from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) to the Office of the Vice-President.

The changes come barely weeks after the President detached some functions from the OPC and relocated them to their relevant line ministries, a move some government experts saluted.

The President appointed the reform commission soon after taking over government and its members include prominent businessperson Thom Mpinganjira, former Director of Public Procurement Bright Mangulama and lawyer and women rights’ activist Seodi White.

Other members are barrister-at-law Krishna Savjan, SC, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (Icam) chief executive Evelyn Mwapasa and the Reverend Howard Matiya Nkhoma, former general secretary of the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia.