Malawi Parliament reconvenes for  mid-term budget review

Malawi Parliament reconvenes in Lilongwe from February 6, 2017 to March  2 for the mid-term budget review, Speaker of Parliament Richard Msowoya has disclosed.

“All Cabinet  Ministers, deputy ministers and honourable members if parliament are summoned toattend the metting ar the time and place indicated until adjournment sine die and  herein fail not,” a statement issued by the Speaker , made available to Nyasa Times, said.

Parliament meets at a time the World Bank has given hope for Malawi to finally access budgetary support amounting to $80 million before the end of the 2016/17 financial year.

Visiting World Bank vice-president for Africa Makhtar Diop expressed confidence in the success of the country’s public finance management reforms.

He noted that important progress has been made on public finance management, especially on auditing of accounts and reconciliations, giving a hint of  the possibility of budgetary support to the country,.

In the 2015/16 financial year, government did not meet the conditionalities for obtaining budgetary support from World Bank and European Union.

Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe was hopeful a decision would be made for the country to tap into a total of $120 million (about K8.8 billion) from the multilateral partners.

Chancellor College economics professor Ben Kaluwa said during the mid-term review,  Parliament should exercise its mandate to scrutinise the budget and make the necessary amendments.

Parliament is expected also to seek information on the progress of  the Access to Information (ATI) Bill  passed by the House and dispatched to State House for President Peter Mutharika to assent into law which is one of the pre-conditions for the return for direct budgetary support by the country’s donors.

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