COMSIP Earns World Bank Commendation for Award-Winning Development Communication

The World Bank team has congratulated COMSIP Cooperative Union on winning the 2026 Excellence in Development Communication Award at the Public Relations Society of Malawi (PRSM) Annual Conference, recognising the organisation’s work in communicating development results and amplifying community voices.

In a message to partners, Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project (SSRLP) Task Team Leader Chipo Msowoya, writing on behalf of the World Bank team, extended congratulations to COMSIP, particularly recognising the leadership of Development Communication Officer Mercy Chaluma in communicating development results and sharing the experiences of beneficiary communities across Malawi.

“On behalf of the World Bank team, please accept our warmest congratulations to you all and in particular COMSIP, with Mercy in the lead, on receiving the 2026 Excellence in Development Communication Award from the Public Relations Society of Malawi (PRSM),” Msowoya wrote.

He described the recognition as “a well-deserved testament to the professionalism, creativity, and dedication that COMSIP has demonstrated in communicating development results and amplifying the voices and stories of SSRLP livelihoods support beneficiary communities across Malawi.”

SSRLP is a Government of Malawi social protection project supported by the World Bank and the Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF). COMSIP implements the project’s Livelihoods Support Programme, which promotes a culture of savings and investment among members to strengthen their livelihoods and economic resilience.

Msowoya emphasised the importance of effective communication in demonstrating the value of development investments, noting that it helps increase public awareness and accountability while building confidence among communities, policymakers and development partners.

“This award reinforces an important lesson: strong development results deserve strong and innovative communication,” he said. “Effective communications not only increase public awareness and accountability but also help build confidence among communities, policymakers, and development partners in the value of SSRLP investments.”

The World Bank team’s commendation echoes the remarks made by the PRSM judges during the presentation of COMSIP’s award. Chief Judge Dr Catherine Chaweza highlighted the organisation’s strategic and innovative communication ecosystem, which combines appropriate technology with participatory, community-based approaches to reach diverse audiences.

The judges also applauded COMSIP’s use of human success stories to communicate development impact, demonstrating how communication can make complex development issues accessible and relevant to the communities they affect.

Speaking when Chaluma handed over the award to him, COMSIP Chief Executive Officer Tenneson Tembo said the award affirms the organisation’s commitment to integrating communication into development work and placing communities’ experiences and realities at the centre of its communication approaches.

As Msowoya observed in his message to partners, “Strong development results deserve strong and innovative communication.”