By Wadza Botomani

President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has issued a strong condemnation against business entities engaged in hoarding goods, labeling the practice a primary driver behind the critical shortages of essential commodities and the alarming rise in prices across the country.

The President delivered his remarks on Tuesday at Mpingu Trading Centre in the area of Traditional Authority M’bwatalika, where he addressed a crowd as part of his ongoing campaign trail. He demanded an immediate cessation of this activity, framing it not just as an economic issue but as a profound moral failing, and stressed the urgent need for greater patriotism and love for one another among all Malawians.

The President lamented the severe and punitive effects of hoarding, noting that its consequences are felt most acutely within rural communities. In these areas, he explained, the artificial inflation of prices for basic goods leaves citizens with desperately few alternatives, effectively holding them hostage to unscrupulous market forces.

In a related address on national development, Chakwera also condemned the widespread implementation of substandard construction projects in various districts, describing the practice as entirely counterproductive to the nation’s progress. He reaffirmed his government’s determination to build durable infrastructure that would serve communities for years to come and issued a direct instruction to all District Commissioners to personally inspect projects within their jurisdictions to ensure strict adherence to agreed-upon quality and standards.

Adding to the day’s discourse, aspiring Member of Parliament and Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Jean Sendeza, expressed her gratitude to President Chakwera for his commitment to gender equality. She specifically thanked him for appointing a significant number of women to key decision-making positions within his administration.

Furthermore, Minister Sendeza commended the government for its transformative National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) loan initiative, highlighting its substantial positive impact on empowering countless Malawians, with particular benefits for the nation’s youth and women.