Millennium Challenge Account

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) awarded Government of Malawi $20.92 million Threshold Country funds in September 2005, the successful culmination of a Threshold Country planning process that had gone on since January 2005. USAID, working very closely with MCC and Department of State, provided Government of Malawi (GOM) with structure and encouragement to support their planning effort.

USG and GOM formed a task force of people representing different institutions and skill sets. It was the Task Force that did the heavy lifting of writing the Threshold Country Plan and consulting with civil society, academia, the media, and stakeholders in GOM. The Task Force met on a weekly basis and will reconvene when implementation begins in early 2006. For the USG, the Project Development Officer has been the lead and for Government of Malawi, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development. Planning involved the highest levels of government, including Ministers, Office of the President, Speaker and Clerk of Parliament as well as Committee Chairpersons.

What is the Threshold Country Plan?
Malawi’s Threshold Country Plan recognizes endemic and widespread corruption as an indicator of failing governance structures and systems and proposes strengthening key institutions. The Plan further recognizes that Malawi’s inability to manage and monitor its finances permits waste, fraud and abuse. The Plan therefore proposes an integrated effort to build systems/institutions of prevention, oversight and enforcement/deterrence.

Read more about the signing of the $20.9 million award.

Read the Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold Country Plan.