Council targets sports overhaul

Malawi National Council of Sports is targeting an overhaul of the country’s sports system by 2031 through a five-year strategic plan.

The blueprint is aimed at addressing weaknesses in athlete development, infrastructure, financing, governance and digital transformation.

Kalua: The responsibility is ours. | Nation

The newly-launched 2026-2031 strategic plan acknowledges that despite progress in participation and Malawi’s representation at regional and international competitions, the sector continues to face significant structural challenges.

It identifies weak athlete development pathways, limited access to quality sports infrastructure, inadequate and unsustainable financing, governance and institutional capacity gaps, limited commercialisation and private-sector investment, weak sports science and research systems and insufficient digital transformation among key constraints.

The plan also cites inadequate athlete welfare and safeguarding mechanisms, as well as persistent gender, disability and geographical inequalities in participation.

Through five strategic pillars of athlete development, sports ecosystem capacity building, infrastructure development, financial sustainability and institutional human capital development, the council wants to transform the sector into a well-governed, inclusive, commercially viable, technologically enabled and internationally competitive industry that contributes significantly to national development by 2031.

On athlete development, Sports Council wants to establish a seamless pathway from grassroots participation to elite performance, while strengthening talent identification, athlete support systems and opportunities for women and persons with disabilities.

Infrastructure is another major target, with the plan noting that most districts lack adequate multipurpose sports facilities.

It says the absence of a national sports infrastructure master plan has contributed to fragmented development.

The council also wants to overhaul sports financing, noting that the sector remains heavily dependent on government funding while sponsorship, private-sector investment, commercialisation and revenue generation by sports organisations remain limited.

It proposes diversifying financing through government funding, development partners, private-sector sponsorship, public-private partnerships, a Sports Development Fund, internally generated revenue and international grants.

The council has set a target of increasing its governance compliance score from 70 percent in 2025 to at least 90 percent by 2031.

Digital transformation will support data collection, analysis, reporting and decision-making, while administrative processes and institutional records will be increasingly digitised.

Implementation will be carried out in three phases: foundation and systems strengthening in 2026-27, expansion and acceleration in 2028-29, and consolidation and sustainability in 2030-31.

But Sports Council board chairperson Jim Kalua said the plan must not become another document on the shelf, but be translated into measurable results.

He said: “The success or failure of this strategic plan will ultimately depend on the quality of execution by management.

“The board will support management, but it will also hold management accountable.

“Every strategic objective must have clear activities, responsible officers, timelines, indicators and expected outcomes,” he said.

Kalua said the board’s tenure should ultimately be judged by the results produced rather than the number of strategic documents launched.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Alfred Gangata, who was guest of honour at the launch at Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe on Saturday, described the blueprint as a “mental change” on how sport is perceived and managed.

He stressed the importance of financial transparency and accountability, saying Government funding alone could not build world-class sport.

“Supporting sports facilities and youth programmes is not charity; it is a solid investment that will bring great rewards to businesses and the nation,” said Gangata.

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