By : Edward Chikhwana
Civil Society led Task Force Chairperson
29th June 2011
Cresta Crossroads Hotel
Lilongwe, Malawi
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Strategies used in the policy development
process
Key activities undertaken in the Development
process
Some of the key findings in the district
consultations
Challenges
Key recommendations
Civil Society led process
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All the activities in the initial stages of the
formulation process were led by Drug Fight
Malawi
until at a later stage when
Ministry of Health as a host ministry was
handed over the finalization activities of the
policy
Multi-stakeholder involvement and participation
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The policy formulation process involved key
strategic partners and stakeholders both
public and civil society organizations
especially the networks
such as
MANASO, MHEN,HRCC, NGO-GCN, etc
Involvement of the grassroots communities
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The process consulted the grassroots
through traditional leaders, religious
leaders, the local
brewers, the
imbibers of locally brewed beer
Participation of key policy makers and
implementers
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The process involved MP’s, and District
Councils in the districts where
consultations
were done
Activity 1. Putting in Place the Taskforce
Committee
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The task force to lead the activities in the
formulation of the policy was put in place
at a conference that was held to discuss
alcohol and related harms in 2007
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The taskforce comprised of public and
civil society institutions including
Government
ministries
Development of the strategic plan for the
development of the policy
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The taskforce developed the master plan
that was used as a guide in the
development process of the policy
Taskforce meetings
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Consultations were done within the
taskforce members to identify key policy
issues
Consultations with Inter-ministerial
Committee on Drug Control
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The taskforce made consultations with
inter-ministerial committee on drug
control to get their views on the issues to
be considered in the policy
Hiring of consultant to take lead of the
technical part of the process
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The taskforce hired a consultant to lead in
the technical part of the policy
formulation process
Baseline survey on Unrecorded alcohol
 The taskforce commissioned a baseline
survey on unrecorded alcohol.
 This survey was done by another consultant
who was specifically hired to do the baseline
survey.
 The survey was done in a number of district
in all the three regions of Malawi
District consultations meetings
 District consultations were done in eight
districts of Malawi
 The district consultations meetings were
attended by MP’s, Government departments,
religious leaders, political leaders, traditional
leaders, teachers, youth
 The consultant led all the proceedings during
the district consultations meetings
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Time limitation of operation; people are
proposing that all drinking places in Malawi,
rural or town should be opened at 2.00 pm
and closing at 10.00 pm- like in Tanzania
and other countries
Licensing of local brewers for monitoring
purposes
strictly enforce age limiting on one to access
beer
Total ban of liquor sachets and all other
cheap beer
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Put strict measures to ensure all drinking
places are far from schools, hospitals and
residential places
Reduction of alcohol content (through
discussions with brewers
Encourage local punishment i.e. to those not
abiding by the law
Reviewing of existing legislation on alcohol
Increase of prices of beer
Comprehensive sensitization of the public on
harmful alcohol consumption and its
consequences
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Legalize local spirits but with authorised
alcohol content – by MBS