Machinga District Council has emerged as one of the most improved councils in the 2024/25 Local Authority Performance Assessment (Lapa) after years of struggling to manage and access development funds.
Malawi Local Government Association (Malga) said the council has risen from the leasr position 28 last year, to position five and also attained a clean audit report.
Neno District Council has topped this year’s rankings followed by Dowa, Nkhotakota and Salima in that order while Chitipa, Karonga and Mchinji district councils are among the worst performers, according to Malga.
In an interview yesterday, Machinga district commissioner Rodrick Mateauma described the improvement as a breakthrough.
He said it was a reflection of growing accountability and teamwork within the council and among various stakeholders from the district.
Mateauma said the council implemented various projects such as classroom blocks, bridges, and construction of toilets in markets and health facilities using the Government to Enable Service Delivery (Gesd) and the District Development Fund (DDF), which contributed significantly to the district’s success.
He recalled that in the 2022/23 assessment, the council failed completely and did not qualify for development funds, a setback that heavily affected several developmental projects in the district.
“This is the result of collective effort. As a council, we are determined to maintain this momentum and ensure Machinga continues to perform even better in the coming years,” said Mateauma.
The district’s civil society network chairperson Belinda Somanje Chimombo commended the council for what she called a remarkable achievement, saying it will restore donor confidence in the council’s operations.
“We will continue working hand in hand with the council to uphold transparency and good governance, so that Machinga remains on the right path of development,” she said
Lapa assesses how councils utilise development funds received from the World Bank and top performers are rewarded with additional funding.
Gesd is a $100 million World Bank grant to the Government of Malawi implemented in 28 districts over five-years since 2021. The project’s reasoning is that a combination of targeted incentives, increased financing for excellent service delivery and technical assistance will contribute to improved capacity and performance of central government and local councils to deliver basic services, states the brief.
