## Malawi: Technical Assistance Report-Report on Data Quality Assessment for Public Sector Debt Statistics Mission (January 29-February 4, 2025)

_Technical Assistance Reports, April 9, 2025_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Malawi: Technical Assistance Report-Report on Data Quality Assessment for Public Sector Debt Statistics Mission (January 29-February 4, 2025)](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)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/publications/technical-assistance-reports/issues/2025/04/09/malawi-technical-assistance-report-report-on-data-quality-assessment-for-public-sector-debt-565998/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/publications/technical-assistance-reports/issues/2025/04/09/malawi-technical-assistance-report-report-on-data-quality-assessment-for-public-sector-debt-565998/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/publications/technical-assistance-reports/issues/2025/04/09/malawi-technical-assistance-report-report-on-data-quality-assessment-for-public-sector-debt-565998/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Published: April 9, 2025
- Series: Technical Assistance Reports
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229007269.019

---

### Assessment context and scope
- 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.

### Key findings from the diagnostic assessment
- 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:
  - Sector coverage limited to the budgetary central government.
  - Instrument coverage incomplete, excluding other accounts payables.
  - Inconsistencies between stocks and flows that require reconciliation.
  - Low frequency and limited dissemination of public debt reports.
  - Inactive dissemination channels: National Summary Data Page and the joint IMF-World Bank Quarterly Public Sector Debt statistics database need reactivation.

### Principal recommendations
- 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 National Summary Data Page, and
  - the joint IMF-World Bank Quarterly Public Sector Debt statistics database.

### Authorities’ response and implementation
- The authorities have adopted recommendations.
- An action plan has been developed to implement the recommendations in a phased manner.

---

## Content in this bundle

- **Section I. Detailed Assessment and Recommendations**
  - [Section I. Detailed Assessment and Recommendations (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/tar/2025/english/tarea2025037-print-pdf.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [Section I. Detailed Assessment and Recommendations (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/tar/2025/english/tarea2025037-print-pdf.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}

---

_Source: 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_