Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) has committed to strengthening governance and financial accountability.
NAM president Vitumbiko Gubuduza expressed the commitment in an interview after the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) held at Sunbird Livingstonia Beach in Salima on Saturday.
She said expanding grassroots programmes, improving national teams’ preparations, consolidating domestic competitions and securing additional commercial partnerships will also be key.
“I am proud that the association is improving and growing every year. We will continue working with government, sponsors and development partners to build a stronger and more sustainable netball system,” said Gubuduza.
| Courtesy of NAM
At the AGM, delegates reviewed the association’s activities, financial position and progress during the 2025/2026 reporting year.
Gubuduza said good governance remained central to NAM’s operations stating that they are accountable to their affiliates, players, teams, partners, sponsors and government.
She said: “Governance is not simply about holding meetings, but continuously reviewing how the organisation operates and finding ways to improve. It is the cornerstone of any organisation.”
Gubuduza said NAM needs to regularly review its performance, identify areas of improvement and provide feedback to those it serves while receiving input and suggestions from its delegates and partners.
The 2026 AGM marked the second time NAM has presented audited financial statements to its affiliates and other stakeholders, which she described as a clear demonstration of the association’s quest to strengthen financial accountability.
The audit, however, identified unsupported expenditure involving K65 million transferred from NAM bank accounts to teams, district committees, competition committees and associations.
Gubuduza clarified: “The money did not go missing nor was it misused, but rather these payments were not adequately supported by acknowledgement receipts or other documentation confirming receipt of the funds as required by accounting standards.
“If you look at the K65 million that is being referred to, it’s funds that went to the right places. However, there was no confirmation of receipt.”
Gubuduza said teams and committees receiving funds from NAM need to acknowledge receipt and provide the necessary documentation to support expenditure.
“It has to be signed off and receipted so that we can be able to have every expenditure supported by the appropriate documentation,” she said.
Gubuduza said that is why NAM included a capacity building training session and would ensure administrators and chairpersons take the message back to teams so that all funding received is properly accounted for.
Meanwhile, Gubuduza said the Malawi Queens’ performance will remain a major focus, particularly as NAM seeks to improve the team’s world ranking.
She said the association already started implementing measures aimed at improving the team’s performance, including the engagement of high-performance consultant Debbie Fuller and the introduction of sports science.
Meanwhile, NAM general secretary Yamikani Kauma said the AGM also made progress on the ongoing NAM Constitution review.
“Affiliates have been consulted in recent months as part of the review process being undertaken by Sportocal Sports Consultancy, who are our consultant,” she said.
Kauma said delegates at the AGM held a validation discussion on the proposed constitutional review and, after considering the views from affiliates, agreed that Sportocal should proceed with drafting the revised constitution.
