President Lazarus Chakwera hopes the outcomes of the 51st Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum currently underway in Lilongwe will help come up with meaningful solutions to deal with energy challenges rocking the region.

He has further asked national legislatures “to enact green energy responsive legislation, allocating adequate funding to mitigate the effects of climate change and also provide the necessary oversight over the energy sector.”

The Malawi leader says the energy insecurity is a threat to our very democracy.

“Since our democracy is like a coat of many colours, we must realize that we cannot consolidate the gains thereof when our people are struggling with energy needs due to scarcity, inequitable distribution and ever increasing prices,” explains Chakwera.

In her remarks, Malawi’s Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara has urged countries in the SADC region to embrace local solutions to energy challenges.

The plenary assembly, hosted in Malawi for the third time, is being held under the theme: “Towards energy sufficiency, sustainability and self-sufficiency in the SADC region.”

It runs from 7th to 16th July 2022.