European Union (EU) head of delegation Marchel Gerrmann has expressed the need for institutions to avoid delays and enhance transparency when handling projects if they are to attain the objectives of the task.
Gerrmann said this in an interview with The Nation on the sidelines of his tour at Blantyre Water Board (BWB) operations at Walker’s Ferry where he visited to appreciate works on the upgrade and renewal of the water intake point which is part of the Malawi Peri-urban Water Project funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
While commending BWB for completing the upgrade and renewal of the water intake point, he expressed concern over the delays registered in the course of the project.
He said: “There have been delays in the upgrade and renewal of the water intake point. Such delays should be avoided in any course of work. It is also important that good financial management is displayed.”
Asked about the progress of the recently launched audit by the inspectorate general of the EIB on BWB, Gerrmann said it is a normal process to assess transparency of the project.
Without mentioning the exact date of release, he said the audit, which is currently underway, will be released soon and will among other issues track lessons learnt from BWB and the financier.
But in a separate interview, BWB board chairperson James Naphambo said the board is happy to have completed and come to an end of the project and that the financier of project is pleased with the completion of the project.
The BWB audit comes after the EIB officials earlier took to task the board to explain its lack of transparency in terminating contracts without consulting the financier and the board’s failure to address issues of illegal procurement raised by a report from the office of the Director of Public Procurement (ODPP).
BWB acting chief executive Henry Bakuwa, in an earlier interview with The Nation, described the audit as normal for projects nearing the end of their implementation.
