President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is expected to open the first-ever National Conference on the Separation of Powers at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe on Monday.

Chakwera is also expected to close the same conference on Tuesday. In an earlier speech, the President indicated that he will co-host the conference with the Chief Justice Rezine Mzikamanda and Speaker of the Malawi Parliament Catherine Gotani-Hara.

The Malawi leader made the sentiments in Lilongwe on Tuesday when he launched the National Action Plan for Open Government Partnerships in Malaŵi.

He said his administration has realized that the reforms agenda needs to be pursued across the board to ensure that all those who hold fiduciary positions in any branch or agency of government conduct themselves with accountability and transparency.

“Six days from now, the Chief Justice as Head of the Judiciary, the Speaker as Head of the Legislature, and I as Head of the Executive will co-host the first ever National Conference on the Separation of Powers. Even though each branch of the government is independent, there is no branch or institution of the government whose independence is a license for those who lead it to operate without accountability to the people of Malawi or to other branches that are mandated by law to provide checks and balances,” he said.

Chakwera said he expects that all public institutions will take OGP membership seriously and get on board in pursuit of the reforms agenda, stressing that his government will not retreat on the matter.

“If you do not believe me, those of you in the media can look at the countries around us and you will find that Malawi is only the second country in the SADC Region to have an action plan for reforms and accountability that qualifies for OGP membership. That means that no matter what negative headlines the local papers choose to print on the state of reforms in Malawi, the reality is that when it comes to commitment to good Governance, Malawi is a leader in the region, not a follower. In fact, my end goal is to see Malawi eventually become a Global Center of Excellence in Good Governance, and this OGP membership means we are on the right track,” said Chakwera.

Meanwhile, President Chakwera has expressed appreciation to international partners who provided financial and technical assistance to make the implementation of the National Action Plan during the next two years possible.

He cited Chandler Foundation, which also supported his office with the wherewithal to host the Anti-Corruption Conference in 2022.