Fighting poverty in Malawi through multi-sectoral rural development in Malawi

Mr. Micheal Keating, UNDP Resident Representative and Hon. Dr. George Chaponda, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, speaking to journalists after opening the two-day workshop on multi-sectoral rural development.
CREDIT: © Susan Muguro, UN Malawi 2007

LILONGWE, 23 May 2007–Non-governmental and international organisations based in Malawi meet in Lilongwe to evaluate their experiences in tackling poverty and rural development and make headway towards attaining Millennium Development Goals in Malawi.

The two-day workshop, opened by Honourable Dr. George Chaponda, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MOLGRD), aims to guide and standardize rural development practices under the government framework in Malawi.

In his opening remarks, United Nations Resident Coordinator Mr. Michael Keating said, “MDGs are about investing in people, which translates into economic growth.” He commended the government for prioritising integrated rural development in the budget allocation along with health, education, agricultural and food security, irrigation and water development, energy, roads and rural infrastructure and management of the AIDS pandemic.

“Malawi is being recognised for remarkable strides—including economic growth, which was among the highest in Africa in 2006, and the gains from the agricultural inputs subsidy. But, these gains have to be measured by qualitative improvement in the lives of all people,” said Mr. Keating.

Hon. George Chaponda emphasised that rural development has a pivotal role to play in Malawi, where over 70% of the population live in the rural areas, but requires implementation by all players in a coherent manner. He said programmes have not been well coordinated, making it difficult to realise the full gains. “It is becoming evident that unless rural development activities, which promote economic activities with the objective of improving employment and income opportunities of rural communities, the impact of other interventions will not be felt and poverty levels will remain high among the rural poor.”

The workshop, funded by UNDP through the decentralisation budget under MOLGRD, was jointly organized by MOLGRD, UNDP and The MDG Centre, which provides scientific, technical and policy support for millennium villages in east and southern Africa. MOLGRD is responsible for coordinating and implementing integrated rural development and gave a presentation on their detailed strategy. The workshop will further strengthen the Ministry’s multi-sectoral focus and long term planning.

Ministries of Economic Planning and Development and Agriculture will also present their experience in rural development in the perspective of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy.

Hon Dr. Chaponda said that while progress had been achieved at national level, poverty has persisted at household level. He explained, “One of the main reasons for this situation has been the lack of integrated strategies to reach and empower the socially and economically poor communities due to over-centralized decision-making and implementation process.” The workshop, he said, will deliberate on possible solutions to address challenges.

Participants aim to identify lessons learned and synergies and to arrive at some consensus for medium and long-term strategies, which focus on human security and empowering communities to implement sustainable rural development and lead healthy and economically productive lives.

The MDG centre, in coordination with MOLGRD and UNDP, will produce a publication of the papers presented, focusing on the workshop outcomes and practical lessons for approaches, focus, duration, budgeting and sustainability. This publication is intended to help guide future planning and implementation of large-scale multi-sector investments in rural areas. Lessons learnt and case studies will be synthesized to identify best practices based on the experiences of development partners in Malawi including unido, joint UN programmes, Care International, Action Aid, Plan International, World Vision, Concern Universal, Action Aid, Oxfam, Clinton-Hunter Foundation and Millennium Villages Project.

For information, please contact:
Colleen Zamba on + 265 (0) 1 773 500 or colleen.zamba@undp.org
Susan Muguro on +265 (0)9 967-991 or susan.muguro@undp.org

ABOUT UNDP:The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

Further information can be found at www.undp.org.mw