Lilongwe, February 10, 2015: Vice President Saulos Chilima has asked the construction industry to be transparent in the process of public infrastructure construction that in turn leads to better public infrastructure.
Speaking in Lilongwe on Monday when he was unveiled as Champion of the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST), Chilima said transparency reduces waste of public infrastructure budgets.
“CoST is a catalyst for driving change in the way of doing business relating to construction projects in the country. Malawi Government is committed to implementing reforms to ensure professional, efficiency and effective delivery of public services.
“I call upon all institutions, government agencies, contractors, consultants, civil society organizations and the general public to adopt CoST principles in implementation of projects,” he said.
In her remarks, Chief Executive Officer of the National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) Linda Phiri said concerns of safety in the sector have both international and local attention.
“Mismanagement is affecting the sector through waste public resources. The industry is vulnerable to bribes, but value for money can be achieved through disclosure of project information to the public,” she said.
President Professor Peter Mutharika appointed Chilima who also heads the public service reforms, to be CoST champion. During his unveiling, CoST also launched their website (www.costmalawi.org).