By Mphatso Malidadi:
Local sports associations should brace for tough times after Malawi National Council of Sports revealed that it would no longer be funding its affiliates through the usual annual subventions.
Every year, the Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development funds the council which, in turn, allocates money to its affiliated associations based on submitted budgets.
But, under the new arrangement, the council, which is the government’s sports policy implementation arm, will be financing associations that have clear-cut development plans.
The council’s executive secretary, George Jana, Tuesday said they would no longer be funding administrative activities such as meetings.
“We will require that associations should have development plans which are in line with their strategic plans. Those programmes should be talking to their strategic plans. once they show that their development programmes target a particular goal, then we will be able to finance [them],” he said.
“What was happening is that associations were planning according to available funds and not necessarily what they wanted to do to achieve,” he said.
Jana said he hopes the new arrangement would force associations to develop strategic plans and execute them.
Jana added that the new arrangement will also affect some local and international competitions.
“We will be financing international competitions that are outlined in strategic plans,” he said.
The move will likely affect associations such as Netball Association of Malawi and Athletics Association of Malawi, which operate without strategic plans.
Over 30 associations including for chess, boxing, taekwendo and darts, are affiliated to the council and receive grants. Football Association of Malawi receives the biggest chunk of the grants.
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