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Abstract:
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The aim of this Country Assessment (CA) is to support the Government of Malawi (GoM) in formulating the next Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS), 2011-2016.
At the inception stages of this national planning process, the United Nations Country Team in Malawi (UNCT) noted that the 2008 Population Census had not yet been fully analysed while the data collection for the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) and the Integrated Household Survey (IHS) has not yet been completed. Thus the planning process was started without a clear overview of pertinent evidence and data, particularly in the social sectors.
The UNCT however felt that it would be possible to provide the Government with a salient overview of available data and policy options to inform the MGDS process. This would also serve as the foundation of the United Nations (UN) engagement of the national planning process and the eventual development of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).
This report signals three binding constraints on development in Malawi;
• Population Growth: The trends in population growth, recently confirmed in the Census, indicates that development gains – whether economic growth, food security or Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) achievement – will remain fragile and will not meet required levels due to the increased pressure of a growing population on a limited resource base. Malawi has little option but to revisit its population policy and drive a greater and sustained investment in family planning. Efforts to slow down population growth, to reduce poverty, to achieve economic progress, and to improve environmental protection are mutually reinforcing. Slower population growth and sustainable levels of fertility can have a considerable positive impact on quality of life.
• Capacity: With universal primary education only having become a possibility in Malawi in 1994 when primary education became free of cost, the country has been suffering from a chronic capacity deficit at all levels. Whether it is the lack of functional literacy and numeracy that precludes subsistence farmers from becoming commercial farmers, or the limited number of medical doctors or teachers that preclude the expansion of social services, the country needs additional and sustained investment in men, women and children to catch up.
• Resources: Given the population trends, it is unlikely that government revenue growth will keep pace with the required expansion of social services and public investment. While Development Partners (DPs) have shown commitment to increase the resource base, it is unlikely that they will in the long term anchor the required expansion. If the resource envelope will continue to remain inadequate for some time to come, significantly improving efficiency, effectiveness and accountability for expenditure will not only maximize impact, but also bolster the required partnerships for development. |