President Peter Mutharikia has moved to strengthen governance through the creation of a Good Governance Unit to ensure that every public institution operates with transparency, integrity and accountability.
Political and governance pundits have since hailed the development, but warned that without proper management, deliverables and clear working relationship with government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), the unit could end up being another dormant entity.
In a written response on the unit, Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) Principal Secretary for Good Governance Reinford Mwangonde said the development signals the President’s commitment to building a people-centred government.
He said the unit will ensure that the government serves citizens, protects public resources and that the rule of law is applied without fear or favour.
Mwangonde said Malawi’s progress is hampered by lack of structures and consistency.
He said: “By strengthening governance across MDAs, State-owned enterprises [SOEs] and local councils, the President wants to create the right conditions for economic recovery and national stability.
“Good governance is not separate from development; it is the foundation of solving the challenges we face in forex, food, fuel, fertiliser and medicine. When the system works and public officers are accountable, Malawi moves forward and the attendant beneficiaries are Malawians.”
According to Mwangonde, the unit will work with Treasury, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and all MDAs to strengthen financial controls, procurement systems, expenditure tracking and reporting.
He said: “Our role is to ensure that public resources are used for their intended purpose and that financial decisions comply with the law and established procedures. We are building structures that minimise waste and create confidence in how government money is managed.
“The unit will enhance coordination among constitutional bodies, strengthen integrity committees in MDAs and support the Anti-Corruption Bureau through policy alignment and collaboration.”
Commenting on the unit and its impact, politics for development expert Chrispine Mphande, who teaches at Mzuzu University, said the initiative was a welcome development, but urged caution.
He said: “Good governance and accountability are central to improving the public sector performance. What is required is to put people who can deliver and gain trust from senior public offices, mostly controlling officers.
“The only challenge could be managing the working relationship between ministers and controlling officers. That will help to define ‘good governance for who’.”
Governance expert George Chaima said the unit should defuse any major risks in the political, ideological and economical domain, which may interfere with its performance, but pursue common prosperity in a progressive manner.
On his part, political pundit Wonderful Mkhutche said the unit has to know where change is needed most.
He said: “If we want a people-centred government, we need to give the citizens more power through decentralisation.
“It has to closely work with the Anti-Corruption Bureau in making sure that the anti-corruption drive is reaching all corners of the government. It should not only be a decoration, but a structure that is bringing change in the government.”
University of Malawi Department of Political and Administrative Studies lecturer Gift Sambo called on the government to ensure that the unit is manned by professionals who are insulated from unnecessary partisan influence.
“In addition, the government should put in place deliberate mechanisms to make sure that the entity is adequately funded,” he urged.
In a separate interview, Human Rights Consultative Committee chairperson Robert Mkwezalamba said he would have loved if the unit was married with the Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) and the open government platform within the OPC.
He said: “Such initiatives already existed and some milestones were achieved. All that was needed was to align the unit and initiatives to the aspirations of the new administration.”
In 2021, former president Lazarus Chakwera launched the PDU to track progress of implementation of his campaign promises by MDAs.
