MW government to hold first-ever city summits

Malawi: The Malawian government, through the Ministry of Local Government, says it has begun discussions with the management of four city councils of Lilongwe, Mzuzu, Zomba, and Blantyre, in preparation for the first-ever city summits.

Minister Blessings Chinsinga announced this on Tuesday, September 13th, 2022.

According to Blessings Chinsinga, minister of local government, the goal is to create an institutionalised and regularised platform where civic leaders, city managers, residents, civil society organisations, and business captains, among others, can systematically engage with each other on city management, governance, and development issues in order to instigate city development.

"This is in line with my Ministry's City Transformation Agenda, in line with Malawi 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals. You may agree with me that currently, our cities are characterised by poor planning, poor sanitation, disparities in service delivery, pollution is rampant, poor governance, and stagnation of productivity, among others,” said Chinsinga.

Chinsinga went on to say that the City Summits provide a forum for stakeholders to come together and agree on the best approaches to making cities smart, sustainable, and liveable.