Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) Malawi took a learning visit to Neno District Council where the young professionals under EPL Public Service Fellowship Programme appreciated effectiveness of local government structures and utilisation of public resources.
During the learning visit on Thursday, EPL Team Leader Charity Hara said the visit was aimed at preparing fellows for the roles they are expected to play in transforming public service delivery as Malawi pursues its national development agenda, MW 2063.
She therefore described the visit as valuable opportunity for fellows to understand effective use of public resources, particularly at the local government level, saying there was need to train and empower young professionals to drive Malawi forward.
“Malawi’s mission is to groom prospective civil servants to become ethical and capable in various fields for impactful public service. Neno visit was part of exposure to practical success stories,” said Hara.
She added that Neno District’s top ranking in the 2024/25 Local Authority Performance Assessment (LAPA) made it an ideal case study.
“We came to learn what is working, challenges and how Neno has achieved this level of performance. This includes understanding their projects, systems, and community feedback mechanisms,” Hara explained.
She said it was pleasing to note that the learning engagement brought together Neno Council heads of departments, civil society organizations (CSOs) and community representatives for in-depth discussions on budgeting, project planning, community engagement and accountability.
The EPL Malawi and Neno Council discussion focused on LAPA’s core assessment areas: development planning, public financial management, service delivery and governance.
Neno District Commissioner, Rosemary Nawasha, highlighted the importance of intergenerational knowledge sharing and commended the fellows for their enthusiasm to learn and their commitment to contributing to Malawi’s national development agenda.
She attributed the district’s LAPA performance to robust planning system, aligned with Malawi 2063 agenda, improved financial management system, quality service delivery in health, education and agriculture on top of meaningful community involvement in district development planning.
“It is important for the young professionals to understand how government systems function. The young professionals are leaders of today, and what they’ve learned here will guide them in future, in case they serve in district councils,” Nawasha added.
She therefore hailed the council’s collaboration with non-governmental organizations, describing the non state actors as vital partners in development.
Neno CSO Network, Chairperson, Russell Msiska commended the council for inviting the CSOs to interact with the EPL Malawi team, saying the visit provided another platform for knowledge exchange.
“This engagement motivates both the CSOs and the council to continue working hard. We’ve also learned a lot after interacting with the EPL fellows,” he said.
The initiative is being implemented with funding from Mastercard from USA in conjunction with the Malawi Government on a one-year internship being implemented in different countries in Africa including Malawi.
