African Bar Association (AfBA) president Hannibal Uwaifo has urged Malawi to continue upholding the rule of law to develop.

Speaking at a news conference in Lilongwe on Friday, Uwaifo applauded Malawi and Gambia for working hard to maintain the rule of law.

AfBA is expected to hold a four-day conference in the city from tomorrow where President Lazarus Chakwera will be the guest of honour.

Said Uwaifo: “The only pathway to Africa’s prosperity is the rule of law; you cannot oppress people and expect to make progress; you cannot violate the laws that you made and expect that people will cooperate with you. That is a disaster waiting to happen.

Uwaifo addresses the media in Lilongwe on Friday

“We can all make progress in rule of law and Malawi is an example of where we can begin; and we encourage Malawi to continue sustaining this path and be the torch light on the continent. We want our leaders to follow the path of law and make the continent make progress.”

He said they chose Malawi to host this year’s conference because of its track record in the rule of law.

“The [Malawi] Government is interested in democracy, promotes and defends the legal profession. There have not been any serious problems between the legal profession and government,” Uwaifo said.

On his part, Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo said the conference will be held under the theme Instituting an Enduring Legacy of Transparent and Accountable Governance in Africa: Basic Issues and Roadmap.

The conference is being hosted by AfBA and the Malawi Law Society is expected to bring together 750 legal minds from across the continent and beyond.

Said Mvalo: “They will deliberate topical issues around the theme while also offering practical and professional solutions to many governance challenges in various countries, including Malawi.

“The conference aims to institute an enduring and inter-generational legacy of transparent and accountable governance for the African continent while adding value that underlines African democracy.”

The AfBA was established in 1971 as a professional body uniting individual lawyers and national legal associations in Africa

The post  Malawi urged to uphold rule of law to develop appeared first on The Nation Online.