By Chisomo Phiri
Former President and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarus Chakwera has raised concerns over unreliable electricity supply and low crop prices, saying the challenges are making it difficult for farmers and small businesses to plan for the future.
Chakwera made the remarks on Sunday when he stopped at Chimbiya Market in Dedza while returning from the funeral of Professor Zamani Kadzamira.
Speaking to people at the market, Chakwera said unreliable electricity supply is affecting businesses and expressed concern over what he described as poor prices being offered to farmers for their produce.
“Electricity is not reliable. Here at Chimbiya, there is a market where people come to sell their goods. This year, they have simply been taken advantage of and offered very low prices. The farmer does not know what the future holds,” he said.
Chakwera: Electricity supply is not reliable
Chakwera said there is a need to ensure that farming becomes profitable for farmers while small businesses also benefit from reliable electricity.
“We want farming to benefit you. You, as small business owners, should be able to make profits, and electricity should not be a hindrance. But it appears that these things have been placed in the hands of people who should not be controlling them,” he said.
The former president also used the occasion to call for reconciliation, saying Malawians should forgive one another for disagreements and differences experienced in the past.
“This journey is mainly about forgiving one another because we did not agree and we did not understand each other. If you do not forgive, then God will not forgive us,” said Chakwera.
Chakwera served as Malawi’s sixth president from June 28, 2020, to October 4, 2025, after winning the court-ordered presidential fresh election held in June 2020.
Following the 2025 presidential election, he became a former president after Arthur Peter Mutharika returned to the presidency.
