{
  "title": "Malawi: Technical Assistance Report-Report on Data Quality Assessment for Public Sector Debt Statistics Mission (January 29-February 4, 2025)",
  "publication": "Technical Assistance Reports, April 9, 2025",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/publications/technical-assistance-reports/issues/2025/04/09/malawi-technical-assistance-report-report-on-data-quality-assessment-for-public-sector-debt-565998",
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  "summary": "This report discusses the findings and recommendations of a diagnostic assessment of the quality of public sector debt statistics (PSDS) of Malawi based on the IMF’s Data Quality Assessment Framework for PSDS.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Assessment context and scope",
      "content": "- Assessment based on the IMF’s Data Quality Assessment Framework for PSDS.\n- Mission dates: January 29-February 4, 2025.\n- Assessment undertaken in February 2025 as part of a project to strengthen public sector debt data in select African countries, funded by the Government of Japan.\n- Macroeconomic context: the latest joint IMF-World Bank debt sustainability analysis of January 2024 indicates that the country is in debt distress.\n- Recent legal reform: In 2022, Malawi enacted a new Public Finance Management Act providing a legal framework for government borrowing as well as the issuance and management of guarantees by government including guarantees to State-owned enterprises."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Key findings from the diagnostic assessment",
      "content": "- Quality and coverage issues affecting public sector debt statistics (PSDS), consistent with challenges faced by many low-income countries servicing public debt.\n- Specific thematic gaps identified:\n  - Sector coverage limited to the budgetary central government.\n  - Instrument coverage incomplete, excluding other accounts payables.\n  - Inconsistencies between stocks and flows that require reconciliation.\n  - Low frequency and limited dissemination of public debt reports.\n  - Inactive dissemination channels: National Summary Data Page and the joint IMF-World Bank Quarterly Public Sector Debt statistics database need reactivation."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Principal recommendations",
      "content": "- Enact a new legislation to address public debt management operations in line with the practice in the region.\n- Expand sector coverage of public debt beyond the budgetary central government.\n- Expand instrument coverage to include other accounts payables.\n- Reconcile stocks and flows and publish the reconciliation results transparently.\n- Enhance the frequency of public debt reports.\n- Reactivate dissemination of debt through:\n  - the National Summary Data Page, and\n  - the joint IMF-World Bank Quarterly Public Sector Debt statistics database."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Authorities’ response and implementation",
      "content": "- The authorities have adopted recommendations.\n- An action plan has been developed to implement the recommendations in a phased manner.\n\n---\n\n Content in this bundle\n\n- Section I. Detailed Assessment and Recommendations\n  - Section I. Detailed Assessment and Recommendations (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - Section I. Detailed Assessment and Recommendations (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n\n---\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/technical-assistance-reports/issues/2025/04/09/malawi-technical-assistance-report-report-on-data-quality-assessment-for-public-sector-debt-565998"
    }
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    "Published: April 9, 2025",
    "Series: Technical Assistance Reports",
    "DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229007269.019",
    "Assessment based on the IMF’s Data Quality Assessment Framework for PSDS.",
    "Mission dates: January 29-February 4, 2025.",
    "Assessment undertaken in February 2025 as part of a project to strengthen public sector debt data in select African countries, funded by the Government of Japan.",
    "Macroeconomic context: the latest joint IMF-World Bank debt sustainability analysis of January 2024 indicates that the country is in debt distress.",
    "Recent legal reform: In 2022, Malawi enacted a new Public Finance Management Act providing a legal framework for government borrowing as well as the issuance and management of guarantees by government including guarantees to State-owned enterprises.",
    "Quality and coverage issues affecting public sector debt statistics (PSDS), consistent with challenges faced by many low-income countries servicing public debt.",
    "Specific thematic gaps identified:",
    "Enact a new legislation to address public debt management operations in line with the practice in the region.",
    "Expand sector coverage of public debt beyond the budgetary central government.",
    "Expand instrument coverage to include other accounts payables.",
    "Reconcile stocks and flows and publish the reconciliation results transparently.",
    "Enhance the frequency of public debt reports.",
    "Reactivate dissemination of debt through:",
    "The authorities have adopted recommendations.",
    "An action plan has been developed to implement the recommendations in a phased manner.",
    "**Section I. Detailed Assessment and Recommendations**"
  ],
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