The appointment of a new board of directors for Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) on Tuesday has left 14 parastatals operating without functioning boards for more than three months, it has emerged.
The affected parastatals include Air Cargo Limited, Airport Development Limited, Cannabis Regulatory Authority, Greenbelt Authority and Lilongwe Handling Company.
Others are Malawi College of Accountancy, Malawi College of Health Sciences, Malawi Housing Corporation, National Aids Commission, National Youth Council of Malawi and Malawi National Council of Sports.
But in an interview, Comptroller of Statutory Corporations Peter Simbani said processes are in motion to reconstitute the boards of 11 parastatals.
He said: “We have made submissions to the government for the reconstitution of the boards, which we expect to be finalised this week.”
Simbani further said the reconstitution of boards for National Food Reserve Agency, National Economic Empowerment Fund and Cotton Council of Malawi was awaiting respective line ministries to ensure that the process aligns with the legal framework and good corporate governance principles.
He said: “Additionally, we are yet to receive submissions for Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority whose board’s tenure expired on March 23 2025.”
Meanwhile, Simbani has expressed confidence that the new Admarc board will provide strategic leadership and oversight to ensure the produce trader fulfills its mandate effectively.
The new Admarc board has private practice lawyer Pempho Likongwe as chairperson with Archwells Katani, Constance Tcherani, Olivia Liwewe, Inkosi Msakambewa and Sella Msiska as members.
Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences governance scholar Andrew Kaponya said recently that the institutions operating without boards risk making “illegal decisions”.
Last month, the Department of Statutory Corporations appointed directors for the country’s five water boards
