Story by ZBC Reporter
SPEAKER of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, has arrived in Blantyre, Malawi, to facilitate a high-level Orientation Programme for newly elected Presiding Officers, Members of the Business of the House Committee, and the Parliamentary Service Commission of the Malawian Parliament.
The four-day programme, running from December 17 to 20, follows Malawi’s 2025 General Elections and aims to strengthen institutional effectiveness, leadership cohesion, and governance capacity within the country’s newly constituted parliamentary leadership.
According to a parliamentary press release, Speaker Mudenda will deliver four substantive presentations designed to enhance political leadership and the effective handling of parliamentary business. The sessions draw on comparative regional experience and best practices, supporting a responsive, disciplined, and accountable parliamentary institution.
The programme, part of Malawi’s post-election capacity-building initiative, brings together the Speakership, the Business Committee, and the Parliamentary Service Commission to exchange knowledge on international parliamentary practices.
Speaker Mudenda, recognised for his extensive experience in parliamentary governance, will focus on empowering the new leaders to balance political considerations with institutional integrity, strengthen parliamentary oversight and law-making, and enhance the interface between Parliament and the Executive.
The sessions he will lead include; Business Committee: A Global Perspective, examining international models of agenda-setting, business prioritisation, and institutional cohesion; Effective Parliamentary Work through Leadership Communications, highlighting structured engagement as a driver for legislative efficiency and accountability; International Perspectives on the Role of a Presiding Officer, focusing on impartiality, procedural fairness, and parliamentary stewardship; Good Practices in the Role of a Parliamentary Service Commission, emphasising governance, parliamentary autonomy, professionalism, and accountability.
The sessions are interactive and reflective, providing platforms for dialogue and peer exchange, fostering shared insights among Malawi’s parliamentary leadership.
At the regional level, Speaker Mudenda serves on the Executive Committee of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, where he chairs the Strategic Lobby Team, contributing to the transformation of the Forum into a fully-fledged regional parliament. Through this role, he has facilitated consensus among SADC Member States, engaged Heads of State, and advanced the legislative framework necessary for regional parliamentary cooperation.
His participation in the Blantyre programme underscores Zimbabwe’s commitment to supporting the growth and capacity of sister parliaments in the region, reinforcing parliamentary diplomacy, peer learning, and shared democratic values within the Southern African parliamentary fraternity.
