On Malawi School of Government
This week, Malawi School of Government (MSG) was launched by President Lazarus Chakwera. MSG amalgamates Malawi Institute of Management (MIM) at Kanengo in Lilongwe and Staff Development Institute (SDI) of Mpemba in Blantyre. MSG has a secretariat that oversees two campuses namely Kanengo Campus, and Mpemba Campus. Effectively, the creation of MSG means that MIM and SDI no longer exist.
President Chakwera has ordered all public servants to undergo capacity-development trainings at MSG. This is a good move as it will improve performance of delivery by civil servants and all workers in the public sector. MSG has been a centre of debate, and it has attracted attention. However, it is the term ‘government’ that needs to be understood as it carries a broader meaning.
Government connotes a discipline of study that widely encompasses areas such as management, administration, political economy, diplomacy and international relations, project management, public policy, constitutional and administrative law, business, ICT, research, and other faculties.
Globally, there are schools of government that have strategically been established. They operate as think tanks to support policy makers, bureaucrats and legislators to govern based on evidence and critical thinking.
Schools of government provide expert capacity support to the public service. They are centers of excellence for enhancing performance of civil service towards efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery.
Well-known schools of government include Harvard Kennedy School of Government in the United States, Blavatnik School of Government under the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and Singapore School of Government (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy). In Africa, there is National School of Government in South Africa, and Kenya School of Government.
Malawi School of Government is an important establishment that carries multiple benefits to the public service. The vision of MSG is to be a center of excellence in public service capacity development. This means that MSG is the nerve center for all forms of interventions designed to increase efficiency of the civil service, and improve performance of the public sector broadly.
S u c h c a p a c i t y development is not only restricted to central government institutions. T h e r o l e o f MSG encompasses all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). The coverage of MSG extends to local councils, state owned enterprises or parastatals. The scope of MSG also encapsulates the private sector. This is because of the symbiotic relationship that exists within the context of public-private partnerships (PPPs), and other similar configurations.
As such, the vision of MSG is guided by the MSG mission to build capacity of the public service and the private sector through training, research, consultancy, and advisory services for enhanced performance. However, it can as well be argued that the role of MSG should take into consideration certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society actors that implement programs which compliment government.
Modern state craft considers the role of non-state actors in public policy formulation and implementation, monitoring the quality and timeliness of public service delivery, and providing oversight roles on public institutions. MSG therefore has to cultivate partnerships with NGOs to achieve holistic capacity development in the public sector.
Consequently, MSG is key to promoting public sector accountability. MSG has a critical task to transform Malawi civil service into an ethical establishment with civil servants that can work with total integrity. The quest for an ethical public service means that MDAs, local councils, and parastatals will have to operate with highest degree of transparency and accountability.
The standard of probity also needs to extend to Malawi’s diplomatic missions and embassies abroad where cases of abuse also take place. MSG has the task to develop capacities that will help to transform Malawi’s public sector into centers of meritocracy, professionalism, and corruption-free zones.
