Mchinji residents have a new reason to expect better public services after their district climbed 11 places in the latest Local Authority Performance Assessment (LAPA) unlocking more than K1.8 billion for development projects.
The council has improved from position 26 in the previous assessment to position 15 out of Malawi’s 28 district councils in the 2024/2025 LAPA results.
The improved ranking has enabled Mchinji to qualify for Performance-Based Grants under the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) 2.0 and the Regional Climate Resilience Programme (RCRP-2) for the 2026/2027 financial year.
The council will receive K1,289,603,999 under GESD 2.0 and K607,055,074 through RCRP-2, bringing the total funding to more than K1.8 billion.
The grants will support development interventions aimed at improving service delivery, strengthening infrastructure and enhancing the district’s capacity to respond to climate-related challenges.
Mchinji District Commissioner Reinghard Chavula described the achievement as a major milestone, saying the funding will help the council implement projects that directly benefit communities.
“We have done well as a district. This means we will implement more development projects under GESD 2.0 and RCRP-2. Our communities will benefit from improved infrastructure and other development interventions,” said Chavula.
Chavula said the improved position reflects the council’s commitment to strengthening governance systems and meeting performance standards under LAPA.
Mchinji Civil Society Network Chairperson Aubrey Chidziwitsano welcomed the development, describing the rise in rankings as a positive step for the district.
“It is a significant improvement for Mchinji compared to last year. It means a lot for the district’s development, especially qualifying for Performance-Based Grants under GESD 2.0 and RCRP-2,” said Chidziwitsano.
LAPA measures local authorities’ performance in areas such as governance, financial management and service delivery, with better-performing councils qualifying for additional development financing.
