Senior Chief Decries Flaws in Unified Beneficiary Registry's Poverty Targeting
The Senior Chief's remarks underscore long-standing concerns about the effectiveness of poverty-targeting mechanisms in Malawi.
NSANJE, Malawi— Senior Chief Chimombo of Nsanje District has raised concerns over the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR) system's failure to accurately identify and serve the intended beneficiaries of government social protection programs in the area, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
Addressing the District Council Full Meeting on Thursday, the traditional leader criticized the UBR for being riddled with inaccurate information that does not reflect the true extent of poverty and vulnerability in Nsanje communities.
"The UBR system is full of false information which does not show the true image of the vulnerable people in Nsanje," Senior Chief Chimombo said.
"The real poor communities are not benefiting from the UBR system."
The UBR, a national database designed to target beneficiaries for social assistance initiatives like the Social Cash Transfer and Climate Smart programs, has come under scrutiny for its apparent shortcomings in identifying and reaching the most vulnerable households.
Dalitso Kalimba, Deputy Director Responsible for Social Protection at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, acknowledged the challenges plaguing the UBR system and attributed them to potential inaccuracies during data collection by enumerators and respondents.
"If the UBR system is fed with wrong information, the obvious outcome will be inaccurate, hence the ongoing challenges rocking the councils," Kalimba stated.
However, he revealed that the government is in the process of reviewing the UBR system to address its flaws and ensure it produces reliable information that accurately captures the plight of vulnerable populations.
The Senior Chief's remarks underscore long-standing concerns about the effectiveness of poverty-targeting mechanisms in Malawi, with stakeholders calling for robust measures to enhance the transparency and accuracy of social assistance delivery.