VZCZCXRO4700
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHLG #0845/01 3171246
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131246Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4791
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000845 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S ELIZABETH PELLETREAU 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USTR FOR F LIZER 
MCC FOR MALIK CHAKA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID PGOV MI
SUBJECT: MALAWI: MCC THRESHOLD SUCCESS STORIES 
 
 
LILONGWE 00000845  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. Summary: The 20.92 million USD Millennium Challenge Threshold 
Program in Malawi has achieved its goals using targeted projects 
across multiple sectors to combat corruption.  The most recent 
milestone was the establishment of an internal affairs unit at the 
Malawi Police Service after an 18-month long training program to 
tackle corruption within the service.  This follows the Threshold 
Program's successful efforts to restart the Media Council of Malawi, 
after five years of inactivity, to build journalistic 
professionalism and ethics.  The legislative strengthening component 
of the Threshold Program assisted the National Assembly in providing 
initial salary support and training for seven new clerks.  The 
Government of Malawi subsequently assumed the responsibility of 
paying these salaries six months ahead of schedule, thus 
demonstrating a commitment to sustaining a robust oversight capacity 
in the National Assembly.  End Summary. 
 
Internal Affairs Unit Stands Up 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2. The International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance 
Program's (ICITAP) 18-month program to help the Malawi Police 
Service (MPS) develop an internal affairs manual and create an 
internal affairs unit culminated on October 10 with the appointment 
of Deputy Commissioner of Police Pike Mpahaka as the first commander 
of the newly formed body.  The primary mission of the unit is to 
investigate allegations of misconduct allegedly committed by members 
of the police. The internal affairs unit commander is directly 
responsible to the Inspector General of the Police (IGP). 
 
¶3. The program began in early July 2006, with meetings between 
ICITAP and the IGP in which the MPS indicated a strong interest in 
starting an internal affairs unit.  ICITAP and the MPS first 
developed an internal affairs manual and then implemented a series 
of training programs based on needs identified jointly by MPS and 
ICITAP.  Training focused on a variety of topics, including officer 
conduct, the development of policies and procedures, and 
capacity-building in internal affairs investigations.  The program 
was designed for sustainability through "train-the-trainer" 
components.  Strong leadership in the MPS combined with USG 
assistance is making a vital contribution in the fight against 
corruption in Malawi. 
 
Media Council Restarts 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. The Media Council of Malawi was first established in November 
1996, but dissolved in 2002 due to lack of local ownership and 
fiscal mismanagement.  With support from MCC, Casals & Associates 
(C&A) initiated a consultative process to facilitate the 
establishment of a Media Council.  In order to broaden the donor 
base, C&A also enlisted financial support from the British High 
Commission to fund the consultative process that included focus 
group meetings with the stakeholders. These discussions led to a 
widely attended stakeholders meeting funded by MCC, to identify 
common goals and strengths, and to agree on a common platform for 
the resuscitation of the Media Council. As a result of these 
efforts, the Media Council was re-established in February 2007. 
 
¶5. Media practitioners agreed to resuscitate the Media Council 
to provide a code of ethics regulated by a professional body.  The 
goal of the organization is to guide the way for proprietors of 
media institutions, publishers, broadcasters and others to maintain 
the highest standards of professional conduct in executing their 
duties.  The newly revived Media Council of Malawi is now positioned 
to play a leading role in nurturing and promoting professionalism in 
this sector.  C&A is now working closely with the Media Council on a 
plan to ensure sustainability once the TCP ends. 
 
National Assembly Committee System Grows Stronger 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶6. The State University of New York (SUNY), with support from 
MCC, is working to strengthen the Committee Department of the Malawi 
National Assembly so that it can effectively provide balanced 
oversight of the executive branch of government.  The project 
initially committed to pay the salary for three committee clerks for 
approximately 20 months to support committee work in budget 
analysis, finance and economic matters.  Given the high number of 
functioning committees, SUNY and the National Assembly agreed that 
more were needed to make a significant impact.  Following 
consultations among key stakeholders, SUNY agreed to salary support 
for seven clerks, ensuring that each committee would have its own 
dedicated clerk. 
 
¶7. The government of Malawi (GOM) approved the creation of the 
seven new committee clerk positions effective August, 2007.  They 
also agreed to assume the salary costs for these positions at that 
time, well ahead of the original agreement to assume the costs at 
 
LILONGWE 00000845  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
the end of the MCC Threshold Program.  For the first time since the 
demise of the single-party era in 1994, all of the committees in the 
National Assembly were able to meet.  In part, this is due to the 
availability of clerks to service these meetings.  The Committee 
Department is now able to plan its work on a quarterly basis and 
reports are being produced in a timely manner for tabling and 
adoption in the House. 
 
Targeted Programs Increasing Capacity 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. Comment:  Through its targeted, multi-sector approach, the 
MCC Threshold Program in Malawi is achieving successes in building 
capacity to fight corruption and increasing financial oversight. 
The response of Malawian leaders and other stakeholders has been 
uniformly positive.  Threshold Program projects also appear to be 
sustainable due to the use of the "train-the-trainer" approach, and 
focusing on government and other stakeholder financial buy-in to 
promote future funding and sustainability. 
 
EASTHAM