Malawi Local Government Accountability & Performance (Lgap)
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MALAWI LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND PERFORMANCE FIRST Quarter Report Fiscal year 2020 October 2019 to December 2019 Prepared by DAI MALAWI LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY & PERFORMANCE (LGAP) Quarterly Report First Quarter - Fiscal Year 2020 October 2019 – December 2019 Program Title: Malawi Local Government Accountability and Performance (LGAP) Contract Number: AID-OAA-I-14-00061/AID-612-TO-16-00004 Sponsoring USAID Office: USAID/Malawi Contractor: DAI Date of Publication: February 15, 2020 On the cover: IFMIS Training Session in Lilongwe LGAP Malawi Quarterly Report FY2020, Quarter 1 | i TABLE OF CONTENTS MALAWI LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND PERFORMANCE (LGAP) ..................................... I TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... II ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... III OVERVIEW: LGAP THIS QUARTER ............................................................................................................ 5 SCENE SETTING: LGAP IN MALAWI .......................................................................................................... 6 OVERALL OBJECTIVE ................................................................................................................................ 7 LGAP @ WORK – OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 2019 .................................................................................... 8 IMPROVING DISTRICT Council Functionality ....................................................................................... 8 PFM gaps identified in the new Councils. .............................................................................. 14 District Councils enabled to meet obligations on Financial Statements ................................. 17 Hands-On Training of IFMIS users in New Target Councils .................................................... 18 Mentorship of new councils through peer support. ............................................................... 19 Citizen Engagement and Social Accountability ................................................................................. 31 Central-Level Partnerships: Promoting an Enabling Policy Environment for Decentralization ......... 35 GRANTS UNDER LGAP ........................................................................................................................... 42 THE ROAD TO DECENTRALIZATION: ON THE HORIZON ......................................................................... 44 INTEGRATION BY SECTOR ...................................................................................................................... 45 RISK ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................... 52 VOICES OF MALAWI............................................................................................................................... 55 TRACKING PERFORMANCE .................................................................................................................... 60 ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................................... 75 LGAP Malawi Quarterly Report FY2020, Quarter 1 | ii ABBREVIATIONS ADC Area Development Committee AEC Area Executive Committee AIP Annual Investment Plan CDF Constituency Development Fund CPS Citizen Perception Survey CSO Civil Society Organization DC District Commissioner DDP District Development Plan DEC District Executive Committee DEM District Education Manager DFID U.K. Department for International Development DHO District Health Officer DHRMD Department of Human Resource Management and Development DMECC District Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinating Committee DOF Director of Finance DPD Director of Planning and Development EP&D Department of Economic Planning and Development FY Fiscal Year GoM Government of Malawi GVH Group Village Headman HR Human Resources HRMIS Human Resources Management Information Systems IEC Information, Education and Communication IFMIS Information Finance Management Integrated System IP Implementing Partner LAPA Local Authority Performance Assessment LASCOM Local Authority Service Commission LDF Local Development Fund LGAP Local Government Accountability and Performance Activity LRESP Local Revenue Enhancement Strategic Plan M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MDAs Ministries, Departments and Agencies MLGRD Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development MoEST Ministry of Education, Science and Technology MP Member of Parliament NGO Non-Governmental Organization NLGFC National Local Government Finance Committee ONSE Organized Network of Services for Everyone’s Health Activity OPC Office of the President and Cabinet PFM Public Financial Management PFMA Public Finance Management Act PS Permanent Secretary PTA Parent-Teacher Association SEP Social Economic Profile SMC School Management Committee LGAP Malawi Quarterly Report FY2020, Quarter 1 | iii SWG Sector Working Group TA Traditional Authority USAID United States Agency for International Development VAP Village Action Plan VDC Village Development Committee LGAP Malawi Quarterly Report FY2020, Quarter 1 | iv OVERVIEW: LGAP THIS QUARTER During a time when the eyes of the country all seem focused on the post-election events and uncertainty at the national level, local governments had to continue their journey toward functional, cohesive, and responsive bodies – ensuring that Malawians still got services delivered. This report provides an overview of progress made by the Local Government Accountability and Performance (LGAP) activity during the first quarter of year 4 (October – December 2019). During the first full quarter after LGAP expanded to cover all 28 districts, with additional support from DFID, LGAP was equipped with district assessments and needs informed by introductory meetings during the previous quarter. Of course, support to this original 8 districts did not slow down – on the contrary, LGAP built on gains made over the first three years and was able to work with champions and longstanding LGAP partners from those districts to share lessons and benefits with new partners – elevating cross-district learning to a national scale. LGAP’s work is propped on three, mutually-reinforcing pillars of supporting district council functionality, promoting citizen engagement and social accountability, and providing technical assistance to central level efforts to create an enabling policy environment to ensure that decentralization progresses – and that progress is sustained. This is not a linear path, and many challenges line the way. Political self-interest, limited resources, and a culture of disinterest fostered by years where local governments were marginalized, present daily challenges to the work of LGAP’s team based throughout the country. These challenges require routine evaluation of our approach and fine-tuning successful models for scaling. This approach has allowed us to move faster and more effectively in the new 20 districts than in the original 8, drawing on lessons from the past. Key achievements in this quarter included: Compliant Submission of Final Accounts for FY 2019/2020: Councils are required by the Public Finance Management Act to submit financial statements within four (4) months after the end of the financial year 2018/19 – meaning by October 31. LGAP prioritized support to M’mbelwa, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Balaka, Machinga, Zomba, Mulanje and Blantyre – and all of them successfully made their submissions. From the twenty (20) new districts, LGAP provided technical support to all the districts that had a backlog of only two (2) financial years – namely, in the south: Phalombe, Chiradzulu and Mwanza, although Mwanza started the process after it uncovered fraud; in the east: Dedza and Balaka; in the centre: Mchinji, Ntchisi, Nkhotakota and Dowa; and in the north: Chitipa and Rumphi. Revitalized Citizen Education Watchdogs: Any gains made under LGAP’s education governance work, be it in stronger School Management Committees or a robust performance management system, risk fading when the LGAP comes to an end. Therefore, one of the first steps taken in this initiative was to revamp District Education Networks (DENs) nationwide and equipping them with the tools to demand better education services. By working with DENs in each district, these networks serve as a counterweight to district action (or inaction) and engage with communities on concerns in their schools. Moving Public Service Reform Forward…and to the People: Public Service Reform, in order to meet enormous expectations, is undergoing a process that involves numerous stakeholders throughout the government. LGAP – mindful of shortcomings of previous attempts – was able to corral members of the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) Stakeholder Coordination Group (which it helped form last 5 quarter) to agree on the guiding principles to govern the reform process. In addition, LGAP and OPC launched a new website to share details and progress of the PSR effort (one of the principles calls for commitment and support from all members of the public). With progress made in both strategy and transparency, LGAP is now poised to engage in a change readiness assessment. Bringing Staffing in Line with Needs: After much-needed preparatory