The Ministry’s achievements over the years include the following:

(a) The preparation of the National Decentralisation Policy which later received Cabinet approval and was put into effect in 1998. 

(b) The preparation of a New Local Government Act of 1998 that created Local Governments and provided the enabling legal framework for the implementation of the Decentralisation Policy. 

(c) The successful facilitation of the implementation of the National Decentralisation Programme 1, which has seen some government functions devolve from Central (line Ministries) to the lower levels of Governments (Local Governments). 

(d) Development of appropriate institutional structures for Local Authorities which is crucial for the successful implementation of the National Decentralisation Programme. 

(e) Preparation of criteria for selection of Satellite Towns (Rural Growth Centres) and consolidated selected sites from all assemblies.  

(f) Developed and utilised the Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Formula which is used to disburse General Resource and development funds to Local Authorities. 

(g)       Developed operational guidelines for Local Authorities for the management of Sectoral Funds and the management of the overall devolution process. All Assemblies’ Secretariat Staff were subsequently oriented on the same.

(h)       Pioneered in the creation of the first independent Tender (procurement) Committees, for Local Authorities to allow for transparent and independent procurement processes and use of development and operational resources at their disposal.

(i)        Facilitated the production of District Social Economic Profiles and District and Urban Development Plans for each one of the Assemblies, the first of their kind in Malawi.

(j)        Implemented a programme that provides Social Economic Infrastructure to Urban Local Authorities in order to build their capacity for sustainable Local Economic Development (under the Secondary Centres Development Programmes umbrella). Currently implementation is taking place in the final Urban Town of 

(k)       Facilitated the development of a Local Development and Financing System for Local Authorities. This is a System that creates the Local Development Fund (LDF), a development window through which donor inflows for local development will be channeled.

(l)        The Ministry also successfully undertook a Capacity Needs Assessment in all assemblies and has also developed a Comprehensive Capacity Development Strategy and Programme for decentralisation. The programme is now due for implementation, as part of the second phase of the National Decentralisation Programme (NDP II) which runs from 2005 to 2009.