Civil society organisations (CSOs) in the mining sector have urged government to match the devolution of mining functions and responsibilities with adequate resources, clear institutional mandates and robust accountability mechanisms.
In a statement issued on August 13 in response to a July 10 2026 circular from the Ministry of Mining announcing the devolution of some of its functions, the CSOs, under the Malawi National Alternative Mining Indaba, said successful devolution must go beyond simply changing reporting structures.
“The transfer of functions must be matched by adequate financial, human and technical resources, clear institutional mandates, and robust accountability mechanisms that enable citizens to effectively participate in and oversee mining governance,” the CSOs stated.
But responding to the CSOs call in an interview yesterday, Ministry of Mining spokesperson Nandie Mambucha said the devolution process was still underway, with arrangements for the handover of resources and other related activities being worked out.
She said the process involves various stakeholders and that the ministry would communicate once the process is concluded.
“The ministry is doing something about that. It’s not like we have left the process. The devolution is still in progress,” said Mambucha.
The CSOs who made the call include Natural Resources Justice Network, ActionAid, Oxfam, NCA/DCA, Malawi Economic Justice Network, Malawi Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Malawi.
They argued that the devolution of mining governance represents an important turning point for Malawi’s extractive sector, noting that all stakeholders must ensure that mining contributes to inclusive development, protects community rights and delivers lasting benefits to present and future generations.
According to the CSOs, district councils must be provided with the financial, human, technical and material resources required to effectively carry out their mining-related responsibilities.
They further called for district mining offices to be adequately staffed and equipped, saying officers must have the technical capacity, equipment and operational resources to monitor mining activities and enforce applicable standards.
The CSOs also pushed for clearly defined roles and responsibilities as well as effective coordination among the Ministry of Mining, district councils, district commissioners, district mining officers and other institutions to prevent duplication.
They added that the devolution process must also meaningfully involve communities, particularly those affected by mining and promote the protection of human rights.
In the July 10 circular to district commissioners, Ministry of Mining Principal Secretary Rodwell Mzonde said the ministry was handing over some of its functions and responsibilities for the management of district mining offices to local government authorities with immediate effect.
The circular further directed that all district mining officers should report to district commissioners as their controlling officers.
To facilitate the devolution of responsibilities, human resources and financing, the ministry said it would hand over all related resources and relevant materials to the respective district commissioners.
The handover is part of the implementation of the ministry’s Sector Devolution Plan, developed in 2021 and approved by government through the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) in 2022.
The circular said the move was also in line with government’s broader public sector reforms and the implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy and Malawi 2063.
“As you are aware, the Malawi Government re-launched Public Sector Reforms (PSR) in 2018 with accelerated implementation of the National Decentralisation Policy (NDP) as one of the eight (8) priority areas,” reads the circular.
Going forward, the Local Government Authorities and the Local Government Service Commission will be responsible for the recruitment, promotion and deployment of staff.
