The Secretary to the Treasury  (ST) Dr. Cliff Chiunda has emphasized that the Malawi National Electronic Procurement System (MANePS) is a critical national reform that requires full commitment from all public institutions. 

Speaking during the Orientation for Controlling Officers in Lilongwe on April 9, 2026, he described MANePS as a Government system that goes beyond the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA). 

“MANePS is a Malawi Government system, it is not a PPDA system, therefore embracing MANePS is embracing Government’s development agenda,” he said, underscoring the system’s central role in driving national development.

He further highlighted that the transition to digital procurement comes at a crucial time, following a directive by the President to embrace digital technologies in public service delivery. 

The ST noted that with Public Procurement accounting for nearly 70 percent of the national budget, digitization will significantly reduce inefficiencies, fraud, and corruption while improving transparency and accountability.

The Secretary to the Treasury placed strong responsibility on Controlling Officers and Chief Executive Officers to ensure the success of the system. 

“This is not a task to be delegated, it requires your active involvement and commitment,” he said, urging the institution heads to champion compliance and ensure full migration from manual systems. 

He also called on institutional leaders to support Public Relations Officers, stressing that effective communication is essential for the successful implementation of the reform.

In his remarks, Acting Director General of PPDA, Timothy Kalembo, described MANePS as a bold and transformative step for Malawi’s public procurement system.

 He noted that for years, procurement processes have been manual, fragmented, and difficult to audit, creating inefficiencies and opportunities for malpractice.

 “MANePS” is our ‘bold decision’ to migrate from paper-based systems to Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP). This is more than a software upgrade; it is a national reform,” he said.

Government directed that it is mandatory for all Government Procurements to be done in MANePS beginning April 1, 2026.