The three-day workshop which was conducted at Lilongwe Hotel also aimed at introducing the Pro Poor Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach as an instrument to improve basic service delivery at the local level in Malawi. In her opening remarks, UNDP Assistant Resident Representative (MDGs), Dr, Agnes Chimbiri said local assemblies and Government cannot meet the continually growing demand for urban services by acting alone.She said there is need for support from other sectors of society, citing the PPP as one of the most promising forms of such collaboration.“Based on recognition that both the public and private sectors can benefit by pooling their financial resources, know how and expertise to improve the delivery of basic services to all citizens, PPPs combine the advantages of both sectors-social responsibility, environmental awareness and public accountability of the public sector and finance, technology, managerial efficiency and entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector,” she said.Dr. Chimbiri further observed that about 67% of the population in Lilongwe city has poor access to basic services, therefore initiatives that focus on introducing or improving basic urban services to the urban poor would contribute significantly to the attainment of the MDGs in the country’s cities.In his remarks, Lilongwe City Assembly Director of Health and Social Welfare Services Mr Vitto Mulula said cities in the country face many challenges, among them, waste management.He explained that the Lilongwe City Waste for Wealth project has come at an opportune time when the city is facing serious challenges in dealing with waste using the conventional approaches which are now seriously challenged by the scale of the problem. He noted that the knowledge and skills gained from the workshop would therefore help come up with solutions to the problem.The training was conducted by UNDP technical partners on waste, WASTE of the Netherlands and UNDP Regional Office and facilitated by UN-HABITAT.Participants were drawn from Lilongwe City Assembly, Lilongwe and its project partners (CCODE, SWAM, Bunda, Four Seasons), Blantyre, Zomba and Mzuzu City Assemblies, Mangochi Town Assembly, Malawi Entrepreneurial Development Institute (MEDI), ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Irrigation and Water development, Lands and Housing and Urban Development.