VP Chilima wants Malawi to be shining example of good governance

Vice-President Saulos Chilima, who has been appointed the country’s Construction Sector Transparency (CoST) champion, has urged key stakeholders to be responsible in their respective undertakings to prove that it is possible to develop Malawi and be a shining example of good governance.

VP Chilima:I commit myself to champion the CoST agenda wholeheartedly in Malawi.
VP Chilima:I commit myself to champion the CoST agenda wholeheartedly in Malawi.

He was speaking Monday evening at Sunbird Capital in Lilongwe where he was unveiled as CoST champion and also launched CoST’s website.

President Peter Mutharika appointed Chilima to the CoST champion earlier last month, a position that will see him cracking the whip against corruption and fraud in taxpayer-funded projects.

“The Malawi government is committed to implementing the reforms to ensure professional, efficiency and effective delivery of public services,” Chilima said.

Chilima becomes the second person to hold the position in Malawi, after Abbie Shaba who in 2010 was appointed by late president Bingu wa Mutharika as the first CoST champion but the appointment did not last long, and despite several attempts by other quarters to have one in place, nothing was initiated until last month when the new Head pf State appointed his Vice.

The vice president called upon all institutions and government agencies, contractors, consultants, civil society organizations and the general public to adopt CoST principles in implementation of projects.

“It is my hope that respective governance structures, project implementing agencies and construction industry stakeholders will take this as an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that Malawi can be a shining example of good governance and prove to ourselves that it is possible to develop our country,” said the VP, who is also head of reform program in the civil and public, whose launch is Wednesday, February 11.

A CoST champion is a respected person of good standing in society who also wields enough political power and oversight to block or takes to task those found flouting tender and other accountability procedures.

The VP assured that he would not disappoint and said that the Malawi government is committed to implementing reforms to ensure professional, efficiency and effective delivery of public services.

“I am personally committed to ensure that reforms incorporate CoST principles so that disclosures are not only limited to procurement principles but cover the whole value chain of construction activities. I will commit myself to champion the CoST agenda wholeheartedly,” said Chilima.

He observed that at the CoST’s core is the belief that the processes involved in the construction of public infrastructure must be made more transparent which in turn helps to create a more transparent sector that ultimately leads to better public infrastructure, offering potentially huge human benefits for individuals and communities across the world.

“And as a change and governance program it resonates well with the current government’s drive to reform the Public Service and transform the nation as a whole into a more productive country,” said Chilima.

Chilima disclosed during the website launch that International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) has welcomed and endorsed the initiative and that the Multilateral Development Banks Infrastructure Action Plan recommends the scaling up of CoST by incorporating new countries and deepening CoST’s disclosure routines within existing countries.

“I am personally committed to ensure that reforms incorporate CoST principles so that disclosures are not only limited to procurement principles but cover the whole value chain of construction activities,” he said.

CoST is a new globally acclaimed initiative bent on ensuring greater transparency and accountability in giving value for public money in projects, including the construction of roads, bridges, schools and markets, and in Malawi, among others, CoST is a multi-stakeholder group comprising the Office of the Director of Public Procurement ODPP, National Construction Industry Council NICC, National Audit Office, African Development Bank ADB, Association of Business Journalists, and Malawi Human Rights Commission.

Chilima hinted that CoST is about transparency and making information available, as such, the nation is invited to visit the COST website that be having details about what is happening in Malawi and the world at large.

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Suzen
Suzen
9 years ago

Bravo Chilima do not forget Teachers

Ajijo Mapwiyamunlupali
Ajijo Mapwiyamunlupali
9 years ago

Mukufuna munene chiani anthu inu amene boma lanu losasamalira umoyo wa anthu ogwira ntchito m’boma. Up todate ministry of agricultural civil servants not paid their January salaries? Ifeyo mukufuna tikakudyereni kuti? Mukutitora becoz ndife ofatsa eti? Mukufuna tiyende munsewu? Boma ili ndiloyamba kutilanga chonchi ndipo ine ndawakumbukira mayi che Nabanda!

Citizen X
Citizen X
9 years ago

Promising but Sir please clean your house first before you can start to clean the country, failure to do that then your just wasting your time and our money. Anything is possible even for malawi to be as rich as america but it takes a good leader and the people will follow him even to death. if the Dpp govt stays clean and lead by example then we will follow you Sir. Make sure.

Mtupatupa
Mtupatupa
9 years ago

One man can not champion the construction industries or anti-corruption compain in the tendering and bidding of tenders in the whole country, the only way to avoid corruption and to foster high quality construction standards is to share the powers among the regional lines like the federalism, each region will have its own anti corruption campaigners and COst team. I knw many will castgate me

brutsha
brutsha
9 years ago

When a nation is confused, it is not able to do self reflection and it’s very difficult to come up with tangible solutions to problems or should I call them challenges. What Malawi certainly needs is to closely examine or analyse the problems with already existing structures that were created to uphold the virtues of good governance and not necessarily creating similar structures or positions. I don’t know whether there is any legal framework to effectively support this position or do we really need any or is it an executive position? Suppose Malawi has a vibrant and efficient Anti Corruption… Read more »

Frodo
Frodo
9 years ago

With the stinking poverty in Malawi, corruption and fraud have become two of the strands that make up the DNA of Malawians. this is just another song.

Arthur G.M. Mtambo
9 years ago

CHILIMA WILL DELIVER, BUT DO NOT SQEEZE HIM PLEAS, FOR SOME OF YOU LIKE THE GAME OF STEALING AND CORRUPTION ——–SORRY.

Achimidzimidzi
Achimidzimidzi
9 years ago

The only day shooting becomes easy, it’s when you shoot yourself.

Preaching becomes enjoyable when you preach about yourself.
Pakamwa podya za mchere.

Surely, Mr. Chilima is brilliant. No doubt about that.
But am still waiting to see civil service reforms implemented and other promises.

We have abundant resources but ……..in short what you saying is false because you people who are given powers and authority are the first to abuse resources.

My answer is true. A Vendor who is selling rat poison can not issue a check of 1mita. Such things are only done by officers.

truth
9 years ago

is taxing our Leave Grant -CHAM employee is what the good governance chmpioned by VP all about.Then those govt emploees should b taxed.

Gudo Gwondwa
Gudo Gwondwa
9 years ago

Beware the contractors will now be descending on you wamwana!

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