Govt pilots new public works programme
Government is introducing a nine-month enhanced pilot works programme aimed at addressing food insecurity, poverty and land degradation, among others.
Briefing journalists in Lilongwe last week, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms director of economic planning Patricia Zimpita said the K3.5 billion Enhanced Public Works Programme (EPWP), which started in September this year in 10 pilot districts, is expected to end in March 2021.
She said: “The aim of the EPWP pilot is to enhance the effectiveness of the regular PWP which was implemented in 35 local authorities across the country.
“However, the new project seeks to address key challenges that were identified during the implementation of the regular PWP.”
Zimpita said some of the challenges identified are lack of capacity building for frontline staff which affected their capacity to deliver quality supervision; non-adherence to sector norms and standards which led to poor quality community assets; lack of community ownership of PWP assets; and inadequate supervision and monitoring of resources by council officials.
The project’s beneficiaries will work for 12 days a month and will be paid K21 600 bi-monthly.
Additionally, 4 000 beneficiaries will be linked to sustainable livelihoods interventions to enhance their capacity in material and social asset creation and income generation beyond the EPWP.
In his remarks, National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) director of infrastructure and economic development Engineer Paul Chipeta said the EPWP pilot targets 50 micro catchment areas of 250 hectares each in the 10 districts.
He said: “The pilot project focuses on land resources conservation using the catchment management approach with the aim of contributing towards conserving natural resources with a strong emphasis on the creation of quality and sustainable assets.”
Lessons from the EPWP pilot project being facilitated by the NLGFC with support from the World Bank and the German Government’s development arm GIZ are expected to inform the next phase of Public Works Programme (PWP) in the country.
The EPWP is being piloted in Phalombe, Blantyre, Chiradzulu, Balaka, Lilongwe, Dowa, Kasungu, Nkhotakota, Chitipa and Karonga selected based on poverty levels, food insecurity, degree of land degradation and availability of the Unified Beneficiary Registry data.
The sustainable livelihoods interventions will be implemented through a strategic linkage to the Community Savings and Investment Promotion Programme and the Community Development Office in the pilot districts.
