Institution Building for a Third World City Council: Some Lessons from the Practice

In January 1989, the Overseas Development Administration (ODA)started a three‐year, institution‐building project for Malawi′s three city councils. Discusses how it became apparent in Lilongwe that the project′s traditional notions of institution building were limited, and how its concern was for financial and general efficiency, while its environment – the city – was ignored. Examines how the project was, therefore, reinterpreted, and the need was seen to develop strong urban management leadership in the context of a dynamic environment. The process of managing city building, therefore, became central to the council′s institutional capacity. The justification centred on the belief that just because a council may be in financial surplus is no guarantee that it is performing the services or providing the infrastructure which people need. Therefore, institution building could not ignore the environment (the city) in which the institution operated.