By Burnett Munthali
The National Audit Office (NAO) has unveiled a bold new five-year strategy aimed at empowering ordinary Malawians to participate in the management and oversight of public resources.
Dubbed the 2025–2029 Citizen Engagement Strategy, the plan was officially launched at Ufulu Gardens in Lilongwe during a high-level event attended by stakeholders from across government, civil society, media, and community organisations.
The primary aim of the strategy is to help citizens gain a clearer understanding of how government audits work and to encourage their involvement in ensuring that public funds are used transparently and responsibly.
Auditor General Thomas Makiwa, speaking at the launch, emphasised that the strategy aligns with a growing movement across Africa and the globe to make governance more inclusive and people-centered.
“Citizens are important in protecting public money. This strategy will help them take part in that responsibility,” Makiwa said.
The strategy is built around three key pillars of engagement that will connect citizens directly to the work of the NAO.
These include direct outreach through community meetings, public events, and social media platforms designed to reach everyday Malawians where they live and work.
Another major avenue will be strategic collaboration with civil society organisations that are already working at the grassroots level to promote transparency and accountability.
The third approach focuses on using the power of mass media, particularly radio and television, to communicate audit findings and raise public awareness on financial management in key sectors.
The strategy seeks to build public trust in government institutions by showing how audits can lead to meaningful action, especially in critical areas such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure development.
By encouraging citizen involvement, the NAO hopes to close the gap between audit findings and policy implementation, ensuring that those entrusted with public funds are held accountable.
Stakeholders who attended the launch welcomed the initiative, describing it as a step in the right direction toward participatory governance.
They praised the NAO for recognising the power of ordinary citizens in promoting transparency and pledged their support in rolling out the strategy across the country.
The Citizen Engagement Strategy marks a new chapter in the relationship between government auditors and the public, aiming to turn every Malawian into a watchdog for public accountability.
