Newly constituted Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) board, led by chairperson Bishop Reverend Chimwemwe Mhango, met in Lilongwe on Tuesday for orientation.
Mhango confirmed the development, saying they signed an oath of secrecy before being drilled on their major responsibilities.
“The Cosoma secretariat also highlighted a number of areas, especially those pertaining to its operations and I, as chairperson, look forward to leading the board and ensuring its effectiveness,” he said.
On behalf of other board members, Mhango, who also headed the previous board but was not elected during the general assembly, said he was grateful to President Peter Mutharika for trusting them to lead the Cosoma board.
The orientation session came as rightsholders have petitioned Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Patricia Wiskes concerning the reconstitution of the board.
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The previous board was headed by filmmaker Ezaius Mkandawire before changes were made, with Mhango taking over as chairperson and Anthony Dumbah as one of the members.
Mkandawire and Deborah Ntopa have since been removed completely from the board despite being appointed at the general assembly.
The petition, dated January 20 2026, says that the rights holders have come out to do so in the spirit of constructive engagement, respect for the law and shared commitment to the growth and protection of the country’s creative sector.
The rightsholders say in the petition that the recent changes to the composition of the Cosoma board have generated uncertainty within the creative sector, not because of personalities involved, but due to questions over legal compliance, process and institutional governance under the Copyright Act.
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Section 7 of the Copyright Act, which establishes Cosoma and governs the composition, nomination, appointment and tenure of its board, indicates that the copyright body’s board shall be governed by a board whose members are nominated by the general assembly of the society, representing various categories of rightsholders.
It also says that the minister shall appoint the chairperson for the board from among the members so nominated.
The rightsholders say in the petition that the aspects of the current reconstitution process may not fully align with the requirements of Section 7 of the Copyright Act.
It says the appointments are perceived to have occurred outside the nomination framework of the general assembly.
The rightsholders have since called for a review and, where necessary, suspend the current reconstitution process to allow for verification of legal compliance.
Meanwhile, The Nation reported Wednesday that one of the board members, Bishop Chimwemwe Chafumuka, had turned down his appointment due to an “unhealthy” environment.
Recently arts associations also met the minister and raised issues pertaining to challenges affecting the creative sector, including the delays in opening the once-mighty entertainment mecca, namely Blantyre Cultural Centre.
Malawi Union of Academic and Non- Fiction Authors (Muana) President Ron Muphuwa said yesterday that they had not yet received feedback from the minister’s office following the petition.
The minister’s office was also not readily available for a comment yesterday as we went to press.
