Speaker Suleman Aligns Legal Reforms to Drive Business Growth in Malawi
Key Business Points
- Parliament launches first-ever engagement with private sector to align laws with modern business needs
- Chamber CEO says formal input channels into law-making will create evidence-based, business-friendly policies
- SME concerns over e-invoicing led to government backtracking, underscoring need for public-private dialogue
Parliament has opened formal engagement with the private sector to bridge the gap between outdated laws and contemporary economic challenges, Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman has said. Addressing business leaders in Lilongwe, Suleman described the initiative as the first of its kind since independence, aimed at modernising Malawi’s legislative framework to foster investment, employment, and enterprise growth.
Suleman says closer ties with business leaders will help lawmakers craft useful policies. | Nation
The platform comes at a time when many enterprises say laws drafted decades ago no longer support competitive operations. A recent flashpoint was the government’s push for electronic invoicing to tighten VAT collection. SMEs and small enterprises voiced concern that the system would have forced them to pay in advance without clear benefits, warning it would have added administrative burden and restricted expansion. After heated consultations, authorities relaxed the rollout, exempting businesses below a K50 million turnover threshold and pushing the deadline to April 1.
"Parliament cannot keep imposing outdated laws on modern businesses," Suleman said, adding that stronger interaction with industry players would help legislators anticipate how policy changes affect markets and jobs. "We need legislation that enables, not restricts, economic activity."
Daisy Kambalame, CEO of the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI), supported the initiative, saying the move creates an institutional space where businesses can offer hard data to shape better laws. "Parliament sets the rules of the game. Those rules determine if entrepreneurs will invest, recruit, or scale up," she noted.
Both sides have agreed on follow-up mechanisms, including formal presentations of industry data to parliamentary committees during legislative reviews. Kambalame said continuous dialogue will help policymakers understand industry trends, while giving entrepreneurs greater certainty. "If the law says something that misaligns with business practice, we will be able to explain it and be heard."
The effort is part of a wider public-engagement drive, with plans to include senior civil servants and civil society in future sessions. By opening the floor to stakeholders early, Parliament hopes to reduce surprises, align reforms with real market dynamics, and position Malawi for sustainable economic progress.
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