National Planning Commission (NPC) has emphasized for Malawi to accelerate proper and clear development projects to enable the attainment of the Malawi 2063 first 10-year Implementation Plan (MIP-1), as the economic growth remains around 2 percent over the past five years.
NPC Chairperson Prof. Richard Mkandawire said the country risks missing its development milestones by 2030 if it continues growing at the current pace, stressing the need for urgent action by government as well as the private sector.
“As we look into 2030, it’s unlikely at that level if we continue to over that pace that we will achieve the milestone of this country in moving towards a lower-income status. Also, it’s unlikely to meet most of the MDGs, most of the Millennium Development Goals.” Added Mkandawire.
He said Malawi needs to prioritise selected agricultural value chains that has potential to boost commercialisation and create manufacturing opportunities, adding that there is also the need to ensure investment in research and development.
African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) Chief Executive Officer Dr Eliya Zulu warned that at the rate Malawi is moving it is unlikely to achieve the middle income status goal under the MIP1.
Zulu said Malawi already has clear opportunities to achieve it’s development targets, and that what is needed is commitment, will and conviction to do it. He added that mostly things are not done because of focus on personal interest as opposed to national interest.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Justin Saidi has challenged public institutions to improve planning, accountability and performance to ensure that government commitments translate into tangible results.
He said the country’s main challenge is not merely shortage of resources, but the gap between what is planned, what is promised and what is ultimately delivered, hence the government is working on ensuring that the public sector delivers accordingly.
He further emphasized that accountability should promote results rather than create additional layers of bureaucracy.
