Malawi

As chief law reform officer at the Malawi Law Commission, Dr Janet Chikaya-Banda oversaw a two-year constitutional review programme in 2004-6. In her timely account, she explains the importance of continuous, systematic law reform in young democracies and the role that it can...

The chief law reform at the Malawi Law Commission explains the importance of continuous, systematic law reform in young democracies and the role that it can play in upholding the credibility and effectiveness of the judiciary.

During the economic and political turmoil which beset Malawi in 2011-12, the constitution and the rule of law were frequently invoked by protesters. In March 2012, the influential inter-faith Public Affairs Committee (PAC) issued a communiqué to President Mutharika which...

Speakers: Dr Janet Chikaya-Banda, Malcolm McMillan (Scottish Law Commission)

Hannah Gibson describes how the death of President Mutharika sent shockwaves through Malawi’s fragile political system and argues that the fallout highlights the predominance of personalities in Malawian politics.

As protests against the government of Malawi sweep the capital Lilongwe, the commercial capital Blantyre, and the northern city of Mzuzu, Africa Research Institute reveals how Malawians have long used public radio to voice social, political and economic grievances. Voices of...

7 July 2011

In Malawi, an audience-driven radio programme has gained popularity by exposing everyday injustices.

Human Rights NGOs are considered vanguards in the struggle against injustice and authoritarianism in Africa. But their narrow focus on civil and political rights neglects widely held economic grievances. In Malawi, an audience-driven radio programme – Nkhani Zam’maboma or “News...

Africa Research Institute is pleased to announce publication of Planting Ideas, an independent investigation into Malawi’s controversial home-grown subsidy scheme for small farmers. This timely study defies much of the received wisdom to argue that agricultural subsidies can be...