By Ireen Kayira
Lilongwe, October 16, Mana: The German Embassy has urged Malawi Government to engage more stakeholders in the implementation of social protection programmes.
Deputy Head of Mission and Development Cooperation in the German Embassy, Dr Sabine Lindeman, said this in Lilongwe on Friday during the awarding of certificates for integrated Social Protection Programme to 31 students from Magomero Community College under German Embassy Scholarship.
The students are serving officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Education, Forest Department and Ministry of Gender.
Lindeman said government and stakeholders should utilise the course at Magomero College to enhance implementation capacities in areas of social protection.
“The Integrated Social Protection Certificate Course is one way to address gaps and human capacity in the implementation of social protection programmes to enhance timely delivery and reliable social protection services for the poor and vulnerable households in Malawi,” she said.
She said the certificates were timely and, therefore, were looking forward to the graduating students to implement the skills they have acquired to enhance quality of delivery of social protection services to the poor and vulnerable households.
Minister of Gender, Dr Patricia Kaliati, said the programme for the graduating students will support the vision that Malawi Government has for example, to end poverty, hunger, mitigate climate change and promote gender equality among others.
“The graduates will help us to implement the programmes and sustainable development goals.
“We know social protection is paramount and key priority in dealing with the challenges which women, girls and the elderly face,” she said.
The minister also added that the integrated social protection certificate is a cross-cutting programme and that the course the graduates have undertaken will not limit them to one thing.
Principal for Magomero Community Development College, Thokozani Ntapaonga, said the 31 graduates who completed their studies are going to be key frontline workforce.
“The workforce is going to be used to plan, implement and coordinate the five instruments of social protection which are cash transfer, public works, school feeding micro finance and village servings and loan groups,” she said.
Ntapaonga said this was in line with the Malawi National Social Support Programme Number two, which is running from 2018 to 2022.
She said for that to be implemented effectively, there is need for qualified and well experienced staff, like the ones who have been trained.
