600 000 to benefit from public works projects

Government says 600 000 Malawians in rural communities are set to benefit from public works projects in a bid to contribute towards poverty reduction in line with the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS).

Speaking in an interview with The Nation in Lilongwe yesterday, Jolamu Banda, spokesperson for the Department of Economic Planning and Development in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, said more Malawians are expected to benefit from this year to enable beneficiaries to earn money to buy food in the wake of low harvest following floods and drought.

He said: “More people living in the [rural] communities this year are expected to benefit from the three programmes that public works does in different works such as bridges, roads, forestry and irrigation.

“However, this [the increase] has come about because of the insufficient rains that led to many people not harvesting enough food till next season.”

Public works and development projects are undertaken nationwide. The criteria to identify beneficiaries include female-headed household, the number of dependents, family size and how many meals people eat per day.

Development and public works are grouped into three programmes of social cash transfer, school programme aimed at making sure that they is increased access of children in school and public works communities benefits through different works. n