By Kingsley Jassi:
An accelerator programme called Government Empowerment Network (GEN) will aim to turbocharge the implementation of Public Sector Reforms, which are now clocking 10-plus years after they were introduced.
Malawi’s Public Sector Reforms Agenda was touted to aim at building a modern, professional, efficient and effective public service that facilitates economic transformation and development.
However, the country’s stagnation suggests limited progress.
Chief Secretary to the Government, Justin Saidi, who launched GEN, feels that this time around, big results will be registered as implementers of the reforms have changed the approach.
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“Previously, the reforms were being developed from the top level and be given to government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) for implementation. As such, there was no [sense of] ownership. This time around, the reforms are being developed by the MDAs,” he said.
Saidi also unveiled the Public Sector Reform portal, an online dashboard that displays progress being made by each participating MDA.
Powered by digitised processes, GEN has brought together 30 principal secretaries and senior government officials, who will champion the cause in their institutions.
“In teams of around six, champions break a problem down into its technical and political root causes and develop a response to the government-selected reform, testing whether the political backing and capabilities to deliver it are in place,” a brief about GEN reads.
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This is being facilitated by Instiglio, a firm that has established similar interventions in several countries in Africa and beyond.
According to Instiglio Chief Executive Officer Avnish Gungadurdoss, Malawi already has an existing public sector reform framework that just needs to be pushed into effectiveness.
Initially, the GEN will take on board six ministries that include Finance, Education, Local Government Health and Agriculture while three local councils of Salima, Lilongwe City, Lilongwe Rural and the National Local Government Finance Committee will be expected to play a key role.
