Parliament Must Fight Corruption in Malawi's Mining Sector, Consultant Urges
The push for parliamentary involvement comes as Malawi seeks to develop its mining sector while ensuring benefits reach its citizens.
LILONGWE, Malawi— Malawi's Parliament faces mounting pressure to tackle corruption and boost transparency in the mining sector, a key consultant told lawmakers Thursday, writes Esther Banda.
Chikomeni Manda, Managing Partner of Perekezi ASM Consultants and Events, appealed to the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change to leverage its oversight role in combating corruption.
"This project aims at making sure that the Parliament, the media, and civil society are taking their oversight roles very seriously to ensure mining processes are happening transparently without any forms of corruption," Manda said.
The appeal follows a Corruption Risk Assessment of the mining sector, developed under the USAID-funded Just Energy Transition Minerals Challenge project.
Werani Chilenga, chairperson of the committee, pledged cooperation with Perekezi ASM Consultants.
"We are going to work hand in hand so that by the end of the day we win this battle of corruption," Chilenga said.
The committee also called for greater involvement in the Malawi Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MWEITI), urging the body to submit its reports through Parliament.
"We should be vetting their report so that whatsoever they submit outside the country, as parliament, we should be able to know and we can take the same information to our constituents," Chilenga added.
Perekezi ASM Consultants and Events, established in 2020, works to promote transparency and counter transnational corruption in the green mineral sector.
The push for parliamentary involvement comes as Malawi seeks to develop its mining sector while ensuring benefits reach its citizens.