PFM Support to the Malawi Embassy
2024
DFA Ireland, Malawi
Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have over 10 years’ experience with supporting social protection systems in Africa, including in Malawi. In 2023, Ireland altered its funding modality for this sector from direct support to the Government of Malawi (GoM) to support the World Bank’s Multi-donor Trust Fund (MTDF). This assignment sought to advise DFA Ireland on the Public Financial Management (PFM) structures that underpin the social protection sector, to understand the PFM implications of the MDTF arrangements, and to review critical areas to monitor in the operation of the MDTF. The assignment team looked at the overall Malawi social protection sector PFM landscape and then narrowed in on PFM arrangements implicit in providing support through the MTDF, examining the potential risks and weaknesses inherent in sector PFM arrangements. A Final Report summarised the work carried out and included recommendations for monitoring PFM issues and risks arising from Ireland’s engagement with the social protection sector.