The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dr Ben Malunga Phiri, has revived the Best Staff of the Month Awards, an initiative he first introduced in 2019 but which was discontinued in 2020 after he left office.
The awards have been reintroduced with the recognition of two staff members for the months of November and December 2025. Each awardee received a cash prize of MK200,000 in recognition of outstanding performance.
The first recipients are Anderson Makwasa, an Office Superintendent, and Gift Janatu, a Messenger. Dr Phiri met the two awardees during an interaction held at the Ministry’s headquarters.
Speaking during the meeting, Dr Phiri said the awards are intended to motivate staff members to serve Malawians diligently and professionally, in line with the Ministry’s vision and mandate as assigned by President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika.
“This calls for greater discipline and action among staff members in this Ministry.
Performance and laziness are both contagious, so continue doing your best so that others can emulate you,” said Dr Phiri.
The Minister further disclosed that the prize money has been personally funded by him, underscoring his commitment to boosting staff morale and improving service delivery.
“I believe that together we can improve efficiency and enhance service delivery to the people of Malawi,” he added.
