Political expert Dr Albert Sharra says artificial intelligence could improve legislative research, monitor public spending and reduce administrative inefficiencies, but warns that poor digital infrastructure, limited AI literacy and inadequate data protection policies could hinder adoption.
Artificial intelligence (AI) could help Malawi’s Parliament improve the quality of legislation, strengthen oversight of government spending and make parliamentary records more accessible, provided the technology is introduced alongside adequate training, reliable infrastructure and robust data protection safeguards, Dr Albert Sharra has told DNE Africa.
The recipient of the Commonwealth Split-site scholarship said AI could help lawmakers analyse legislation, government policies and parliamentary reports more efficiently, enabling them to make better-informed decisions and improve the quality of parliamentary debates.
However, he warned that low digital literacy among parliamentarians, resistance to new technologies, slow internet connections and the absence of a comprehensive AI policy could undermine efforts to integrate the technology into parliamentary work.
Sharra’s remarks come amid calls for Malawian lawmakers to embrace AI and other technological tools to improve legislative research, develop laws that respond to changing social needs and strengthen parliamentary scrutiny of government policies and public expenditure.
In an exclusive interview with DNE Africa, Sharra outlined how AI could support legislative research, parliamentary inquiries, public spending monitoring and administrative accountability, while stressing that its adoption should be gradual and guided by clear institutional policies.
What are the main barriers to integrating AI into Malawi’s Parliament?
Dr Sharra: The main barriers include low digital literacy among parliamentarians, a challenge that extends across the public service and affects the adoption and use of digital technologies. This is also one of the factors hindering the digitalisation of public services.
There is also reluctance to adopt digital technologies, including AI, in workplaces across Malawi. This is largely driven by limited AI literacy and negative perceptions, particularly fears that AI will replace human beings.
Other challenges include inadequate digital infrastructure, low-performance devices and slow internet connections.
Malawi also lacks a comprehensive AI policy to guide the technology’s use. This is particularly important in a country where the development and enactment of the Data Protection Act were rushed, in my view, to tick boxes.
Data protection is not only about safeguarding personal information; it must also cover aggregated data. Parliamentary deliberations touch on virtually every major issue affecting the country, making it essential to establish policies and laws that guide AI adoption in Parliament and protect national data from misuse.
How could AI improve legislative research and the quality of lawmaking in Malawi?
Sharra: If adopted, AI could benefit Malawi significantly if integrated into every aspect of parliamentary work.
It could help parliamentarians summarise and analyse reports, policies and legislation quickly and efficiently, improving legislative research and the lawmaking process.
Our laws place limited emphasis on the educational qualifications required of members of Parliament, and many MPs struggle to read and analyse legislation and reports in depth. AI could help bridge this gap by summarising reports, statements, policies and laws, ultimately improving parliamentary efficiency and the quality of debate.
For example, Parliament’s Hansard Department holds large volumes of documents in both print and digital formats. Many of these records are not consulted by parliamentarians because of limited access and time constraints.
AI could make it easier for MPs to search for and retrieve documents with a few clicks. It could also streamline the documentation of parliamentary proceedings, reduce staff workloads and help build a more comprehensive digital archive.
These records would become easier to access and analyse, benefiting not only Parliament but also the wider public.
How could AI strengthen parliamentary oversight of government programmes and public resources?
Sharra: AI could significantly strengthen Parliament’s oversight function by improving its ability to examine information, compare evidence and scrutinise government decisions.
For example, Parliament is currently conducting an inquiry into the plane crash that killed the Vice-President. Parliamentary clerks are dealing with large volumes of documents as they prepare a final report.
AI could be particularly useful in such circumstances. If an earlier inquiry had examined the same plane crash, AI could help compare the previous findings with the evidence being considered in the current inquiry before the final report is prepared.
Instead, parliamentary staff must undertake much of this work manually, consuming days and resources that could be used elsewhere. Some questions raised by committee members also suggest that relevant findings in the earlier report have not been fully read or understood.
This illustrates why AI is needed in such situations. For Parliament to fulfil its oversight responsibilities effectively, it must be able to access, understand and analyse large amounts of information. AI could enhance that capacity.
Could AI help Malawi monitor government policy implementation, public expenditure and service delivery?
Sharra: Malawi has been implementing e-government initiatives under its digitalisation programme. Integrating AI into this programme, particularly in key institutions such as Parliament, could help monitor policy implementation, public expenditure and service delivery.
Many of these activities currently involve complicated and resource-intensive processes. We need to reach a point where parliamentary committees can log into a system and see how government institutions are spending public money.
Such a system could reduce the substantial costs associated with physical monitoring exercises and allow Parliament to identify problems more efficiently.
Could AI also improve parliamentary administration and reduce the misuse of public funds?
Sharra: AI could improve administrative efficiency, including by helping address absenteeism among MPs and the payment of allowances to members who do not attend parliamentary sessions.
AI-enabled systems could monitor attendance registers and automatically transmit attendance records to the relevant accounts departments, helping ensure that allowances are paid only to members who have attended the required sessions.
This could save public money and reduce absenteeism.
However, these benefits cannot be achieved without proper training, faster internet connections and the provision of high-quality devices.
What should Malawi prioritise if it wants to integrate AI into parliamentary work responsibly?
Sharra: I would advise the government and Parliament to consider integrating AI into their operations, from administration to legislative research and oversight. However, the process should not be rushed.
The first step should be to provide adequate training in generative AI to all parliamentarians and full-time parliamentary staff. The Malawi School of Government could play an important role in delivering this training and promoting responsible AI use.
Secondly, Parliament should develop its own AI policy in line with the government’s AI policy, once established, and the Data Protection Act.
Rather than relying on any generative AI tools available on the market, Parliament should consider developing or adopting an institutional AI platform that protects sensitive data from exposure to external actors.
Lessons could be drawn from AI platforms used by universities. Malawi does not yet have such a platform, but one is expected to emerge, potentially providing a starting point for institutional adoption.
Ultimately, AI should be introduced as part of a broader institutional transformation, supported by training, appropriate infrastructure and policies that protect data while enabling Parliament to work more efficiently.
