Natural disasters undermine construction industry—NCIC

 National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) says natural disasters have undermined the progress of the local construction industry and exposed some of the structural weaknesses.

Speaking on Monday in Lilongwe during the launch of its five-year strategic plan, NCIC board chairperson Jeremiah Magaba said that natural disasters experienced in the past years were a natural audit on the performance of the construction industry.

He said: “This is the best time to find solutions to the problems. We need to find strategic partnerships to pool our resources to develop infrastructure that can develop the country.

“The strategic plan reflects our focus on empowering local industry players to prevent the externalisation of local resources.”

On his part, Minister of Transport and Public Works Jacob Hara said government and relevant stakeholders in the construction industry will have to fix the “dysfunctional procurement systems that have rocked the sector to unlock its potential as a driver of economic transformation”.

He said: “Our priority should be promoting efficiency in the country’s procurement systems.

“The key players in the construction sector should come with a collective voice to help the PPDA [Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority] to address the dysfunctional procurement systems in the construction industry.”

Hara urged NCIC to establish independent bodies within the institution to help address the problems and promote quality standards in the local construction industry.

He said his ministry will review the National Construction Industry Act to ensure compliance with the procurement protocols and quality assurance standards.

The launch of the strategic plan, which runs from 2023 to 2028, attracted several stakeholders in the construction industry, including officials from the Ministry of Transport and Public Works and private contractors.

The strategic plan has been aligned with the country’s national development policies, including the First 10-year Implementation plan (MIP-1) of Malawi 2036, the National Construction Industry policy and the public sector reforms, among others.