Following the enactment of the Construction Industry Act late last year, Construction Regulatory Authority (Cira) has said its scope has been broadened to ensure sanity and quality prevail in the industry.
Construction Industry Act Number 28 of 2025, which came into effect last September, is designed to tighten compliance, strengthen local capacity and modernise projects delivery.
Cira, formally known as National Construction Industry Council, was birthed in line with provisions of the new law, which is aimed at bringing about transformative steps in regulating and modernising Malawi’s construction sector.
The authority now oversees licensing, registration, compliance and enforcement of construction standards across the country.
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In an interview, Cira Chief Executive Officer Gerald Khonje said, already, the regulator was stamping its authority in line with provisions of the law in ensuring quality and sustainability in construction.
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“We have enough authority. We may not have been doing enough previously but the stage has been set because our legal framework has been reviewed,” he said.
Initially, the regulator only had authority over registered members in the construction industry.
Now the Act gives it a mandate to impose penalties on clients who are not following construction requirements.
He said the authority had guidelines not only for players in the industry but also for other stakeholders who are involved in the value chain for construction.
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“Those that are operating outside the provisions of the act will face the consequences. And we are continuing to be firm, and there will be no compromise,” Khonje said.
He called on stakeholders to be operating in line with Malawi Infrastructure Management Standards—a framework that guides stakeholder in the construction processes from conception to delivery.
“And within it are technical audits which should be done at every phase of the project,” he said.
At the Malawi Institute of Architects (MII) annual general meeting in Blantyre last week, stakeholders highlighted the issue of lack of capacity among some contractors and consultants and a quest for cheap labour among contributing factors to poor workmanship in the construction industry.
Experts conceded that the country’s built environment had challenges that were affecting the quality of output and that this needed ultimate attention by having the regulator effectively stamping its authority, among other things.
MII President Steve Musopole called on architects and other experts in the construction sector to harness technology—without compromising human judgement on their work.
