President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera returned home on Sunday evening following a bilateral meeting with Democratic Republic of Congo President, Felix Tshisekedi in the capital Kinshasa.
On the agenda were issues surrounding Malawi Defence Force soldiers currently on a peace keeping mission in Eastern DRC.
Thousands of Malawi Congress Party Supporters including cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament and several government defied the veil of darkness to welcome the first citizen.
President Chakwera and President Tshisekedi
Some of the renowned faces spotted at the airport include; UTM Secretary General Patricia Kaliati and the party’s spokesperson Hon Felix Njawala who were accompanied by tens of supoorters.
President Tshisekedi invited Chakwera to hold urgent in-person talks with him on regional security matters that affect Malawi Defence Force troops currently deployed for peacekeeping activities in the Eastern DRC.
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has accused Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for the recent firing of some of its members.
MCP says these actions by the largest opposition party undermine the democratic principles that underpin the importance of member consultation, participation, and tolerance in decision-making processes, as well as to the political rights and freedom of association that all Malawians are granted by the country’s constitution.
MCP Publicity Secretary Ezekiel Peter Ching’oma
The message is contained in a statement which MCP Publicity Secretary Ezekiel Peter Ching’oma has signed and issued.
The statement further says these actions are undemocratic which are also undermining both democracy of our country as well as its principles urging that a party has to be open to dissenting opinions and ideas of its members and provide channels for constructive criticism, feedback and reconciliation.
“By summarily dismissing its members using a process that lacks transparency, the DPP has set a dangerous precedent that threatens the democratic fabric of our society,” reads part of the statement.
MCP is therefore calling upon leadership of DPP to live up to the principles of democracy and reconsider its actions and join other parties in Malawi in adopting a more inclusive and transparent spirit that is commensurate with the desire of Malawians for an inclusive democratic developmental state.
Political commentators have been accusing Peter Mutharika for failing to run the party affairs.
Ministry of Education, through Malawi Institute of Education (MIE), on Saturday, engaged the general public in Blantyre in reviewing education curriculum for pre-school, primary, secondary and teacher training education institutions to ensure that they align with the Malawi 2063.
Speaking during the consultative meeting, Minister of Education, Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima observed that the existing curricula has become long overdue to respond to the current needs of Malawians and aspirations of the MW2063 agenda.
Minister of Education, Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima speaking
“Education curricula drives socio-economic development by setting education standards that aim to equip learners with knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for personal and national growth.
“To achieve this, the curriculum has to regularly be reviewed so that education contents and goals align to economic prosperity and technological advancement for wealth creation,” said Kambauwa Wirima.
Wirima expressed optimism that the input which has been presented in the meeting from the general public, will assist in developing a balanced, realistic and relevant curriculum to achieve high standards of education in the country.
In his remarks, MIE Executive Director, Frank Mtemangombe concurred with Wirima, saying there was need to review the curricula to respond to the needs of the ever-changing socio-economic landscape.
According to Mtemangombe, primary school curriculum is reviewed every eight years but the current one has exceeded the stipulated years since it was last reviewed in 2007.
“Similarly, secondary school curriculum was last reviewed in 2015, yet it is supposed to be reviewed every four years. Likewise, teacher training curriculum is reviewed every two years, but it was last reviewed in 2018,” Mtemangombe said.
In his remarks, Educationalist Andy Manyondo hailed government for the exercise and urged authorities to include in the new curriculum inclusive education to enable learners attain full potential in life.
The consultative meeting attracted academia, business tycoons, parents and faith leaders among others.
Muvi wa Chilungamo Revolutionary Party (MRP) says Malawi is in deep crisis of economic, constitutional, political and social turmoil because President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera does not keep his word.
MRP says to show that President Chakwera does not know what he is doing and that he is a man of his words, he has defied his own words by making a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) just to witness the Swearing in ceremony of President of the DRC Felix Tshisekedi.
President Dr. Lazarus Mccarthy Chakwera defied his own words flying to DRC
The Party says President Chakwera directed austerity measures and directed that no Minister or Principal Secretary must take international or regional trips out of Malawi and that all the fuel and travel allowances allocated be trimmed by half.
In a statement signed by its President and Commander in Chief Bantu Saunders Jumah, MRP says unfortunately, with the measures in place, Ministers and members of cabinet kept travelling and there is no proof that there were deductions in the allocation of travel allowances.
The MRP has claimed that seeing that the directives were not working and that his economic strategies were not functioning and that the Kwacha lost its value by 44 percent, President Chakwera again directed “Volume 2” Austerity measures by banning all international trips of all civil servants including all trips he planned.
The Party says President Chakwera also commanded civil servants who were outside the country to come back and their trips cut short in order to save the ailing economy unfortunately, more than three Ministers were abroad and none of them came back as per the president’s directive.
The MRP has cautioned President Chakwera not to take Malawi and its citizens for granted observing that he is breaking his own declaration proving his complete failure of the country lamenting that the President thinks that citizens of Malawi are fools or cannot be able to hold him accountable.
“This country respects and admires the Office of the President but in Chakwera’s 4 years in office, he has diluted, belittled, humiliated, and mocked the highest office, a President of the country must be thoughtful, devoted, resolute, acute and a promise-keeper,” reads part of the statement.
The MRP says President Chakwera has clearly shown his failure and is not fit to hold such an office calling on the government of President Chakwera to realize that this country is not amused of his dishonest saying citizens are disappointed.
The party has claimed that a President who does not walk his talk, who does not keep his word and who forgets what he promises, risks the country into chaos, havoc and turmoil observing that this is the state Malawi is, it is in pandemonium, in destruction and in confusion.
The MRP says as a new political party coming to change the political, economic and social trajectory of Malawi, condemn and fault President Chakwera for the mess the country is in observing that no country will stop corruption when the president is a liar.
The party has further claimed that no country can develop when the president does not honour his words, and no country can move forward when and if the President of the country runs or governs in dishonesty and distortions.
I want to provide leadership that makes everybody prosper, that deals decisively with corruption and theft of public funds and a leadership that will follow the rule of law,” President Reverend Lazarus Chakwera told the BBC. – 28 June 2020_
The fiscal deficit remains high despite efforts towards fiscal consolidation. The Malawi Economic Monitor (MEM) emphasizes the restoration of macroeconomic stability, the support for growth recovery, and the protection of the poor from shocks. The Special Theme of the 17th MEM highlights that Malawi’s rate of electricity access is among the lowest in the world, and enhancing electricity access is key for economic development and the achievement of Malawi 2063.
The Malawi Economic Monitor (MEM) is a biannual World Bank report series. The MEM provides an analysis of economic and structural development issues and prospects in Malawi. The publication intends to foster better-informed policy analysis and debate regarding the key challenges that Malawi faces in its endeavor to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth. It is intended for a wide audience, including policy makers, business leaders, financial market participants, academia, and civil society organizations engaged in Malawi’s evolving economy.
December 2020
The pandemic induced a sharp recession in many countries across the globe. Malawi’s economy was heavily affected, with growth projected at 1.0 percent in 2020, down from earlier projections of 4.8 percent. With population growth around 3.0 percent, this represented a 2.0 percent contraction in per capita GDP. Global and domestic factors emanating from the pandemic are affecting Malawi’s economy, including: 1) disruption in global value chains and trade and logistics; 2) decrease in tourism; and 3) decrease in remittances. Lower international oil prices, on the other hand, helped reduce the import bill and alleviated fuel and transportation price pressures.
Services and industry sectors were particularly hard hit, leading to a heavier impact in urban areas. However, favorable weather conditions supported a strong agricultural harvest, particularly for maize, which was supporting growth and food security. Yet, production of key export crops, particularly tobacco, declined. Poverty reduction in Malawi has stagnated in the last 15 years and is expected to worsen with the pandemic. The account deficit was projected to expand to 19.6 percent of GDP in 2020, up from 17.8 percent in 2019.
June 2021
Malawi was affected by a severe second wave of COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases starting in the last weeks of 2020. Case numbers peaked in January and gradually subsided through April, when restrictions were relaxed. Growth in 2020 was strongly affected by the pandemic, falling to an estimated 0.8 percent, down from pre-pandemic projections of 4.8 percent. The pandemic’s impact on the services and industry sectors was partially offset by a strong agricultural harvest.
Services and industry slumped amid the ongoing disruptions caused by the pandemic to global value chains and trade and logistics, decreases in tourism and remittances, and dampened demand due to social distancing measures. Agricultural production estimates for 2021 were strong, but the pandemic still weighed on economic activity. Maize production was expected to increase to 4.5 million tons, a 17 percent increase over 2020’s bumper harvest. Business sentiment was showing some improvement in early 2021 but was still below pre-pandemic levels.
December 2021
Economic growth was projected to pick up from 0.8 percent in 2020 to 2.4 percent in 2021, primarily driven by one-time increases in the agricultural sector. With a population growth rate around 3.0 percent, however, this level of economic growth equated to a contraction in per capita output. Favorable weather, as well as increased fertilizer use due to the Affordable Inputs Program (AIP), led to record harvests. While agriculture accounts for the bulk of overall growth, growth in services and industry sectors improved but remained tepid. Malawi began a fourth wave of infections induced by the Omicron variant, and the Government modestly tightened restrictions.
With less stringent social distancing policies, demand improved from low levels. However, the private sector still faced multiple concerns which weighed on performance and investment. These included limited availability of foreign exchange, compulsory liquidation of foreign exchange, inflation on imported items (particularly fuel), perceptions of heavy taxation, limited credit, and cumbersome regulation. Headline inflation increased to double digits in November and prices increase heightened concerns about the cost of living.
June 2022
The 15th Edition of the MEM underscored significant deterioration in the government’s finances, with the deficit reaching its highest level in over a decade. Malawi’s economic growth was expected to decline further due to these chronic imbalances, which heightened by severe weather events. The Ukraine-Russia war added a new crisis to what was already a challenging economic climate, with rising prices for fuel, fertilizer and other commodities impacting foreign reserves and exerted pressure on inflation.
While risks to the Malawian economy tilted to the downside, the government begun implementing critical policy reforms that were aimed to address macroeconomic imbalances and secure a recovery. In the context of these fiscal constraints, the Special Theme of the 15th MEM highlighted the importance of deepening fiscal decentralization, strengthening the intergovernmental fiscal transfer system, and delivering quality services that reach poor and vulnerable households.
December 2022
The combined effects of adverse weather, acute foreign exchange shortages, disruptions to electricity, and the high rate of inflation, meant Malawi continued to face an economic slowdown. This report showed the emerging impacts of the economic crisis where higher government spending continued to widen the fiscal deficit, exerting pressure on the government’s fiscal consolidation plans. Malawi’s public debt was assessed to be in distress, though ongoing debt restructuring negotiations helped ensure debt sustainability over the medium term.
July 2023
Malawi’s economy continued to struggle amidst a devastating cyclone, rising inflation and a protracted macro-fiscal crisis. The economy weakened by foreign exchange shortages that constrained the importation of essential commodities and production inputs as well as a generally unfavorable external environment. The fiscal deficit remained high despite efforts towards fiscal consolidation. The MEM emphasized the restoration of macroeconomic stability, the support for growth recovery, and the protection of the poor from shocks. The Special Theme of the 17th MEM highlighted that Malawi’s rate of electricity access was among the lowest in the world, and enhancing electricity access was key for economic development and the achievement of Malawi 2063.
