Chief Secretary to Government, Justin Saidi, says Malawi’s development challenge is not only shortage of resources but failure to close the gap between planning, promises and delivery, and has challenged Principal Secretaries and heads of government institutions to own results and be held accountable.
Saidi was speaking Wednesday during opening of a high-level retreat for the National Planning Commission (NPC) with heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, UN Agencies, private sector and academia in Lilongwe.
He said the country is now in the second half of the First Implementation Plan (MIP-1) of Malawi 2063, yet the economy has grown by about 2 percent annually against a population growth of 2.6 percent, while income per person remains at about 600 US dollars against a target of 1,200 US dollars.
Saidi described the situation as the monster in the room, saying it lives in beautifully written plans that are never fully funded, budgets that are approved but never fully executed, and institutions that work hard but pull in different directions.
“President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has set the course to restore stability through the National Economic Recovery Plan focused on food, fuel, foreign exchange and fertiliser, and has emphasised that Malawi 2063 is a national commitment that must be delivered regardless of administration”, he explained.
The Chief Secretary dismissed claims that the Malawian civil service cannot deliver, citing progress in maternal health where about 96 percent of births are now attended by skilled health workers, saying the same focus, measurement and financing must be applied to production, exports and jobs.
“By the end of the retreat, every national priority should have one lead institution, one measurable result and a clear deadline,” he said.
He announced that from the 2027/28 cycle, performance contracts for Principal Secretaries will carry MIP-1 results with agreed numbers and dates, to be reviewed within 100 days.
Saidi also responded to three requests from the NPC chairperson, committing to direct Principal Secretaries to personally lead Pillar and Enabler Coordination Groups and to ensure their funding in the 2027/28 budget, to operationalise the Malawi Development Corporation Holdings Limited within six months, and to require that every development project in the 2027/28 Budget Call Circular shows which MIP-1 result it serves.
The NPC chairperson Richard Mkandawire expressed concern that Malawi is falling behind its neighbours in development despite facing similar external shocks.
Mkandawire observed that while countries in the region continue to make progress, Malawi is struggling to meet its developmental aspirations.
He attributed the setback to the country’s tendency to abandon its own development blueprints, noting that failure to consistently implement existing plans remains a major obstacle to national progress.
