By Watipaso Mzungu
Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) has challenged the civil society, the media and other stakeholders to assume a leading role in tracking public expenditure in an effort to increase levels of transparency and accountability on public resources.
CCJP National Coordinator Boniface Chibwana said the mismanagement of K6.2 billion Covid-19 Management Funds should act as a wake-up call for the citizenry to develop interest in tracking public resources.
Chibwana made the remarks in Lilongwe on Thursday when he briefed stakeholders on the project the Commission is implementing in collaboration with Hivos.
The project is being funded by the European Union (EU). Titled Voices and Actions for Accountability in Malawi (VAAM), the project seeks to mobilize and increase citizen participation in public expenditure tracking.
Chibwana said a study the CCJP commissioned recently established that there has been a tremendous increase in abuse of public funds by government officials. Apparently, CCJP in collaboration with Hivos implemented a K250 million project with funding from the European Union (EU) in November2020.
“So, this project will enhance citizen participation which includes monitoring development activities and overseeing how their officials are utilizing the funds meant for development purposes,” he said.
In his remarks, the Blantyre City Deputy Mayor Joseph Makwinja said the project marks a milestone in pushing for the realization of Malawi’s social and economic development aspirations.
Hence, Makwinja called upon citizens and government officials to work together to fight financial mismanagement, which is frustrating development at all levels of the society.
