Malawi Government has received a computer laboratory set to facilitate the training of personnel from the Accountant General’s office to step up implementation of the newly rolled-out Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis).

Speaking after receiving the computer laboratory from the German government development agency, GIZ, in Lilongwe on Monday, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Sosten Gwengwe said the facility will reduce challenges government faced in training public officers in financial management systems.

Kofler (L) and Gwengwe during the launch on Monday

The new Ifmis, the government’s electronic payment platform, comes three years after the Malawi Government committed to do away with its old version that was prone to abuse as exposed during Cashgate, the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill exposed in 2013.

Gwengwe said previously the office of the Accountant General used to erect makeshift laboratories in hotels to train its personnel, but now that will be history.

He said: “In fact, as we speak, about 1 600 end users have already been trained and 99 percent of the project core team officers have attended first level training to build their own capacity to ensure long term sustainability of the system.”

On her part, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Germany, Barbel Kofler, said her government has provided the support under the Strengthening Public Financial and Economic Management Project to run from 2022 to 2025 with financial support of 4.5 million euro.

She said: “Project assistance to the Accountant General’s Department supports full implementation of the Ifmis, the training for Ifmis users and advising on Ifmis risk management.”

The project is building on the results achieved under two project commissions with the most recent from 2018 to 2022.

In an interview after the handover, Accountant General Henry Mphasa said the distinct difference between the old and new Ifmis versions is the level of integration of functionalities of the system.

He said: “That kind of integration is critical to the operation of Ifmis as it will help to safeguard against unauthorised or imprudent usage of budgetary funds.

Malawi Government embarked on public finance management reforms in the 2013/2014 Financial Year to strengthen public financial management in government.

The project also supports the Government Contracting Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet.

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