Parliament, CSOs seek to deepen cooperation

Representatives of Parliament and civil society organisations (CSOs) on Wednesday held their first formal joint meeting to launch a new platform to strengthening collaboration and improve public service delivery. Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman described CSOs as key partners to the National Assembly and said the new platform will formalise long-standing but fragmented engagement. “We have worked together through committees for years, but lacked a structured forum.

This engagement will make that relationship more coordinated and sustainable,” he said. He said CSOs provide critical data and policy insights that strengthen Parliament’s oversight role, which remains his top priority. “Effective oversight depends on public feedback and participation to ensure Parliament responds to people’s needs,” said Suleman.

Taking her turn, Clerk of Parliament Fiona Kalemba said the engagement creates space to reflect and agree on ways to enhance cooperation in serving Malawians. Representing CSOs, Council for Non-Governmental Organisations in Malawi (Congoma) executive director Ronald Mtonga said the partnership is essential but currently under-utilised. He highlighted weak consultation in law-making, high costs of engaging parliamentary committees and persistent misconceptions about CSOs as key barriers. “Many policies are developed without adequate CSO input, which creates gaps that could be avoided through structured engagement,” he said.