ActionAid Malawi under fire over Global Fund management
National Civil Society Consultative Forum on Global Fund has accused ActionAid Malawi for being involved in corrupt practises on the way how the organisation is managing the funds.
The accusations were made during a news conference in Lilongwe at Bridge View Hotel on Thursday, where the Forum said in 2015, the Global Fund made a decision to kick out National AIDS Commission (NAC) as a country recipient of global funds for Malawi.
They cited anomalies and issues of fraud on the part of management of the funds by NAC.
Upon kicking out NAC, the decision was made to take the country’s recipient to non-state actors in a bid to ensure there is efficiency and effectiveness of the fund.
Action Aid Malawi was picked as a country recipient for the funds.
In a statement, the Forum said: “We the Civil Society Organizations in Malawi, wish to call upon the Malawi Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism, the Government of Malawi and the Global Fund, to review the operations and management of the global funds in Malawi.
“There are high anomalies, mismanagement and cases of fraud in how the global funds have been managed by Action Aid Malawi since they became the country’s recipient of the funds.”
The Forum says they have noted that since HIV and AIDS funds management went to Action Aid, there are alleged gloss mismanagement, cases of fraud, and lack of capacity within Action Aid to manage the Global Fund.
The CSO’s says it is sad that since Action Aid became a recipient, every year Malawi has been returning money to Global Fund due to lack of absorption capacity yet at the same time they are failing to fund the NGOs.
Chairperson of the Forum, Lucky Mbewe has accused the Action Aid of failing to fund the organisations into the districts.
“Without fear of contradiction, the reasons why NAC was removed as a recipient of global fund as compared to what is happening with Action Aid, shows that there is a greater bias towards international institutions.
“Issues within NAC were manageable yet the issues happening within Action Aid are much worse.”
During the presser, the NGOs said they are sure that the Global Fund support comes to a country in order to benefit the locals, hence the need to probe and question issues when they are wrong.
The Forum says it suspects the high level fraud and corruption.
“There are evidence that in the process of the fund, there has been huge elements of fraud and mismanagement of the global funds. There are instances that instead of transferring money into sub grantees accounts, Action Aid and other sub-grantees were drawing cash and giving to implementers which raises a big questions of accountability hence the demand that the Global Fund management should revert back to National Aids Commission,” reads the statement in part.
Summary of demands include reconstituting the Malawi Global Fund country coordinating mechanism, probing of all the officers within Action Aid involved in the grant management for their role of the
Global Fund mismanagement towards the recovery of the resources and that Global Fund and Action Aid must institute a forensic audit on how the funds have been utilized as Forum suspect that there have been gross mismanagement and fraud.
“ACB must probe Action Aid in the issue of management of the global funds and its beneficiaries and that the NGO Board and CONGOMA must review the role of international organizations in implementation of projects as they are usurping the space of local NGOs.
“International NGOs must not be implementers but rather partner with the local organizations. The British Government must probe the role of Action Aid as a UK based charity on how it’s contributing to the local mismanagement of the funds in Malawi and other underdeveloped countries.
“All District CSO/CBOs network must not allow any International NGO to implement any actions related to Global Fund as by law are not required not to do so.”
ActionAid Malawi is yet to react to the statement.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Reading in between the lines, these allegations are being made from a disgruntled party. We all know that Global Fund gives more money to Malawi Government then ActionAid and World Vision. The funds for Mw Govt go to Ministry of health and is the biggest chunk of the funds. Then Civil society funds are channelled through World Vision and ActionAid. Critical to note that the calibre of organisations selected was very high above the reach of CEYE which were easily funded when they were under NAC but fell short of under the new criteria. I should say these guys need… Read more »
My fellow Malawians, if we take each and every observation and mix it with politics and religionalism we will not grow even after 100 years. Let’s review how the global funds is supposed to operate in countries and then make noise over that. It is our responsibility as citizens to provide checks and balances on these organizations bearing in mind that they receive these fund in the name of Malawians regardless of political affiliation. Relates action aid performance vs NAC performance and see who has been performing much better on the ground. The leaders, the funders, NGOs have taken advantage… Read more »
The issues raised by these NGOs are very genuine to say the truth. The only challenge is that the said concerned organizations have limited credibility as they are largely pro-government. Otherwise , issues of incompetence and fraud at Action Aid are real and not a surprise. Recently, some officers in the Finance department were fired on allegations of organised fraud. Again, I’m not very familiar with this Global fund mechanism, but id we wanted evidence on incompetence at Action Aid, one may not to go too far. Wee how the whole 50:50 Campaign has flopped under Action Aid. For me… Read more »
Why is Global Fund not complaining? I thought they do regular audit on the same? And reconciliations are done as well? These are financial issues, and are ACB better placed or there is need for external auditors to do the job.
Since this international organisation is being run by atumbuka, it is fine whether there is fraud or gross mismanagement or luck of capacity. Tumbukas don’t do no wrong, they are special people who should be treated like they just came from heaven last week
Also ActionAid Malawi is a registered local organisation.
Bolanso NAC, awa a Actionaid nde ayi
Nawenso Lucky nawe iwe!! Wasowatu ponyambita iwe!! Your arguments show you’ve no genuine evidence on the matter but sheer jealousy that Action Aid is implementing activities on the ground!! Lucky AAM won to be the recipient because they proved to be responsible than your organization[s]. Why did YECE fail? If International NGOs have capacity to implement why should they not be implementing the activities at local level? Mwasowa chonena anyamata inu……………………..!! Inuyo ndi amene mukufuna kuba ndalama za Global fund period!
Empty bucket.
A Mbewe wantchito wanu amaba ndiye business mwapatsa wantchito wina ndiye mukuti mungabwererenso kumupatsa business wokuba woyamba uja poti uyunso akubanso? U Cadet a Mbewe mwapusa nawotu kutereku mwatumidwa kuti muipitse mbiri ya Action Aid kuti Globe Fund ibwerere ku NAC Pumbwa wamkazi uja azikazomola ndalama za Aids basi & mwanena kuti Action Aid ikumabweza ndalama ku Globe Fund sindiye sakumaba nanga wakuba angabwezenso.
Our government or parastatalls can’t manage any funds better. Dont let the thieves(Dpp) get more loot unless u are part of them. They need to get out first before any money can be trusted by malawi government. Ur duty as citizens on 19th May is to vote the thieves out first. Then u have a justifiable reason for the money to return back to NAC/government.
Even those whom you think can not steal you will be choked to see them stealing too. Even yourself utapatsidwa mpando yoyang’anila chuma cha boma simungabe inu?
Mwayiwawo Kuba kwanu…is there anyone who claim does not practise corruption or bribery?
Maganizo a chitsiru amakhala chonchi. Ndiye dziko lapansi sipangakhale zabwino ngati aliyense angakhale ndimaganizo amenewa. Mbava zaku Malawi zimenezo.