Government opts out of dialogue meet with stakeholders

The Malawi Government has refused to participate in a national stakeholders’ dialogue to be held on October 20 2026 in Lilongwe to assess the new administration’s performance.

A concept note of the organisers, a coalition of civil society organisations, shows that the meeting will assess the administration’s performance in economic and democratic governance, rule of law and anti-corruption, human rights and civic space, as well as the delivery of essential public services during its first year.

The organisers indicated that the dialogue would bring together representatives of the Executive arm of government, Parliament, the Judiciary, civil society, academia, the private sector, media and other stakeholders.

Kajoloweka: We can’t be speaking to ourselves.

| Courtesy of NAC

But Capital Hill has expressed reservations with the proposed assessment’s methodology of President Peter Mutharika’s one year in office, representation of the stakeholders and their ability to produce credible, balanced findings.

In a letter dated October 5 2026 to Youth and Society (YAS) executive director Charles Kajoloweka, who is the focal point of the coalition, Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi said the refusal should not be construed as a rejection of dialogue or constructive scrutiny.

Stated Saidi: “While we appreciate the spirit of promoting accountability, we have concerns regarding the proposed methodology and representativeness of the assessment, particularly the inclusiveness of its membership and the robustness of the proposed tools.

“In their current form, these elements do not provide sufficient assurance that the process would generate findings that are objective, credible and fairly reflective of the diverse views and lived experiences of the wider Malawian population.”

The convening consortium comprises the Malawi Law Society (MLS), YAS, Public Affairs Committee (PAC), National Advocacy Platform (NAP), NGO Gender Coordination Network and Political Science Association of Malawi, according to the concept note.

Saidi said a formal assessment of a newly-elected government after only one year in office is relatively early, particularly where it seeks to draw broad conclusions about the performance of an administration serving a five-year constitutional mandate.

He said: “Thus, we find your assessment to be rather premature. Such an exercise will also require a clear methodology, broad representation and an evidentiary basis capable of supporting credible and balanced conclusions.

“Should your interest be to better understand the progress government has made during its first year, the OPC remains available to facilitate constructive engagement and provide relevant information on government programmes, reforms, achievements and emerging results.”

Saidi cited declining inflation now at 20 percent, foreign exchange reserves increasing to 2.5 months of import cover from about two months in September 2025, interest rates falling to 18 percent, free secondary education and K5 billion reformed Constituency Development Fund (CDF) as some of the main achievements of the year.

Reacting to the development, Kajoloweka described the rejection as a lost opportunity, wondering why it had decided to refuse dialogue, yet Cabinet ministers have been announcing their assessment for the year.

“We can’t be speaking to ourselves. We wanted to be together with the government so that we look at areas of improvement, and of concern, suggest solutions and move forward. This is a lost opportunity, irresponsible and insensitive,”he said.

Gift Sambo, an expert in electoral and legislative politics at University of Malawi, said governments should develop skills and capabilities to effectively engage with civil society groups instead of entrenching the culture of suspicion reminiscent of the past authoritarian regime.

“This was a golden opportunity for the governing elites to demonstrate confidence in their development agenda by articulating the various mechanisms and strategies lined up by the government to extricate the country from the current challenges,” he said.

In a separate interview, Mzuzu University (Mzuni) development politics expert Chrispin Mphande described the government’s decision as unfortunate.

He said: “In my view, it’s a missed opportunity. This could have been a better platform to get real feedback and work on the observations made. This can help build trust.

“In the absence of such an opportunity the CSOs can now use social media platforms to air out their views and will force the government to be refuting now and then,” he said.

Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa condemned the government’s decision, saying it is disappointing and shows a lack of willingness to engage with stakeholders on issues that affect Malawians.

Mutharika took his oath of office on October 4 2025 after winning the September 16 2025 General Election, making a comeback to State House after a five-year hiatus following his loss in the June 2020 court-sanctioned fresh presidential election.

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