Naomi Ngwira elected chair of advisory body to National Planning Commission: Says Vision 2020 failed Malawi
August 1, 2019
Genge Kakhuta-Nyasa Times 19 Comments
Renowned economist and former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, Dr Naomi Ngwira, says the Vision 2020, a development plan the Government of Malawi adopted in 1998, failed to achieve the desired results over the years because of what she described as “implementation deficits”.
Naomi Ngwira (center) upon being elected Chairperson for the Core Advisory PanelSome of the members of the Core Advisory Panel
Ngwira made the sentiments when top-notch enonomists, academicians and civil society leaders who met on Wednesday in the Capital Lilongwe endorsed her as Chairperson for the Core Advisory Panel (CAP) to the National Planning Commission (NPC), a government think tank which has been tasked to develop a new long term development strategy to replace Vision 2020.
The former Central Bank Deputy Governor and this team of experts will be advising NPC in the formulation and implementation of the new plan which will be aligned with Agenda 2063 of the African Union and other regional and global frameworks.
Framers of the Vision 2020, in whose CAP Ngwira also served as one of the initial vice chairpersons, envisioned a Malawi which would have been now a middle income country with improved lifestyle, healthcare, education, agriculture and infrastructure.
Board Chair Prof Mkandawire
Unfortunately, that does not even begin to be the case, a development which has worried many stakeholders including the citizens.
“The implementation of Vision 2020 was not in magnitudes that were required to achieve the desired results of the plan. So even if certain things might have been done, they were inadequate to achieve the quantum expected.
“For instance, if Malawi wanted to be a middle income country, it meant there were supposed to be certain types of investments to achieve that. Unfortunately, these were not done in fullness,” said Ngwira.
Ngwira observed that the youths must be at the core of the formulation and implementation of the new development plan, noting that most experts in the CAP are already senior citizens who will be very old in the next twenty years.
“There is need for young leaders that must be placed at various levels and embrace the new development strategy to move this country forward for the benefit of more young people. Those of us with alot of experience can just support them,” she said.
NPC Board Chairperson, Professor Richard Mkandawire, concurred with Ngwira, saying his commission will indeed consult a cross section of stakeholders including the youths in order to come up with a development plan that encompasses all the aspirations of Malawians.
He described the CAP to NPC as a combination of experienced thought leaders who will guide in charting new pathways of transforming Malawi, particularly in crafting the successor to Vision 2020.
“We need to take into account the uniqueness of our own national development landscape and look at where we need to focus. There are alot of potential successes that we can begin to prioritize for the development of our country.
“Our problem is that we are slow in implementing and executing our plans. We need to see the need for transformation as urgent. There must also be political committment to get things done at every level. Office bearers must be given resources to implement national plans,” said Mkandawire.
Taking his turn, renowned youth activist and Executive Director for Youth and Society, Charles Kajoloweka, welcomed the need for the involvement of the youths in the development and implementation of the Vision 2020 successor, noting that the failure of the strategy will hit the youths most.
“There is frustration and pessimism around because of failure of the Vision 2020. Therefore, we must carefully craft the new vision to ensure that it really fixes the current broken systems.
“Malawians are looking for a development agenda that all of us can rally behind regardless of any affiliations. It should be a new and robust agenda to ensure that it really achieves the expectations of Malawians,” said Kajoloweka, the youngest member so far in the CAP to NPC.
Other notable figures in the CAP include; Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Officer Chancellor Kaferapanjira, renowned civil society leader Macbain Mkandawire, political scientist Henry Chingaipe and engineer Mathews Mtumbuka.
Not good enough to point out loose reasons for failure – implementation failures doesnt say much nor point to solutions. Tired of any new appointees simply pointing fingers at the past to justify their new found position of power. What is the concrete plan, transformational plan, to achieve positive outcomes? If you continue to do the same, you will get the same results. Obviously any plan that aims to graduate from LDC status into a middle-income country over one planning cycle is unrealistic. Malawi is among the lowest ranked LDCs … it will take several planning cycles to rise. What… Read more »
Njolo mpilu
4 years ago
cut and paste.
timangoti 5 years plan.No stratergic planning during the term. kungodzuka suit pathupi kukatsekulila cimbudzi, kukaonerera kabici,mpilu oti eni amangozipangila ulimi wao,kukaendera prisoner wa cipani nde kuti agwila ncito ya boma.kkkkkkl
concerned citizen
4 years ago
In 1964 Malawi got independent.and did not have any national development plan.The one party state did things their way. There was no national consultation on what we wanted to achieve as a.nation hence the development agenda was a almost a one man show.They achieved what they had planned at that time resulting in the infrastructure that we had by 1993. Come multiparty era. no national development plan was put in place until 1998. Implementation has been a flop. In 1966 Botswana became independent and right away put in place national development plans of five year intervals where, they put in… Read more »
tizanka
4 years ago
If there was a single Lhomwe in these commissions people would have been on the streets demonstrating by now
Ulemu Banda
4 years ago
So where was this NCP when Vision 2020 was failing? What advice or influence have they been driving to ensure that the plans are followed? I feel most of these groups are more of a social status grouping and don’t add any value to the country at all.
bill James
4 years ago
These thugs cannot take the blame for failing Malawians
Umphawi suonankhope
4 years ago
I think it Malawi that failed Vision 2020 and not the opposite
P Kudambo
4 years ago
Board Chair – Mkandawire
Exec Director – Munthali
CAP Chair – Ngwira
Youngest member – Kajoloweka
Other members – Mcbain Mkandawire, Mathews Mtumbuka
Others – Chingaipe, Kaferapanjira
Is this a Northern Planning Commission (NPC) or National Planning Commission (NPC)? What would you expect out of it? Timangoona kudana ndi Alomwe koma iwo anaonapo kena kake.
We should care more about whether that team is effective or not rather than dwelling on tribal issues which have nothing to do with the objective of the advisory board.
hambakahle kamdidi
4 years ago
So the NPC has a Board and CAP and Secretariate
vikhumbo
4 years ago
On point Naomi, Malawi has very beautiful and well written policies and frameworks, plans but implementation remains an issue. We need to seriously unpack why implementation remains challenging. May be we can achieve something out of all the planning man hours that go into the development of these plans
Not good enough to point out loose reasons for failure – implementation failures doesnt say much nor point to solutions. Tired of any new appointees simply pointing fingers at the past to justify their new found position of power. What is the concrete plan, transformational plan, to achieve positive outcomes? If you continue to do the same, you will get the same results. Obviously any plan that aims to graduate from LDC status into a middle-income country over one planning cycle is unrealistic. Malawi is among the lowest ranked LDCs … it will take several planning cycles to rise. What… Read more »
cut and paste.
timangoti 5 years plan.No stratergic planning during the term. kungodzuka suit pathupi kukatsekulila cimbudzi, kukaonerera kabici,mpilu oti eni amangozipangila ulimi wao,kukaendera prisoner wa cipani nde kuti agwila ncito ya boma.kkkkkkl
In 1964 Malawi got independent.and did not have any national development plan.The one party state did things their way. There was no national consultation on what we wanted to achieve as a.nation hence the development agenda was a almost a one man show.They achieved what they had planned at that time resulting in the infrastructure that we had by 1993. Come multiparty era. no national development plan was put in place until 1998. Implementation has been a flop. In 1966 Botswana became independent and right away put in place national development plans of five year intervals where, they put in… Read more »
If there was a single Lhomwe in these commissions people would have been on the streets demonstrating by now
So where was this NCP when Vision 2020 was failing? What advice or influence have they been driving to ensure that the plans are followed? I feel most of these groups are more of a social status grouping and don’t add any value to the country at all.
These thugs cannot take the blame for failing Malawians
I think it Malawi that failed Vision 2020 and not the opposite
Board Chair – Mkandawire
Exec Director – Munthali
CAP Chair – Ngwira
Youngest member – Kajoloweka
Other members – Mcbain Mkandawire, Mathews Mtumbuka
Others – Chingaipe, Kaferapanjira
Is this a Northern Planning Commission (NPC) or National Planning Commission (NPC)? What would you expect out of it? Timangoona kudana ndi Alomwe koma iwo anaonapo kena kake.
So unnecessary to bring in tribal divisions in this. Can we all just be Malawians for once!!
I agree. It’s only
Tribal if dominated by Lhomwes…if it’s Tumbukas it’s merit appointment.
We should care more about whether that team is effective or not rather than dwelling on tribal issues which have nothing to do with the objective of the advisory board.
So the NPC has a Board and CAP and Secretariate
On point Naomi, Malawi has very beautiful and well written policies and frameworks, plans but implementation remains an issue. We need to seriously unpack why implementation remains challenging. May be we can achieve something out of all the planning man hours that go into the development of these plans