By Pempho Nkhoma

Blantyre, July 18, Mana: Department of Public Sector Reforms (DPSR) on Wednesday engaged southern region public institutions and parastatals to discuss a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported Public Sector Innovation Policy.

Director of Public Sector Reforms at DPSR, Sibusiso Jere said the department brought together government institutions in the southern region to discuss and approve the policy, which will facilitate innovations in the public service.

“We are trying to work faster so that we can launch the policy by December this year,” the director added.

Jere explained that the policy will act like guidelines to the institutions in terms of capacity building, funding, legal framework, coordination and management as well as promoting innovative culture.

“We noted that other organizations have already started the innovations. The policy will now provide a framework to guide all those innovations,” he said.

The Public Sector Innovation Policy is being supported by the UNDP and it will be implemented for a period of five years.

Consultant, Jane Kathyola presented the Public Sector Innovation Policy to participants to allow their inputs such that they brought in some points.

A participant from Blantyre City Council, Assistant Director of Culture Leisure and Environmental Services, Lallior Justin Nakhupe commended the DPSR for engaging the public institutions into the discussion, which he said, was necessary.

“It is a good initiative, it will encourage spirit of innovativeness in the public sector and this will help to develop Malawi,” he said.

The meeting brought together public institutions including Malawi Revenue Authority, Electricity Generation Company of Malawi and Blantyre City Council among others.

Similar consultative meeting was held on July 11 in Mzuzu and another one will take place in Lilongwe on July 19 this year.