Haiya Highlights Importance of Good Governance After AFIIA Forum
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) President, Fleetwood Haiya, says good governance remains the backbone of strong, credible and sustainable institutions following his participation at the 12th African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA) Governance Forum held in Cape Town, South Africa.
Haiya described the forum as an insightful and enriching experience that brought together governance, finance, audit, risk and compliance leaders from across Africa under the theme: “Strengthening governance as a driver of performance, resilience, accountability and ethical leadership.”
According to Haiya, the engagements at the conference reaffirmed that governance goes beyond compliance and should focus on building sustainable institutions grounded in integrity, transparency, discipline and accountability.
“One of the key lessons from the forum is that good governance is not merely about compliance, but about creating sustainable institutions built on integrity, transparency, discipline, accountability and strategic oversight,” said Haiya.
The FAM President highlighted the critical role Finance, Audit and Risk Committees play in ensuring prudent utilisation of resources, effective oversight, sound financial management, proactive risk management and ethical leadership.
Haiya also noted that discussions around Governance, Risk Management, Internal Audit and Board Oversight provided valuable insights on how institutions can strengthen accountability and improve performance.
He further described as enlightening the evolving role of Internal Audit, which he said is no longer limited to providing assurance but has become a strategic partner in value creation, performance improvement and organisational resilience.
“The conversations on emerging risks, governance dynamics, stakeholder expectations, ethics and integrity were timely and relevant to the challenges many institutions continue to face across the continent,” he added.
Haiya said the knowledge gained from the forum will greatly assist him in his role as Chairperson of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee at the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), where he aims to strengthen oversight, accountability, financial discipline and risk management in support of institutional excellence and national development.
He added that the lessons will also benefit institutions and boards he serves, including FAM, where governance, transparency, safeguarding of resources and strategic leadership remain key pillars in the association’s transformational agenda.
“Africa continues to rise when leadership, ethics, accountability and professionalism take centre stage,” concluded Haiya.
