Architects and other professionals in the construction industry are meeting from Monday to discuss their role in shaping the future of building and construction in Malawi in line with aspirations embedded in the Malawi 2063— the country’s long-term development blueprint.
Organised by the Malawi Institute of Architects (MIA), the four-day annual general meeting will be held under the theme ‘The Architect: Re-imagining Malawi’s Future’.
In a statement, MIA says the conversation will be held with sub-themes including urbanisation: Navigating the dusty road from the rural areas to secondary cities; ethics in architecture, emerging construction technologies, building regulations and standards, and the future of the profession in Malawi.
It says institute members will have an opportunity to engage in a conversation on current developments in the built environment and find remedies to challenges facing the industry.
“Speakers will share their insights, expertise and best practices in sessions that will cover the latest trends and innovations in our industry,” the statement reads.
This event will be spiced up with exhibitions of work that some of the members have been involved in, according to the statement.
In an interview yesterday, MIA President Khumbo Chirwa said the institute is geared to discuss their role in building a modern Malawi in line with the Malawi 2063 development blueprint.
“As the country is implementing plans in Malawi 2063, we want the architects to be part of that future. We want to be at the forefront in creating this future so that people can now start to see what we can achieve in terms of infrastructure development,” he said.
Addressing a similar gathering in Mangochi last year, National Planning Commission Director General Thomas Munthali called on architects in the country to take a leading role towards creation of ‘smart’ secondary cities.
Munthali said the creation of secondary cities, in line with the urbanisation pillar in the Malawi 2063 document, would require direct involvement of players from the industry.
He said the country’s major four cities— Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu, which collectively contribute close to 40 percent to the national gross domestic product— have slammed over the years.
