Malawi Speaker recommends reduction of slums
Speaker of Parliament Henry Chimunthu Banda Friday recommended a reduction in the number of slums in the country and asked Members of Parliament and Government to make proper allocation of resources to achieve this.
He said proper legislation on housing issues in the country could be one of the major factors to reduce slum like conditions in the country.
The Speaker said this during the opening of the 8th Annual Conference organised by Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Pacific, Africa and Caribbean (ALDEPAC) in collaboration with the Malawi National Assembly which runs from 25 to 28 April at Capital hotel in Lilongwe.
Chimunthu Banda said the conference will help Malawi learn experiences from other Members of Parliament from the other countries.
“The theme Africa and the Challenges of Urban Sustainability is a clear call to share experiences, learn from each other and find solutions to a wide range of social challenges that come as a result of urbanisation.
“I have no doubt that the robust debate that will be generated on the critical topics here will provide one giant step in exploring ways of addressing these challenges,” he said.
The Speaker said he was positive and that recommendations and resolutions that will come from the conference will be used by various agencies for the betterment of urban centers.
He therefore urged the Members of Parliament to make sure that issues emanating from the meeting find their way into parliament one way or another.
In his speech Niccolo Rinaldi, Co-President of ALDEPAC and Vice President of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe said the issue of urbanisation has been neglected for a long time and there is need to address such problems as soon as possible so that governments can be given a platform to sustain urban development.
He further said parliamentarians are crucial in dealing with these issues as they represent the people.
The Conference has brought together Members of Parliament from Europe and Africa with over 30 delegates in attendance.
Members of Parliament are expected to discuss issues surrounding urban governance, decentralisation, land management, exploitation of rural areas, women’s rights to property, public-private partnerships, eco-tourism and urban resilience.
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