Malawi

Key Facts

Head of State: President Lazarus Chakwera

Joined the Commonwealth: 1964

Capital City (location of Parliament): Lilongwe

Unicameral/Bicameral: Unicameral - National Assembly (192)

Further Information:

CPA UK & Malawi

CPA UK have a significant and well established relationship with the Parliament of Malawi, and have a long history of working with Members, Parliamentary officials and Parliamentary staff. At the request of the National Assembly, programmes have been designed to assist Members in fulfilling their legislative, oversight and representative roles.

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About the Malawi Parliamentary Strengthening Programme Project

Background

In July 2018, CPA UK was awarded a grant under the Commonwealth Partnership for Democracy Fund, monitored by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and implemented by Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), to provide the members and staff of the Parliament of Malawi with technical and capacity building support to deliver their responsibilities efficiently and effectively.

This project worked with the Parliament of Malawi through a period of transition. It built on significant work by a number of stakeholders including CPA UK, CPA Scotland, the UK Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST), AFIDEP and others to strengthen the capacity of the parliament, particularly around research and evidence-based policy making

CPA UK delivered the project through a series of workshops, short-term attachments, and study visits. It incorporated learning from past activities both in-country and across the Commonwealth into activities to ensure sustainable, continuous improvement and maximise impact by embedding synergies between the roles of Members as scrutineers, legislators and representatives. CPA UK also partnered with the Parliament of Scotland (CPA Scotland), which has historic ties and a long-term strategic relationship with the Parliament of Malawi.

Project description

In the run-up to the 2019 elections CPA UK provided support and capacity building to parliamentary staff with a focus on committee clerks and staff from the legislative team. This training supported staff to prepare for the new parliament, apply learning to their processes, and enable the parliament to undertake the CPA Benchmark self-assessment. In year 2, following the election, the project provided support to new members of parliament through a comprehensive induction programme, with particular emphasis on women and young parliamentarians. Building on year 1 activities the project continued to provide technical support through strengthening of committees and enhancing legislative scrutiny.

In the Malawian Parliament, considerable work is undertaken through committees and by strengthening such committees CPA UK supports the enhancement of accountability processes. In tandem to this approach a strong and effective legislative scrutiny function further supports an effective and accountable Parliament.

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CPA UK Recent Programmes

Women in Trade Workshop, Westminster, 20-22 June 2023

Members of Parliament from across the Commonwealth participated in CPA UK's Women in Trade Workshop, held on 20 - 22 June 2023 in the UK Parliament. CPA UK's first all-women in-person multilateral programme, brought together women parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth, for a three-day Workshop designed to strengthen their knowledge of international trade and to discuss specific impact of trade agreements on gender equality, poverty alleviation, and the economic empowerment of women in the Commonwealth.

To read the Women in Trade Workshop Final Report, click here.

Committees Programme and Study Visit, Westminster and Edinburgh, 3-5 March 2020

CPA UK organised a programme on Strengthening Committee Scrutiny in partnership with the Scottish Parliament for a project funded by the Commonwealth Partnership for Democracy (CP4D).

Building on the Post-Election Seminar delivered in August 2019, the programme focused on the strengthening of committees and enhancing legislative scrutiny through developing the technical skills of committee members and officials. In addition to meetings and discussions with MPs and clerks and observing committee and chamber proceedings in the Houses of Parliament, the delegation, representing ten of Malawi’s parliamentary committees, attended the CP4D Inclusive Politics Conference and observed First Minister’s Questions in the Scottish Parliament. Further details are available here, or read the full report here.

Post-Election Seminar, Lilongwe, 22 – 24 August 2019

CPA UK delivered a three-day workshop for 40 newly-elected parliamentarians at the Parliament of Malawi, in partnership with the Parliament of Scotland and Parliament of Malawi. The Seminar engaged parliamentarians in a broad range of topics including building positive relationships with MPs and Clerks, engaging with external stakeholders, public speaking, legislative scrutiny and best practice in the Chamber. The final day of the programme focused on Select Committees.

The programme was part of the continuing Commonwealth Partnership for Democracy (CP4D) project funded by the UK Government. The workshop forms part of a two-year project that aims to build the capacity of the Parliament of Malawi, as the country goes through a period of transition.