The Government of Malawi has issued a Circular directing all Procuring and Disposing Entities (PDEs) to begin mandatory use of the Malawi National Electronic Procurement System (MANePS) effective 1 April 2026.

The Circular has been issued by the Secretary to the Treasury (ST) Cliff Chiunda, stating that the mandatory use of MANePS is provided for under Section 71 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, 2024.

The provision promotes the use of electronic systems to manage procurement and disposal processes in government institutions.

ST Chiunda reiterates that that the Government has already developed the system and undertaken extensive training programmes to prepare institutions for the transition. 

The trainings which the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA) has been facilitating, the ST has reiterated in the circular that, are designed to equip procurement officers and relevant staff with the skills required to operate the system effectively.

However, the Ministry has noted that some entities did not participate in the earlier training sessions and has urged them to urgently plan to undergo the training before the system becomes mandatory.

The Secretary to the Treasury emphasized that all Controlling Officers and heads of entities must ensure that the contents of the circular are brought to the attention of officials responsible for procurement and disposal proceedings within their institutions.

E-Government Procurement Manager for the PPDA Yvonne Kasamba has said the Authority continues to train PDEs with most of them going into the second Phase for the E-Tendering module.

“During the First phase, 232 PDEs succeeded to upload their Annual Procurement Plans out of the targeted 250. The remaining ones are being handheld depending on the specific challenges that they encountered, but so far, we are making good progress,” she said.

During his recent State of the Nation Address, His Excellency President Peter Mutharika underscored the need for Malawi to embrace digital technologies across government operations, including public procurement.

Similarly, during the presentation of the 2026 National Budget, the Minister of Finance, Joseph Mwanamvekha, emphasized the importance of strengthening efficiency and accountability in Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets processes.