Malawi’s President, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, has assented to 12 bills, as announced by the Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani Hara, on Monday. These bills were passed during the previous parliamentary session.
According to Hara, President Chakwera has signed into law 11 bills that were approved by the House during the last meeting of Parliament. The following are the bills:
- Bill No. 28 of 2023: Saudi Fund for Development (Construction and Rehabilitation of Mangochi-Makanjira Road Project) Loan (Authorization and Ratification) – Passed on 12th March 2024.
- Bill No. 1 of 2024: Legal Education and Legal Practitioners (Amendment) – Passed on 5th April 2024.
- Bill No. 2 of 2024: International Development Association (Regional Climate Resilient Program for Eastern and Southern Africa 2 Project) (Authorization) – Passed on 12th March 2024.
- Bill No. 3 of 2024: Taxation (Amendment) – Passed on 27th March 2024.
- Bill No. 4 of 2024: Customs and Excise (Amendment) – Passed on 27th March 2024.
- Bill No. 5 of 2024: Value Added Tax (Amendment) – Passed on 27th March 2024.
- Bill No. 6 of 2024: NBS Bank PLC and National Bank of Malawi PLC (Lake Malawi Water Supply Project) Loan (Authorization) – Passed on 5th April 2024.
- Bill No. 7 of 2024: Appropriation – Passed on 27th March 2024.
- Bill No. 8 of 2024: Electricity (Amendment) – Passed on 5th April 2024.
- Bill No. 9 of 2024: Competition and Fair Trading – Passed on 5th April 2024.
- Bill No. 10 of 2024: Older Persons – Passed on 5th April 2024.
- Bill No. 11 of 2024: Supplementary Appropriation (2023/2024) – Passed on 2nd April 2024.
Additionally, the Speaker announced that under Section 74 of the Constitution, the President withheld assent to Private Members Bill No. 1 of 2024: Cannabis Regulation (Amendment), which was passed on 28th March 2024. The President stated that the bill requires further consultation with key stakeholders.
Hara further confirmed that the assented bills have been published in the Gazette, officially making them laws of the country.
