REPORT ON THE ORIENTATION OF DISTRICT STAFF ON THE JOINT SECTOR STRATEGIC PLAN (JSSP), STRATEGIC PLAN, AND THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

To achieve this mandate and contribute to the Malawi Growth Development Strategy II (MGDS II) objectives, the MOGCDSW has developed a Strategic Plan for 2014–2019. The Strategic Plan outlines the ministry's goals, objectives, and expected outcomes, including the Joint Sector Strategic Plan (JSSP) and the Institutional Framework. The JSSP was developed to support MGDS II implementation and provides a framework for coordination among government, development partners, civil society organizations, and the private sector. The Institutional Framework was developed to strengthen systems and ensure that the MOGCDSW is strategically positioned to provide effective leadership and coordinate the implementation of sector programmes as outlined in the JSSP and its own Strategic Plan. To strengthen coordination for the Gender, Children, Youth and Sports (GCY&S) Sector Working Group, the MOGCDSW organized three regional meetings with policy-level and district officers to disseminate the documents and develop a roadmap for their coordinated implementation. The meetings were held in Blantyre, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu, and were attended by a total of 99 participants. The meetings aimed to orient district staff on key elements of the strategic documents, including the JSSP, MOGCDSW Strategic Plan, and Institutional Framework. The meetings also explored and agreed on roles for all stakeholders in implementing the three documents and discussed issues affecting programme and project implementation that would likely affect progress in achieving the objectives of the three documents. Key participant observations and recommended actions that emerged from the meetings included the need for the MOGCDSW to disseminate its current structure to all staff at central and district levels, develop and fully disseminate operational guidelines for the implementation of its programmes and projects, and fast-track finalization of all its draft policies to provide adequate guidance towards the implementation of the ministry's strategic documents. Participants also recommended that the MOGCDSW address the high vacancy rates in key positions of its establishment by recruiting more staff and building the capacity of existing staff to fill the skills gap in key technical areas of the MOGCDSW's programmes. Additionally, participants noted that the MOGCDSW should decentralize some functions to the districts and ensure that the activities appear in both the District Implementation Plans (DIPs) and the district budgets. The MOGCDSW principal human resource management officer presented a progress report on implementation of recommendations from the functional review of the ministry, conducted in 2014 by the Department of Public Service and Administration. The report highlighted the need for the MOGCDSW to strengthen its human resource management systems and improve its capacity to implement its programmes and projects. Overall, the meetings aimed to strengthen coordination and implementation of the MOGCDSW's strategic documents and to address the challenges and issues affecting programme and project implementation. The recommended actions and observations from the meetings will inform the MOGCDSW's future plans and strategies to achieve its mandate and contribute to the MGDS II objectives.