Dialogue 2: with Honourable Dr. Owen Chomanika – The Minister for Natural Resources and Climate Change
The Dialogue Series – Discussions with our leaders and champions –
Lilongwe, Malawi– February 2025
“Lake Malawi is part of our life” – Malawi leading regional cooperation for sustainable inland fisheries
“Lake Malawi is part of our life” says Dr Owen Chomanika, Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change, as he began discussions in this the second episode of ‘discussions with our leaders and champions’. Talking to Dr. Alexander Shula Kefi, Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre (MCSCC) representative about why Malawi has engaged in regional cooperation, he noted how more than two decades ago, in 2001, SADC Heads of State and Government had gathered in Blantyre, Malawi, to sign the SADC Protocol on Fisheries.
This was a milestone demonstrating SADC’s commitment to protecting the region’s living aquatic resources and ecosystems, both marine and inland. For Malawi, where fisheries play a vital role, signing the Protocol was a natural step. “Most of our life depends on the lake,” said Minister Dr Owen Chomanika. He explained that the Lake provides multiple benefits to the people of Malawi and is central to the government’s development strategy. “A large part of the population relies on the lake for their livelihood. This is one of the elements that can help our people escape poverty,” he said.
The Lake is a vital source of food and nutrition, offering high-quality protein to communities living nearby and to the wider Malawian population. It also generates important economic benefits through tourism and trade, including the export of ornamental fish species, which are highly sought after by aquarists worldwide. The Minister stressed Malawi’s commitment to ensuring that the Lake continues to provide these crucial benefits. However, he warned that the Lake’s resources are under increasing pressure. Illegal fishing activities — including fishing in closed areas, fishing during closed seasons, and the use of prohibited fishing nets — are becoming serious problems. “Illegal fishing is the biggest challenge,” he said. “If we do not monitor and control it, we risk losing our fisheries and seeing them decline.”
Malawi places a high value on regional cooperation in fisheries and has always regarded it as a key tool for raising the standard of fisheries management. In a region where countries often face similar challenges, particularly regarding illegal fishing, the regional sharing of experiences is a significant asset. “Therefore, we are committed to all innovations and protocols that support us in improving our monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) on the lake,” the Minister said.
Another reason for Malawi’s strong commitment to regional cooperation is that the Lake, and its management, are not solely Malawi’s responsibility. The Lake is shared with Mozambique and Tanzania, and so too are its benefits and responsibilities. The Minister emphasised that illegal fishing occurs across the entire Lake, noting that “if we do not cooperate, combatting illegal fishing will be difficult.”
Demonstrating its commitment, Malawi has signed the Charter establishing the SADC Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre (MCSCC), which aims to strengthen MCS coordination across the region. This includes sharing lessons, pooling information, collaborating on training, harmonising procedures, and exploring new technologies in partnership with other SADC countries to find innovative and appropriate solutions for improving fisheries MCS. Malawi is firmly committed to the operationalisation of the MCSCC and is taking a leadership role, hoping to encourage other countries to engage fully in regional cooperation. “We will continue to lead because it is our concern. It is part of our national agenda to ensure that we work regionally to manage and protect our resources,” said the Minister.
The Minister also acknowledged that effective protection of the Lake can only be achieved if appropriate resources are allocated to MCS. However, the shortage of human and infrastructural resources remains a widespread challenge across the region. “We need to act and invest despite the financial challenges we may be facing; we need to invest in our people and in our Lake,” the Minister urged, calling for prioritisation of measures to protect the region’s fisheries.
Joining forces through the MCSCC offers an opportunity to generate technical and financial support from partners willing to assist the region in its efforts towards sustainable fisheries. Dr Kefi explained that combining environmental, social, and financial sustainability lies at the heart of a key function the MCSCC is establishing: the Regional Register of Fishing Vessels (RRFV). He outlined how eligible fishing vessels will be listed in this Register, contributing to the sustainability of the regional MCSCC and providing a valuable tool for fisheries management and MCS. Dr Kefi stated, “The Register can help mobilise funds that will be used for the control of our natural resources,” — a necessity that the Minister also recognises, and an area where Malawi stands ready to share its experience in mobilising support to realise more than two decades of regional commitments to protect our fisheries.
THE DIALOGUE SERIES: DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR LEADERS AND CHAMPIONS
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) prioritises fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to protect the region’s people, waters and economy from the devastating impacts of illegal fishing. The SADC is coordinating and driving regional monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) collaboration through the SADC MCS Coordination Centre (MCSCC), which was established in 2023. The establishment of the MCSCC is a long-awaited and historical milestone for the SADC fisheries sector. It is the culmination of over two decades of regional commitments to improving cooperation and promoting responsible and sustainable use of all fisheries resources in the SADC region – both inland and marine resources. The priority is now on operationalising the MCSCC, for the benefit of all Member States and their population. To sustain these commitments and support those next steps, the MCSCC has engaged in a series of dialogues with our leaders and champions to share the voices of those supporting and leading the changes that we need to make to protect our fisheries and to move towards our common future.
The dialogue series was made possible thanks to the support of the Waterloo Foundation and Oceans Five through the Oceans Vigilance project of the MCSCC.
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