Minister Ben Phiri  Launches Reformed CDF Dashboard to Track 2,000 Projects in Real Time

The era of hiding behind delayed reports is over

Minister of Local Government, and Rural Development , Dr Ben Phiri, on Friday officially launched the Reformed Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Dashboard, a new digital platform designed to bring transparency and real-time monitoring to over 2,000 development projects across Malawi.

Speaking at the launch attended by Cabinet Ministers including, Honourable Charles Mhango of Justice, Honourable Joel Chagoma of Labour, Honourable, and Honourable Chimwemwe Chipungu of Lands, Hon Madalitso Baloyi of Health, alongside senior government officials, Dr Phiri said the dashboard fulfills government’s promise to make public spending visible to every Malawian.

“This was not merely a promise; it was our conviction,” Dr Phiri said. “Development financed with public resources should never be hidden from the people it is intended to serve.”

The Minister noted that with more than 2,000 Reformed CDF projects being implemented simultaneously by 36 local authorities, manual reporting was no longer practical.

“The Dashboard changes this completely. It enables Government to monitor projects in real time. We will know immediately where projects are progressing well and where there are delays,” he said.

Key features include live updates on planning, procurement, financial and physical progress, photographs, and completion status.

Dr Phiri directed all District Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers to make updating the dashboard part of daily work, warning that performance of every local authority will now be visible.

“Those performing well will be recognized. Those falling behind will equally be visible,” he warned.

In his concluding remarks, Dr Phiri commended the technical teams from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the National Local Government Finance Committee, and all cooperating partners.

He specifically recognized Dr Recheal Sibande, Founder of mHub, for leading the development of the dashboard.