By Dean Chisambo
Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Simplex Chithyola Banda, has commended Leaving No-One Behind (LNOB) for developing citizen data for evidence-based policy making.
The initiative will enable the government to make informed decisions on policy.
Chithyola made these remarks during a high-level stakeholder meeting in Lilongwe on Thursday.
He emphasized that the Malawi government’s policies will be based on evidence.
Chithyola also noted that citizen data will encourage citizens to participate in contributing accurate data, ensuring their needs are addressed through government interventions based on actual data rather than guesswork.
The Finance Minister further stated that Malawi is joining the global community in recognizing the importance of data in decision-making.
“My ministry’s economic planning and development cannot be done without accurate data. We cannot formulate a good budget without accurate data,” said Chithyola.
He challenged the meeting participants to move away from relying on imported economic theories that fail to address Malawi’s current challenges.
Instead, Chithyola advocated for developing economic theories based on accurate data to respond to the country’s economic challenges.
On her part,LNOB Malawi Coalition Coordinator, Dr. Mary Shawa, noted that the data being used is people-centered, and ordinary projects’ information was often excluded.
She said to address this, LNOB decided to engage with communities to collect data.
“Once people provide data, it’s used to influence policy programs and decision-making, ensuring no one is left behind and the poor are prioritized in development programs,” she explained.
Dr. Shawa, a renowned expert with a PhD in Nutrition and Socioeconomic Development, emphasized that their action plan will empower Malawians to voice their concerns, providing evidence of the problems that need to be addressed.
She added that LNOB, a coalition of ten civil society organizations, is committed to eradicating poverty.
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