Minister of Justice Titus Mvalo, SC, with EU's Head of Cooperation George Dura handing over vehicles
The Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) has received two state-of-the-art motor vehicles to ease transport challenges in delivering legal aid services to vulnerable Malawians.
The two brand-new SUVs, procured under the European Union (EU)-funded Chilungamo Programme, will boost the Bureau’s fleet and enhance access to justice in hard-to-reach areas.
At a handover ceremony held in Lilongwe today, the EU also presented additional vehicles and motorcycles to the Malawi Prison Service, Malawi Police Service, and the Office of the Ombudsman. The event further saw the signing of the Chilungamo Programme Year Two work plans and the launch of a financial accounting system and a document repository system.
Speaking during the ceremony, Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice, Allison Mbang’ombe, SC, pointed out that the newly launched systems would strengthen transparency and efficiency in justice delivery.
The financial accounting system is expected to assist implementing partners in budgeting, processing disbursement requests, tracking expenditures, producing results-based monitoring and evaluation, and approving transactions. Meanwhile, the document repository system will serve as a central access point for storing and retrieving reports and other project-related documents.
Describing the EU’s support as a milestone, the Solicitor General noted that the vehicles and systems will significantly improve mobility for lawyers and officers working in Courts and various communities.
Minister of Justice, Titus Mvalo, SC, assured the EU that the resources would be put to good use. He also urged all implementing partners to diligently execute the tasks outlined in the newly signed work plans.
Minister Mvalo also called on the EU to continue strengthening its partnership with Malawi, dating back to 1975, by channeling additional resources into the Chilungamo Programme for greater impact.
EU Head of Cooperation, George Dura, expressed satisfaction with the progress made by justice sector institutions under the programme, highlighting their role in expanding access to justice and protecting human rights.
Beneficiaries of the Chilungamo Programme II include LAB, Office of the Ombudsman, Malawi Human Rights Commission, Malawi Police Service, Malawi Prison Service, the Judiciary, and the Ministry of Justice.
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