The Millennium Challenge Account – Malawi (MCA-M) was established in March 2008 by the Government of Malawi. This followed Malawi’s qualification in December 2007 for Compact Assistance from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC, http://www.mcc.gov/) , a US Government foreign aid agency.

The MCA-M has been tasked with the mandate to implement various activities that will lead to the development of a Compact that will provide investments for various projects that will stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty in the country.

The MCA-M is led by a Project Co-ordinator/Point of Contact, who heads the Core Team. Other members of the Core Team include: the Public Outreach Co-ordinator, the Chief Economist, the Principal Economist, the Energy Specialist, the Transport Economist, a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, and an Environmental and Social Assessment Specialist.

The Core Team is assisted by a Support Team dealing with administration, operations and accounting.

The MCA-M reports to the Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet and also to the Minister of Finance.
The OPC established an Inter-Ministerial Committee which provides guidance and advise to the MCA-M team. The Committee is chaired by the Chief Secretary and members include Principal Secretaries in the following ministries: Finance; Economic Planning and Development; Trade; Local Government; Transport; Labor; Energy; and Agriculture.

The President, His Excellency Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika also established a Cabinet Committee on the MCA-M, which he chairs. The President is deputised by the Minister of Finance, and members of the Cabinet Committee include the Ministers heading the following ministries: Finance; Economic Planning and Development; Trade; Local Government; Transport; Labor; Energy; and Agriculture.

In the spirit of the MCC process, and indeed following GoM’s lead, the MCA-M has consulted a number of stakeholders across the country. A Technical Working Group was also formed to provide the Core Team with advice and guidance, particularly during the Constraints Analysis and the Project Scoping process. Members of the technical working group included Malawi’s development partners; members of civil society including the Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN), the Economists Association of Malawi (ECAMA), the National Smallholder Farmers Association (NASFAM), the religious community; and the private sector, led by the Malawi Confederated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI).