VP Chilima engages parastatals, private sector: Take stock of  reforms impact

An energised and functional Malawi Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima who is seemingly breathing a sigh of relief after being abused and underutilised by immediate past president Peter Mutharika is now back driving the public sector reforms agenda under President Dr Lazarus Chakwera.

Chilima, who was probably the most ill-treated Vice President in Malawi under the DPP regime, was stripped of his chairmanship of reforms by Mutharika in 2017 apparently because he was producing results and this angered those that were eying to succeed Mutharika.

In 2017, Mutharika placed the reforms in the Office of President and Cabinet and appointed a former Reforms Commissioner Seodi White to head the task of fixing the public sector.

Now over two years later, Chilima who is also Minister for Economic Planning and Development; and Public Sector Reforms, is back and will start his first task reforms this week taking stock of progress with meetings with various stakeholders.

In a statement released by Chilima’s spokesperson  in the Offoce of the Vice-president,   the engagement  with the leadership of parastatal organisations, the private sector and local councils on the implementation of the reforms agenda i will be held in three regions in Blantyte, Lilo ngwe and Mzuzu.

The statement says the the meetings will track progress of what has been undertaken so far.

“The meetings will review and agree on new areas of reforms and to take stock of the impact of service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness that the reforms have had so far. These include organisation health checks such as profitability or loss,” reads the statement in part.

In the spirit of President Chakwera’s plea for Malawians to work hard, the statement ends with the same urge for people to work hard.

“It is time to work hard, work hard, and work hard”.

According to the statement, this Tuesday, Chilima will engage Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Directors of Finance for Parastatal Organisations based in the central region as well as CEO for Lilongwe City Council in Lilongwe.

“A similar meeting for southern region based Parastatals will take place on Thursday July 9, 2020 in Blantyre where CEOs for Blantyre and Zomba City Councils will also attend,” says the statement.

The following day, Friday July 10, 2020 the Vice President will engage captains of the Private Sector in Blantyre before travelling to Mzuzu on Monday to engage Parastatal CEOs and Directors of Finance based in the northern region including CEO for Mzuzu City Council as well as all District Councils based in the north.