Project: technical asistance for the financial management of the Ministry of Health Malawi
Beneficiary: DFID (Department for International Development - British development cooperation)
Duration: 2013-2014
Budget: 516.710 euro
Just like in Mozambique, the Government of Flanders invests in the health sector through an annual contribution to the SWAp. This sectoral budget support enables the Malawi Government to implement the Health Sector Strategic Plan in close consultation with the donors. However, at the end of the first phase of this SWAp, an audit showed that the funds that have been made available should be monitored more closely.
In 2011, a new phase of the SWAp started. The donors signed a Memorandum of Understanding as well as a Joint Financial Arrangement (JFA) with the Malawi Government. As a result of this, major public invitations to tender are to be approved by the donors, and the Ministry of Health is to increase its efforts for a transparent and sound financial management.
After signature of the JFA, DFID recruited external experts through international tendering to assist the Malawi Government in improving the financial management. In addition, the Procurement Office of the Ministry of Health urgently needs technical assistance, because there is a lack of skilled staff and the management is snowed under with work.
Part of the planned annual contributions to the SWAp are earmarked to finance this technical assistance. The funding is channelled through DFID, which Flanders has concluded an agreement for delegated cooperation with.
Delegated cooperation is a form of aid through which one donor entrusts part of its development budget to another donor to implement a project or programme.