Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II 2011-2016.

The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS II) is the overarching medium term strategy for Malawi designed to attain Malawi’s long term development aspirations. The strategy covers a period of five years from 2011 to 2016. It follows the successful implementation of the country’s medium term strategy, the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) between 2006 and 2011.
Just like its predecessor, the process of developing MGDS II was highly participatory and consultative involving the Executive, through Central Government Ministries and Departments and local authorities across the country, the Legislature, Civil Society Organizations, Donors and Cooperating Partners, Non Governmental Organizations, Private Sector, the Academia, Youth, Children, Women Groups, Faith Based Organizations and the general public.
The objective of MGDS II is to continue reducing poverty through sustainable economic growth and infrastructure development.
The MGDS II identifies six broad thematic areas, namely, Sustainable Economic Growth, Social Development, Social Support and Disaster Risk Management, Infrastructure Development, Governance, and Gender and Capacity Development. Within these six thematic areas, the MGDS II isolates nine key priority areas (KPAs), namely, Agriculture and Food Security, Transport Infrastructure and Nsanje World Inland Port, Energy, Industrial Development, Mining and Tourism, Education, Science and Technology, Public Health, Sanitation, Malaria and HIV and AIDS Management, Integrated Rural Development, Green Belt Irrigation and Water Development, Child Development, Youth Development and Empowerment, and Climate Change, Natural Resources and Environmental Management. The selection of the key priority areas is meant to sustain and accelerate economic growth within the available resources.
In order to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, a number of key strategies will be implemented by the strategy in order to reduce the prevalence rate of nutrition disorders, including: promoting exclusive breastfeeding practices for children aged 0-6 months, preventing and controlling micronutrient deficiency disorders, and strengthening institutional and human capacities for the effective delivery of nutrition services.
In order to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, the government plans to enhance agricultural productivity, diversification and food security through, among others, the following strategies: enhancing provision of effective extension services, enhancement of livestock and fisheries productivity, promotion of diversification of agricultural production for domestic and export markets, promoting dietary diversification, improving the functioning of agricultural markets, increasing national food storage capacity, and reducing post harvest losses. In addition, the MGDS plans to ensure that there is equitable access to land and tenure security, efficient management and administration system, and an ecologically balanced use of land and land-based resources.
Regarding the reduction of the rural poverty, the government plans to implement the following strategies: promoting occupational safety health, promoting skills development, testing and certification, and establishing an effective and efficient labour market information system. In addition, the government plans to continue to refocus its attention on productivity enhancing interventions and provision of welfare support. Strategies to be implemented include enhancing and promoting predictable transfers to the most vulnerable and the ultra poor households, and promoting longer term skills oriented and asset enhancing interventions.
Finally, the Government will increase access to decent housing and create a sustainable, economically and socially integrated urbanizing system. The key strategies will include promoting Public and Private Partnerships (PPPs) in housing delivery, scaling up the provision of basic infrastructure and services particularly in informal settlements, promoting national housing financing mechanisms, and enforcing rules and regulations on land use and physical plans. The Government plans to implement also a number of strategies to reduce gender inequalities in the country. These strategies include: promoting women entrepreneurship and involvement in cooperatives, promoting equal access to appropriate technologies and micro-finance schemes, advocating for affirmative action to increase representation of women in politics and decision making positions, strengthening Gender Based Violence (GBV) service delivery systems, strengthening legal and regulatory framework, and mainstreaming gender at all levels.
To increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, the magnitude, frequency and impact of disasters have been increasing, due to climate change, population growth and environmental degradation. In responding to these challenges, Government will implement a number of strategies, including strengthening Disaster Risk Management (DRM) coordination mechanisms, developing an integrated national Early Warning System (EWS), and implementing mitigation measures in disaster prone areas. In addition, the government also plans to implement a number of strategy including: developing adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change related impacts, improving coordination of environment and natural resource programmes, promoting bio-diversity conservation programs, promoting development and implementation of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, promoting projects on waste management and air pollution and other environmentally friendly technologies and practices; and developing, conserving and protecting forest plantations and natural woodlands.
In the context of governance, the implementation of this strategy will involve all stakeholders and government will align the national budget to this strategy. Other stakeholders including donors and cooperating partners will also align their programmes and support to the MGDS II. Monitoring and evaluation will be done through Sector Working Groups to ensure that it is inclusive and participatory.