By EricJames Ochigbo

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has urged the Government of Malawi to establish an embassy in Nigeria for stronger legislative diplomacy between both countries.

The Director- General (D-G) of the institute, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, made the call at a workshop organised for members of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) and members of Malawian Parliament in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the workshop is “Repositioning Parliamentary Administration in a Changing Global Environment”.

Sulaiman said that Nigeria and Malawi were Commonwealth countries that shared diplomatic relations dating back to 1964.

According to him, since then, both countries have continued to trade with each other even as Malawi continues to seek opportunities in Nigeria’s mining sector.

Sulaiman said that the two countries had continued to strengthen bilateral ties that aimed to strengthen electoral and democratic systems.

“Although Malawi has optimised the advantage of its embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to coordinate diplomatic relations with many countries, including Nigeria, Malawi does not have an embassy in Nigeria.

“While efforts are ongoing for Malawi to have an embassy in Nigeria, I call on the government to accelerate efforts to have an embassy here, just as Nigeria has a High Commission in Malawi,” he said.

Addressing newsmen on the sidelines of the event, Sulaiman observed that most countries in Africa related with one another, shared opportunities and experiences, only within the context of the executive.

He further expressed optimism that the continent could also gain so much benefit from parliamentary diplomacy.

“So, what are we doing in this regard over the year? It’s not just about honing the skills of Nigerian parliament but trying to extend such skills and services to Parliament, within Africa,” he said.

The D-G noted that there were so many challenges in Africa bordering on insecurity, economic growth, unemployment, and trade relations that could be easily addressed through parliamentary diplomacy and not only through the executive arm.

Sulaiman, therefore, said that NILDS had the required capacity, resources, logistics, and the infrastructure to render legislative and democratic services to parliaments across Africa.

Earlier, the First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Malawi, Mr Modalsto Kazombo, said that the workshop came at a critical time when efforts were on going to reposition the Parliament of Malawi.

Kazombo said that the PSC of Malawi was working on various strategies aimed at making the parliament a people-centered institution that was responsive, accountable, and efficient in fulfilling its legislative oversight and representative functions.

“We want a better Africa, we want our people to know where the problem is. We lose young men when they try to cross the oceans, going to Europe, yet if we could play our cards well, our young men wouldn’t think of migrating.

“So, it is high time that parliament took charge, but that can happen when parliamentarians are well trained.

“That’s why Malawi thought of sending the commissioners to come here, get trained so we are able to have a better parliament in Malawi,” he said.

Kazombo said that having looked at the content of the training, he was very sure the training aligned well with the ongoing efforts of PSC.

He expressed confidence that the PSC would be able to gain professional development of staff, improved institutional performance, and ultimately, the realisation of the Malawian Parliament Strategic Plan. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Nyisom Fiyigon Dore