Civil society organisations in Malawi which described the PRSP process there as “a joke” have succeeded in persuading their government to extend the process. The government had only given two months to develop the full PRSP but will now extend it until September. “Although not long enough, it does give us a window of opportunity to really make a go of this PRSP which is great” commented Max Lawson of the Malawi Economic Justice Network.
The details of what the extended process will look like have yet to be formalised, and the government’s technical committee will soon discuss the way forward. The provisional plan is to produce a ‘PRSP findings to date’ document to feed into this year’s budget. From mid-May meetings will be held to discuss its findings with a broad range of stakeholders.
Whilst critical of the time frame, civil society groups have acknowledged the PRSP process as a “step forward” with some “constructive discussions”. They are now carrying out an independent rapid appraisal of work to date and what can be done between now and September.
For a briefing on the process or more information from the Malawi Economic Justice Network ecmccjp@malawi.net
