Deputy Minister of Local Government opens southern region quarterly coordination meeting

Blantyre, August 20, Mana: Deputy Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture Owen Chomanika opened southern region quarterly coordination meeting for local authorities and its development partners on Thursday in Blantyre where he called for proper coordination on service delivery for citizen satisfaction.

The southern region’s coordination meeting is the first of a series of meetings, which the ministry will also hold in Dowa and Mzuzu to institutionalize regular engagement with local government authorities to address challenges with management and coordination of council operations.

The Deputy Minister said proper coordination among council staff, elected councilors and members of parliament and non-governmental organizations can easily ensure implementation of projects and quality service delivery to citizens who always believe that local authorities have capable human resource and adequate financial capacity for quality service delivery.

“We have the duty to serve the people whose expectations is to be served better and adequately. They live to our expectations,” Chomanika added.

He observed unsatisfactory service delivery in some councils, which arise from low staff commitment at council secretariat and members of parliament neglecting their mandatory roles to serve people in their respective areas.

The Deputy Minister said quarterly coordination meetings provide room for local authorities to reflect on their successes and shortfalls and discuss ways and means of improving service delivery through coordination with other players in development.

Chomanika therefore expressed hope that the meeting in Blantyre will come up with resolution of proper coordination for improved service delivery in line with the Ministry of Local Government mandate and decentralization policy and guidelines, which the local authorities should abide by.

Secretary for Local Government, Unity and Culture, Richard Hara said the quarterly coordination meeting were crucial since they started in 2020 as they remind local authorities of their statutory obligations in service delivery.

“We cannot serve people better if we are not well coordinated in our respective councils. Let us create a conducive environment that should satisfy the citizens we serve. If we cannot serve our people better, they cannot trust us,” Hara added.

Non-Governmental Organization Regulatory Authority (NGORA) Chief Executive Officer, Edward Chileka Banda observed that huge sums of financial resources go to councils through non state actors but with minimal impact.

He therefore called for proper coordination between NGOs and local authorities to ensure that finances that go to local authorities have impact on the citizens.

“We are also concerned that donor partners through NGOs provide huge financial support yet Malawi is still poor,” Banda said and pledged that NGORA will work with local authorities to track donor investment.

The Southern Region Quarterly Coordination Meeting will also allow Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture to provide strategic direction and policy guidance to local authorities on how they should deliver services per their statutory obligations.

District Commissioners, city and municipal chief executive officers, Members of Parliament, ward councilors, city and municipal mayors, officials from National Local Government Finance Committee, National Local Government Service Committee, National Aids Commission, NGORA among others attended the Southern Region Quarterly Coordination Meeting.