DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT PLAN (DDP) FORWARD

Transcription

1 DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT PLAN (DDP) FORWARD The Blantyre District Assembly in its efforts to promote participatory poverty reduction processes is implementing a decentralised development planning. The Local Government Act 1998 mandates all District Assemblies to formulate District Development Plans (DDP) upon through poverty targeting will be made. It is in light of this that the Blantyre District Assembly has formulated its three year development plans The plans (DDP) will pave way for a coordinated approach to the identification and implementation of development programmes and projects that are reflective of peoples' needs and priorities. The plan comprises projects and programmes the Assembly is going to implement over a period of three years ( ). It is hoped that the plan will facilitate the achievement of peoples' empowerment and the improvement in the overall quality of life for the people of Blantyre. George Kalombola CHAIRMAN BLANTYRE DISTRICT ASSEMBLY Introduction The Malawi Government has adopted a Decentralization Policy which provides for the establishment of local governments as the basis and a framework for the devolution of functions, responsibilities, powers and resources to District Assemblies. The Local Government Act of 1998 has made the district assemblies the operational unit for preparing development plans and implementing those plans. These plans will feed into the Sector Investment Programmes (SIP) of the government. In line with the above, the Blantyre District Assembly has developed a three year Development Plan ( ). This is a medium term plan comprising projects and programmes to be implemented over the three-year period. The plan will provide guidance for development in the district. The document will also be used to solicit donor support for some of the projects and programmes highlighted in it. The process of preparing the District Development Plan (DDP) succeeds the production of Socio-Economic Profile (SEP) and the District Development Planning Framework (DDPF). PRODUCTION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE (SEP) The production of Socio-Economic Profile (SEP) is the initial stage in the development planning process. The SEP is produced through the use of primary and secondary data. It gives a snapshot of the overall physical, social, and economic situation in the district paving the way for a better appreciation of the district. It also provides the necessary information for the conduct of situational analysis which serves as the foundation for the formulation of the DDPF. FORMULATION OF DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT PLANNING FRAMEWORK (DDPF) The DDPF provides a comprehensive policy direction and guidance for development of the district. It comprises issues, that affect the district, causes, objectives and strategies

2 USERS OF DDP The expected users of the plans are District Assembly (DA) District Executive Committee (DEC) Area Executive Committees (AEC) Area Development Committees (ADC) Village Development Committees (VDC) Line Ministries Parastatal Organisations Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Donors The plan is divided into five chapters namely: Chapter One This chapter gives summaries of the national planning frameworks which include the Vision 2020, Poverty Reduction Strategy and Decentralisation and Governance (Decentralisation Policy). Chapter Two Chapter Two gives the mission of the district, issues, causes, and objectives as reflected in the District Development Planning Framework (DDPF) in a matrix form. Chapter Three Chapter Three contains programmes and projects. This is the translation of the strategies highlighted in the DDPF into specific courses of action which will cumulatively lead to an improvement in the living standards of the people of Blantyre. Chapter Four Chapter Four looks at investment programmes. These are programmes and projects to be funded annually for the duration of the plan through internal and external resources. Acknowledgement Blantyre District Assembly acknowledges with deep appreciation the valuable contributions of all individuals who participated in the production of the Socio-Economic Profile (SEP) through to the formulation of the plans. Special thanks to the Task Force Members under the leadership of the District Commissioner, Charles Makanga for their untiring concerted efforts by working tirelessly from the DDPF production through to the plan formulation. The Task Force members were: Smart Lans Gwedemula (Director of Planning and Development), Michael Makonombera (District Environmental Officer), John Chamba (District Education Manager - Blantyre Rural), Jullie Juma (District Education Manager - Blantyre Urban), Dr. Chris Mkandala (District Health Officer) Mrs Hannah Hausi (District Environmental Health Officer) Duncan Masonje (District Forestry Officer), Daniel Mpunga (MACOHA) and B. Phewa (Project Officer - Blantyre RDP). Special gratitude goes to Charles Kalemba, the Principal Monitoring & Evaluation Officer and the Decentralisation Secretariat for providing technical, financial and logistical support without which the production of the DDP would not have been possible.

3 The acknowledgement would be incomplete without mention of the Assembly Chairman, Mr. G. Kalombola and all the Members of Assembly for their contributions which proved invaluable for the formulation of the plans. Lastly, the Assembly is grateful to Mrs Winnie Chirambo for rendering secretarial services. National Development Framework Vision 2020 Vision 2020 reflects the long-term aspirations of Malawians and form the basis for short and medium-term policies and strategies. It defines national goals, policies and strategies that will help government, the private sector and society in general improve development management. Vision 2020 states that: "By the year 2020, Malawi as a God-fearing nation will be secure, democratically mature, environmentally sustainable, self-reliant with equal opportunities and active participation by all, having social services, vibrant cultural and religious values and being a technologically driven middle income country". Poverty Reduction Strategy The Poverty Reduction Strategy is an integrated approach for articulating policies, programmes and projects in a participatory manner and reorient the strategies for poverty focus. It is a well focussed policy document which promote rapid economic growth and ensure that the benefits of growth are equitably distributed. It also acts as a starting point for all government policy and planning activities and provides a focal point for all donor assistance to Malawi. The strategy utilises and integrates the Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) and other development initatives being carried out in the country by government and the civil society into the planning process. Decentralisation and Governance The Decentralisation Policy provides for the establishment of Local Governments as the basis and a framework for the devolution of functions, responsibilities, powers and resources to District Assemblies. As such it is a deliberate effort to ensure citizen participation in the governing process. The objectives of the policy are: To create a democtratic environment and institutions in Malawi for governance and development of the local level, which facilitate the participation of the grassroots in decision making; To eliminate dual administration (field administration and local government) of the district level with the aim of making the Public Service more efficient, more economical and cost effective; To promote accountability and good governance at the local level in order to help government reduce poverty; and To mobilise the masses for socio-economic development at the local level. District Development Framework Development Mission It is the wish of the Blantyre District Assembly that all its people have access to basic necessities and are able to develop and exploit their potentials to lead a productive life. People should: have adequate food ; have good access to socio-economic facilities ;

4 have access to income opportunities ; have quality education ; have equal access to gainful employment ; have access to credit facilities ; have access to clean water ; have good health ; are able to participate in their own development District Issues There are 12 issues in the district that impinge on the fulfillment of the above mission. The issues are in their descending order of priority: 1. Food Insecurity ; 2. Poor Accessibility ; 3. Limited access to portable water ; 4. Inadequate income ; 5. High incidences of diseases and HIV/AIDs ; 6. Insecurity ; 7. High illiteracy ; 8. Increased number of orphans and inadequate support to orphans, widows, widowers, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups ; 9. Inadequate service delivery by institutions ; 10. High environmental degradation ; 11. Gender imbalance ; 12. High population growth DEVELOPMENT ISSUES NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES VISION 2020 In 1997, the government of Malawi launched a new development strategy known as Vision This is a long-term planning framework setting out the issues and priority areas that government would like to develop by the year It also maps a strategy for achieving the set national development objectives. The main cause underpinning Vision 2020 remains the reduction of poverty, ignorance, and diseases by achievement of sustained economic growth and improved income distribution, and stability of welfare. Priority is given to increasing the productivity of the assets available to the poor mainly labour and land, reduction of population growth, and involvement of the private sector in economic development. The objectives of the Vision 2020 are summarised in its mission statement which states that By the year 2020, Malawi as a God-fearing nation will be secure, democratically mature, environmentally sustainable, self reliant with equal opportunities and active participation by all, having social services, vibrant cultural and religious values and being a technologically driven middleincome country. POVERTY REDUCTION PROGRAMME Poverty Alleviation is the operative development philosophy of the government. It is both a policy and strategy that will guide all development activities in the short, medium and long term perspectives. It is a process through which the poor are empowered to improve their plight and contribute to the national development. The mission of the PAP is therefore to transform the economic structures to ensure that they meaningfully contribute towards the raising of the standards of living of the people.

5 The Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) The PRS is an integrated approach for articulating policies, programmes, and projects in a participatory manner and reorienting the strategies for poverty focus. The strategy will utilise and integrate the PAP, Vision 2020, and other development initiatives being carried out in the country by government and the civil society into the planning process. The biggest challenge for the government is to provide a conducive environment for designing PRS and prioritise strategies for alleviating poverty. DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT ISSUES The Development Issues for Blantyre District Assembly are presented below by descending order of priority. 1. Food insecurity ; 2. Poor accessibility ; 3. Limited access to portable water ; 4. Inadequate income ; 5. High incidence of diseases and HIV/AIDs ; 6. Insecurity ; 7. High illiteracy ; 8. Increased number of orphans and inadequate support to orphans widows, widowers, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups ; 9. Inadequate service delivery by institutions ; 10. High Environmental degradation ; 11. Gender Imbalance ; 12. High population growth.