Parliament yesterday passed the Economics Society of Malawi (Esoma) Bill to establish a legal framework for regulating economists and the economics profession in the country. The Bill strengthens oversight of the profession after noting that the Economics Association of Malawi (Ecama) lacks the legal mandate to register and discipline economists. Part of the Bill reads: “Being a mere association of professionals, it generally lacked the legal mandate to register and discipline economists in Malawi. “We hear people on social media commenting on issues as economists when they do not have expertise in economics. This law will give recognition to qualified economists,” he said.