Mwalubunju urges Malawians to track public expenditure: Nice Trust drills staff
Executive Director for Nice Trust, Ollen Mwalubunju, says it is only when the public is empowered that it can demand for transparency and accountability from people in leadership positions.
He made the remarks Monday during the opening ceremony of two-day training on public expenditure tracking which Nice Trust staff is undergoing in Lilongwe with the view of increasing more public participation on governance issues.
Mwalubunju said it is the trust’s (NICE) plan to deal with issues of limited appreciation by citizens to hold duty bearers accountable at all levels of governance, and weak democratic structures to enforce transparency and accountability.
“This training will, therefore, assist in empowering our staff with more expertise which will translate to a more informed public on the grassroots,” he said.
Mwalubunju said the demand for more accountability in local authorities is increasing everyday due to resource inflows to councils as a result of fiscal decentralization which, in turn, has increased demand for transparency and accountability.
“Based on this reality, there is need to track the money and use such important resources to improve the quality of life for Malawians.
“This expertise will not only benefit the public but also the public officials who will be alert in dealing with public resources,” the executive director.
He added that public demand for improved services can be seen as an opportunity to introduce new mechanisms for tracking what is coming from the central government, locally generated revenue and how it is being used for the public good
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