UNIMA Legal Clinics and Zomba CSOs Explore Collaboration Opportunities

The Department of Public Law and Clinical Legal Education in the School of Law, Economics, and Government on 2nd October, 2025 held an interface meeting between Zomba-based civil society organizations (CSOs) and the University’s legal clinics.

The meeting, which was attended by representatives from various civil society organizations, the Head of the Department of Public Law and Clinical Legal Education, Dr. Ngcimezile Mweso, and representatives of the legal clinics, provided a platform for both groups, which share common goals of promoting justice, development, and the rule of law, to exchange ideas, understand each other’s focus areas, and explore avenues for collaboration that can amplify their impact in local communities.

Discussions during the meeting highlighted several promising areas for partnership such as student internships and legal support, where CSOs expressed interest in hosting students to assist with legal research and, where possible, provide supervised legal assistance.

The parties also discussed potential collaboration in joint projects and advocacy where students will be supporting CSOs’ efforts in offering advice and assistance across various areas of law they encounter in their line of work.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Nicholas Mwisama, Chairperson of the Zomba CSOs Network, noted that the two sides have similar areas of interest and therefore need to collaborate.

“These legal clinics deal with issues related to child rights, civil rights, HIV and AIDS, climate change and development, and criminal justice. These directly speak to the thematic areas of our network,” he said.

He further explained that, as a CSO network, when implementing projects and conducting advocacy for quality service delivery, they often encounter legal challenges that hinder progress and the collaboration with the legal clinics will enable students to provide the much needed legal support to the CSOs.

This engagement marks a significant step toward strengthening partnerships between UNIMA’s legal clinics and civil society organizations, creating practical learning opportunities for students while advancing justice and development in the communities they serve.