By Pemphero Malimba:
The Office of the Ombudsman has disclosed that it is investigating how mining contracts are awarded, how taxation is managed and whether Malawi’s legal and regulatory framework is adequate to govern the country’s mining sector.
Ombudsman Grace Malera said the K280 million investigation will also assess environmental management practices and the roles of key institutions, including the Ministry of Energy and Mining and the Malawi Mining Authority, in regulating the sector.
She said the probe is intended to test whether existing systems are effective enough to support the country as it enters a new phase of mineral exploration and development.
“We are looking at the legal and regulatory framework to see if it is adequate to support the next phase of the mining sector in Malawi, bearing in mind that Malawi is now sitting at a watershed moment where either you get it right or get it wrong as we go into new mineral discoveries,” Malera said.
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She added that her office has completed the conceptualisation stage of the investigation, including defining its scope and identifying areas of focus.
She said consultations with stakeholders in the mining sector have already taken place.
On Tuesday, Malera appeared before the Public Appointments Committee (Pac) of Parliament to outline the operations of her office.
She told the committee that development partners, including the European Union, had expressed interest in supporting the investigation.
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“Where the meetings reach the mid-term review, access to Other Recurrent Transactions will be allocated to this investigation,” Malera said.
Pac vice chairperson Joshua Malango said Parliament would engage the Treasury to ensure the Ombudsman is adequately funded.
“It is quite an important office in terms of issues of governance and we really need to help,” Malango said.
During the just-ended financial year, the Office of the Ombudsman received about 20 direct complaints.
It also received 14,971 complaints through hospital ombudsmen stationed in various health facilities across the country, of which 10,029 were resolved.
The office also reached about nine million people with information on its mandate and operations.
