AID grant no. 612-0242-G-00-1001-00 to the Credit Union National Association/World Council of Credit Unions for technical assistance to the Malawi Union of Savings and Credit Cooperatives

WOCCU will provide TA in: strengthening MUSCCO at the corporate and operational levels; human resource development and management; accounting and management information systems; and development of local SACCOS. This project is a follow on to 6120214 and 6120205. At the corporate level, the project will focus on helping MUSCCO develop appropriate rules and bylaws under Malawi"s new Cooperative Societies Act, strengthening MUSCCO"s Board of Directors, and supporting improvements in general management (e.g., implementing a planning and control system, completing an operations manual). At the operational level, WOCCU will focus on improving MUSCCO"s field services, risk management, and asset/liability management. Activities here will include, inter alia, on-the-job staff training, upgrading MUSCCO"s audit program, and strengthening its investment and loan policies. With respect to human resource development and management, WOCCU will help MUSCCO to: implement a comprehensive management development program, to include personnel management systems; revise vehicle and property management policies; and place more emphasis on women"s participation in both MUSCCO and the SACCOs. Improved accounting and management information systems will also be implemented, in part through training and hiring more qualified financial management staff. Finally, a variety of activities will be undertaken to strengthen the management of local SACCOs. Major objectives are to: complete the recruitment of managers for the 26 larger SACCOs; help these SACCOS develop marketing plans, performance standards, budgets, monitoring systems, and training programs for their managers and boards; continue emphasis on reducing loan delinquency throughout the system; and mobilize local savings, especially in SACCOs that have experienced slow growth. Criteria for setting up new SACCOs will be tightened, and to improve recordkeeping, all forms used in the SACCOs will be revised.