Chakwera gets tough: Moves to dissolve boards of directors for 60 parastatals
President Lazarus Chakwera is getting tough on cleaning up government with the latest being dissolution of board of directors of 60 statutory corporations.
A statement from the Office of the Chief Secretary, Zangazanga Chikhosi, and released Tuesday night underlined that the dissolution was with immediate effect.
Chakwera said he has been receiving reports from various state institutions regarding the status of their operations, “which will inform the steps I will soon be taking to ensure that all institutions have the wherewithal to address the anomalies and malpractices within them.”
With Vice-president Dr Saulos Chilima back at the centre of Public Sector Reforms, the dissolving of board of directors was an expected move as it represents the beginning of the change in how statutory corporations operate in the country.
Governance analyst Makhumbo Munthali told Nyasa Times on Wednesday that the dissolving of the boards should be viewed as “a positive development coming against the background of underperformance and political infiltration of the same.”
However, he said President Chakwera and his deputy Chilima have “an opportunity to prove their critics wrong by sticking to the promise of their manifestos by ensuring that the fresh appointments are largely merit based.”
Malawians on social media have since welcomed the dissolution of the boards, saying the reforms at some of the state institutions were long overdue.
“Please look into malpractices at all government institutions, particularly, recruitment of employees. Help create a system that allows those with merit get jobs. [Create] a strong system that will remain after you,” said Francis Kalonga, a Blantyre resident.
Among the dissolved boards is the state broadcaster, the tobacco commission, communication regulatory authority, the bureau of standards, the electricity supply commission and national examination board.
Below is the full of the statutory corporations involved:
- Agriculture Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC)
- Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi LTD (ESCOM)
- Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC)
- Airport Development Limited (ADL)
- Malawi College of Accountancy (MCA)
- Lilongwe Water Board (LWB)
- Electricity Generation Company Limited (EGENCO)
- Southern Region Water Board (SRWB)
- Malawi Institute of Management (MIM)
- Malawi Posts Corporation (MPC)
- National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA)
- Northern Region Water Board (NRWB)
- Blantyre Water Board (BWB)
- Central Region Water Board (CRWB)
- National Oil Company of Malawi (NOCMA)
- Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (MEDF)
- Umodzi Holdings Limited (UHL)
- Technical Entrepreneurial, Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA)
- National Construction Industry Council (NCIC)
- Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA)
- Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA)
- Tobacco Commission (TC)
- Pharmacy Medicines and Poisons Board (PMPB)
- Malawi Gaming Board (MGB)
- Malawi Accountants Board (MAB)
- Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS)
- Malawi Digital Broadcasting Network (MDBNL)
- Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST)
- Lilongwe Handling Company (LIHACO)
- Cotton Council of Malawi(CCM)
- Air Cargo Malawi Limited(ACM)
- Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)
- University of Malawi (UNIMA)
- Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB)
- Malawi College of Health Sciences (MCHS)
- Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST)
- Mzuzu University (MZUNI)
- Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources LUANAR
- Roads Authority (RA)
- Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Development Institute (SMEDI)
- Malawi Institute of Education (MIE)
- Medical Council of Malawi (MCM)
- Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi (NMCM)
- Malawi Investment Trade Centre (MICT)
- Malawi National Commission for UNESCO (MNC-UNESCO)
- National Herbarium and Botanical Gardens (NHBG)
- National Library Services (NLS)
- National Youth Council of Malawi (NYCM)
- National Commission of Science and Technology (NCST)
- National Council for Higher Education (NCHE)
- National Water Resources Authority (NWRA)
- Malawi Council for the Handicapped MACOHA)
- Malawi National Council for Sports (MNCS)
- Competitions and Fair Trading Committee (CFTC)
- Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (AERA)
- Higher Education Students Loans and Grants Board (HESLGB)
- Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC)
- National Water Resources Authority (NWRA)
- Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA)
- National Aids Commission (NAC)
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The boards are political appointments and they should be dissolved. In actual sense we all know that dpp used to abuse the parastatals. Money was being siphoned out to fund party activities. At the same time, why should Chakwera or Chilima keep the likes of Brown Mpinjanjira and other dpp cadres in the boards. MBC should be revamped to serve the interest of Malawians. We have the civil service commission that has dpp cadres who were there to see that only the lomwes got jobs. We have MRA deputy commissioner general Rosa Mbilizi who is a cadet. Why and why?
This is chilima doing this..not chakwela
one by one
attack them ,plune them , conquer them
What’s the story here? This happens every time we change presidency.
Bwana H.E what about MRA and MERA? mufikenso kumeneku
Clean up is needed,so Mr president you are in the right direction, clean the mess.
Yeeeeees! – Get them! – the days for Ali Baba and his band of 40 thieves are over! ………please don’t forget to send all cashgaters to prison
Zayamba bwino. Government can get the right personnel to fill up these Boards from professional bodies in the country, for instance, ICAM, BOARD OF ENGINEERS, MALAWI LAW SOCIETY, ECAM, etc. Osati kumatenga azinyakwawa, ma constituency governors, party zealots, etc. These people do not perform as expected. Most of them use their positions for self enrichment. Malawi sadzakonzeka ndi anthu akunja. Malawi adzakonzeka ndi ife eni ake. Bravo Government for the timely decision. As you constitute the Boards, remember to clean up Management teams also. New Board vs old management combination does not bring significant performance change to these Parastatals. We… Read more »
Dr. Chakwera please consider also to remove all those corrupt CEO’s on all Parastatals, they have gone filthy rich. Investigate them.