Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) and the National Advocacy Platform (NAP) have piled pressure on the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to respect the authority of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Catherine Gotani Hara, concerning the status of the Leader of Opposition.
In separate statements, EAM and NAP have urged DPP to desist from causing chaos in parliament, but rather wait until the matter is conclusively resolved in court.
On Monday, DPP lawmakers caused chaos in parliament following an announcement by Hara that Nankhumwa would continue serving as Leader of Opposition due to the court order still in operation.
Apparently, DPP legislators wanted their recent appointee, Mary Thom Navicha, to respond to the SONA instead.
This forced Hara to expel 25 MPs for protesting against Nankhumwa responding to President Chakwera’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Parliamentary sessions resumed on Wednesday with empty opposition benches
But since Tuesday, all the DPP MPs resorted to boycott parliamentary proceedings in solidarity with the ejected MPs.
But EAM General Secretary, Francis Mkandawire, has condemned the direction taken by the DPP lawmakers.
Mkandawire urged the disgruntled MPs to given the court time to resolve the matter.
He also appealed to the courts to give the matter the urgency that it deserves so that sanity is restored in Parliament.
On the other hand, NAP national chairperson Benedicto Kondowe, challenged DPP to rise beyond politics and resolve their differences as it is holding the nation at ransom.
Addressing journalists in Lilongwe on Wednesday, Kondowe said it is imperative that members of Parliament prioritise addressing the pressing issues affecting Malawians and unequivocally uphold the rule of law.
“The significance of both the State of the Nation Address and the budget statement extends far beyond the confines of Parliament,” he said.
He further urged the court to expedite the DPP cases to resolve the matter.
“While we respect its independence, we urge the judiciary to prioritise the swift resolution of this matter. We believe that the judiciary holds a responsibility to address issues promptly in pursuit of justice,” said Kondowe.
Member of Parliament for Ntcheu Central Constituency, Dr Albert Mbawala, has asked Malawians to stay focused and continue supporting President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera in his development agenda.
Mbawala, who belongs to the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), said President Chakwera has lined up a number of development projects to benefit all Malawians irrespective of their region and political party affiliation.
He made the sentiments on Tuesday during his contribution to the State of the Nation Address (SONA), which the President delivered in the National Assembly on Friday.
Mbawala stressed the need for Malawians, including MPs, to be focused if Malawi is to achieve the social and economic aspirations spelt in the SONA.
Citing the story of Jesus Christ, who accomplished his mission in three years, Mbawala said Chakwera has managed to identify root cause behind the ailing Malawi economy in the three of his administration and that he is now investing his efforts towards healing it through the agriculture, tourism and mining (ATM) strategy.
Member of Parliament for Ntcheu Central Constituency, Dr Albert Mbawala
He added that President Chakwera has demonstrated seriousness by coming up with policies that will fast-track the healing process.
But Mbawala chided lack of seriousness among main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as evidenced by their unruly behaiin parliament on Monday.
He challenged that Malawi cannot develop with such an attitude from people highly respected by the voting citizens.
Mbawala reminded the august House that the setting of the Mining Framework is enough evidence that Chakwera is serious about transforming Malawi.
“He is serious about developing Malawi, we need to support him. I call upon Malawians, lets support President Chakwera, for he means well for this nation.
He is a serious leader who has a mission to develop Malawi by giving Malawians food, jobs, and wealth” said the legislator while quoting scripture from the book of Job Chapter 14:7-9.
Mbawala, while speaking as a preacher, ended his contribution by urgiy Malawians to unite and put politics aside in order for the country to enjoy meaningful development it deserves.
The Catholic Church in Malawi has emphasized the need for the government and its development partners to increase investment in education for the country to achieve Malawi 2063 (MW2063) agenda.
Father Deusdetit Kanyambo made the remarks during the opening of new school blocks at Likuni Boys Open Secondary School in Lilongwe on Friday.
The blocks have been built with financial support from the Johannes-Beese Stiftung Foundation (JBS).
Kanyambo observed that good health, good facilities and right infrastructure are key components in promoting school attendance and performance among the learners.
“If a community is to improve its economic and social well-being, it needs people with the right experience and the right education. If today’s new school blocks can play a small part in encouraging students to go on and improve their education and find worthwhile jobs, it is good news for both the students and their families,” he said.
Father Kanyambo handing over a symbolic key to Brother Chirambo
He encouraged the students to make full use of the new learning facilities to improve their education and contribute to their country’s progress by achieving full and rewarding lives in the future.
In his remarks, Likuni Boys Secondary School head teacher, Brother Boniface Chirambo, said the new classroom blocks had come at the right time when the school was facing an unprecedented increase in the number of new learners enrolling with the open school.
Chirambo expressed hope that the new facilities will create a conducive learning environment for the learners.
A government representative at the function, who is also Central West Education Division Manager, Joseph Nkhata, appealed to the students to desist from damaging property whenever a misunderstanding with the school management arises.
Meanwhile, JBS Country Representative Moses Kasitomu has pledged that the foundation will construct additional learning blocks at the school.
President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has emphasized the need for university students to play a role in shaping the future of Malawi.
Chakwera, who was addressing representatives from the Malawi Public Universities Union at the Kamuzu Palace on Tuesday, challenged the students to excel against all imposed limitations and strive for greater achievements.
The union encompasses all six universities in the country and the meeting was aimed at emphasizing a collaborative effort towards a brighter future for Malawi.
Speaking on behalf of the students’ body, Alexander Kude expressed gratitude to the President for the union’s engagement on significant matters, and commended him for his instrumental role in driving positive change Wishing the nation.
Kude specifically highlighted the developmental significance of Inkosi Mbelwa University, recognizing it as a key opportunity to expand educational access and contribute to the nation’s long-term vision.
President Chakwera with representatives of the six public universities
“We are glad that your administration is working on the completion of the Inkosi Mbelwa University.”
Kude also expressed the union’s appreciation for the recent increase in students’ allowances from MK200,000 to MK350,000, emphasizing the importance of this decision in supporting the student community.
Assuring the union that their concerns would be addressed, President Chakwera pledged to positively consider their request for a further review of funds and emphasized the need for transparency in loan disbursement.
He expressed appreciation for the students’ recognition of his efforts in initiatives that aim at reshaping the education system in the country so that it benefits all.
President Chakwera encouraged the students to seize the opportunity for a better future through their existence, urging them to think beyond any imposed limitations.
Chairperson of the Social and Community Affairs Committee of Parliament, Savel Kafwafwa, on Monday made an impassioned appeal to fellow legislators to rally behind President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera’s transformation agenda.
Kafwafwa, who is member of Parliament (MP) for Dedza North, said the State of the Nation Address (SONA) President Chakwera delivered in the National Assembly last Friday demonstrates the seriousness and commitment of his administration to lift Malawians out of poverty.
The lawmaker therefore stressed the need for the lawmakers and all Malawians to support the Head of State in his mission to transform the nation.
“After going through the SONA, Madam Speaker, two clear issues have emerged, one is that the SONA is giving Malawians hope, hope for a brighter future despite of the challenges that we are going through as a nation. [Therefore], my appeal to all of you is that we must get serious in the way we conduct our businesses, whether at personal level or at national level, the State President is inviting us to get more serious,” he said.
Kafwafwa highlighted that the SONA touched on the very critical points of survival for Malawians as well as inspiring citizens to hope for a better future in spite of the social and economic challenges engulfing the whole world.
Kafwafwa: The SONA shows government’s commitment to transform the nation
He said it was even more soothing that President Chakwera, through his SONA, assured Malawians that families facing an acute food shortage will get relief food, a 50kg bag of maize, without considering tribal or regional boundaries.
“It is that hope that we have a leader who listens and follows the ideology of servant leadership and comes to parliament to answer our questions,” he said.
However, Kafwafwa warned that the journey to healing the economy will not be easy, stressing that the previous administrations did a lot of damage to the economy.
He took fellow MPs through a memory lane, detailing how the previous administrations, under United Democratic Front (UDF) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), ransacked the economy by privatizing companies and parastatal organizations to party loyalists and cronies.
Below is an abridged version of his statement made in parliament:
We were not serious when we killed railway lines - the expensive Malawi - Canada railway line was abandoned to give business to the trucks cause some politicians had interest in such businesses, it pains me cause my late brother was the head driver there it’s sad that a railway line that was made from virgin iron to last a hundred years was lost within two decades.
We were not serious when we abandoned the Mega Farms by Press Farming, were not serious when we abandoned the Dudu and Bwemba livestock farms, we were not serious when we killed Dzalanyama Cattle ranch, the original mega farms established by the wisdom of Dr Kamuzu Banda, we killed those projects just because the ones running no longer part of the ruling politicians, not knowing that we were killing the same enterprises that fed the nation.
We were not serious when we abandoned the irrigated rice schemes in Karonga, Salima and Nkhotakota thinking that zakunja ndi zabwino not knowing that our Kilombero is if the best then it should be among the best in the world.
We were not serious when we started importing Fanta from somewhere not knowing that our local Fanta was voted as the best in the world in 2010.
We were not serious when we killed Air Malawi, when we lost the direct flights to London such that now we all converge at Addis Ababa, just because we were not serious.
We were not serious when we stopped making sun batteries and Nzeru Radios in Chirimba Industrial area, it looks like along the way we really lost nzeru - nzeru radios I mean.
We were not serious when we killed Pew limited and abandoned assembling the buses by our own graduates from the Polytechnic and started importing second hand ones.
We were not serious when we killed Press Bakeries because that's when we killed wheat farming in Mwanza and in Ntchisi.
We were not serious when we dismantled the farmers clubs used to borrow fertilizers, we ate all the money from ADMARC, mismanaged Press Cooperation, Dismantled MDC.
We were not serious when we killed the cotton ginnery factory, such that today the gunnery corner in Blantyre is just a name, no more cotton ginning is taking place there, because we not serious we didn't know that were equally killing the cotton farming in Malawi in preference of imported brands.
It may sound like were not serious when the kwacha was heavily was devalued in 1994 as the drought of 1992-1993 had hit the economy hard combined with the political strife the economy was overstretched such that in 1994 the kwacha was devalued by 400% from 4 kwacha to a dollar to k16 no wonder in the wisdom of the Former MCP District Chair for Mchinji Hon Foloma Mwale said 'matipate ndi nkhondo' its surely an economic war, it’s a political war.
In the first 10 years of multiparty democracy it is when the serious chronic economic infection infected our country because we killed production in preference of importation and we called that kutakata pa town, the kwacha was left on a free floating and no wonder it was devalued at the rate of 1,000% per year and not 44% Madam Speaker and in just 10 years the kwacha was devalued not by 90% but by a whopping 5,000%, this is where our real economic infection started because we were not serious
Now Madam Speaker the story is different, we are getting serious
Wheat farming is back, because now we are tied of chewing forex in the name of bread because every time you chew a piece of bread sikono, you have to know that you are chewing forex
Mega farms are back, such that one farmer by the name of Prophet Shepherd Bushiri is able to harvest a million bags of maize
Irrigation schemes are coming back Madam Speaker Malawi shall never be the same
Railway transport is coming back, Transportation on rail, from 1% to 13% towards 20% in just 3 years, this is serious, the idea of killing railway is likened to a certain coffin maker who hated the ARVs, this was being cruel
Electric vehicles, 50,000 electric vehicles are coming
- Gwanda Chakumba Highway is coming, Sidik Mia high way is coming
LIHACO and Malawi ... Now profit making company, Malawi Airlines establishing first profit
Road development is coming back, M1 Rehabilitation is back
Road with 6 lanes in Lilongwe is at a great progress
A Tarmac kwa a Manje ku Blantyre, zimagalimoto za Kwa Manje will now enjoy the comfort of a paved road by Chakwera
It is because the born frees cannot withstand farming using the stone age tools such as holes and axes as narrated by Engineer Simbi Phiri, we are fixing this country we are going for mechanised farming
After closing Air Malawi and now for the first time Malawi Airlines is making profit and bought a new plane, in those days those profits likadakhala phwando la akakowa
We are getting serious the BICC and Presidential Hotel and suites is making profit because politicians are not sleeping there for free and the new management is getting serious with business because Chakwera is the leader
Madam speaker Iron sharpens iron, great leaders attract great minds and inspire and motivate a nation, we have a Leader who was divinely ordained to rescue Malawi from this deadly economic infection
We are getting serious the direct donor support is back after almost a decade of mistrust, donor confidence is back, this is really serious
We are getting serious Madam Speaker that despite being challenged by the COVID pandemic and cyclones and cholera, war in Ukraine affecting the supply and price of fertilizers, 22% in food shortage, but still the Malawi Stock exchange was the best performer in Africa in 2023, those who want to make us feel hopeless won’t tell you that
We are getting serious when Israel is willing to get 100,000 workers from Malawi for a labourer Madam Speaker to be receiving not less k3 million kwacha a month and make over 100 million kwacha in just a 3 year contract, this is getting serious Madam Speaker, awowo sangakuuzeni, because sakufuna mukaone ku Canaan. Sakufuna mukaoloke Nyanja ya Galileya
We are getting serious when we have stopped borrowing for consumption, we are bringing in AGCOM for production
We are getting serious with mining by establishing our own mineral lab and mining company, because we are tired of hearing about getting mineral samples, out of this country for 7 years until we hear that the whole mine was only full of samples, we are tired
We are getting serious when this government is bringing back the Government own investment company MDC
We are serious this time, Chakweras government has brought closer ties with many friendly countries and organisations supporting us –
IIMF is here, World Bank is here, USAID is here, EU is here, IFAD, Japanese, Saudi Arabia, the Morrocans, the Chinese, the Israelites, Britain and our Nebas Tanzania, Zambia etc
We are where Dr Kamuzu Banda stopped, bringing back mechanised farming. Railway transport and bringing mineral wealth
We are getting serious with ethanol production to increase 5 ford and employ 800 people
We are getting with new trading opportunities
Carbon trading - 100 million dollars, incentivise communities that are conserving nature
Cancer centre - neurosurgery centre near completion, this is wonderful
With hope we know that the construction of Nkhoma Mayani Salima Road is near, we hope and we believe and just like many others our hope and seriousness keeps us going and it is well
We have an economic Dr in the office, Malawian economy will be healed
I support the SONA and I beg to move that this house should also support this SONA and that we can debate soberly, I beg to move
Standard Bank of Malawi plc has applauded the commitment of President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera’s government’s commitment to move with implementation of some of the economic reform proposals tabled during the Standard Bank-hosted Leadership Round Table series.
The bank highlighted on Monday that the removal of visa restrictions for tourists from 79 strategic countries and development issues as some of the key areas of the reforms tabled by stakeholders at the second Leadership Round Table forum.
The forum took place at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe on December 12, 2023.
The Leadership Round Table forums are Standard Bank’s initiative that creates a platform for dialogue on economic reform by government, its agencies, private sector and donors.
In his reaction to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) Chakwera delivered on Friday, Standard Bank Chief Executive Officer, Phillip Madinga, commended Chakwera and his government for heeding calls for urgent reform and implementation in some aspects of our national economy that they considered as critical in helping to catalyze growth and economic recovery.
Madinga said the removal of travel visa restrictions will help boost tourist arrivals from key source markets of Europe, the America’s, Asia, and rest of Africa.
“In the medium to long-term, increasing tourist and business arrivals to Malawi helps boost inflows of much-needed foreign currency, and opens Malawi as an ideal Foreign Direct Investment destination. Easing travel restrictions for developed countries also sends strong intent of the government’s commitment and readiness to do business with major global investors seeking to move their capital to selected African markets endowed in natural resources and agriculture. Malawi offers this potential,” reads the statement in part.
In his comment on the progress on mining sector and mining development agreements (MDAs), Madinga said Standard Bank welcomed the government’s renewed focus on mining development.
He said the sector is key to government’s recently adopted Agriculture, Tourism & Mining (ATM) strategy, observing that mining seeks to complement the role that the agriculture sector has played over many decades as the key earner of foreign exchange and growth for Malawi.
Madinga added that mining can become one of the alternative economic growth drivers for the country.
“Mining and Tourism form part of the ATM strategy as they offer alternative sources of foreign currency generation and receipts by maximizing on Malawi’s intrinsic natural endowments and creating a conducive environment for their exploitation. The signing of the Mining Development Agreements (MDAs) with Kanyika Mines signals the government’s commitment to the sector. At the same time, the government’s initiative to create regulatory organs for the sector is one we will continue to watch keenly. We look forward to the conclusion and signing of the other remaining Mining Development Agreements that are currently under negotiation,” he said.
However, Madinga was quick to implore on the President and government to reinforce an effective performance management system for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and implement an accountability framework where performance of all MDA personnel up to ministerial level is continuously assessed publicly.
He said the bank believes that this would complement current efforts by government to put economy on a sustainable recovery and growth path.
“At the next Business Leadership Round Table, to be convened soon, Standard Bank Plc and its partners from Government, Private sector, Development Partners, and the donor community will continue to review progress. We Believe in Malawi. That is why, at Standard Bank, we affirm that Malawi is Our Home. We Drive Her Growth,” thus Madinga concluded his statement.
President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has said some of the social and economic challenges that Malawians are facing today are a result of bad public policies made and implemented in the previous years.
Chakwera made the sentiments when he delivered his State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the National Assembly in Lilongwe on Friday.
He said some of the policies previous regimes pursued frustrated production and manufacturing, leaving the majority of the youth without jobs and too little to export to other countries.
“[This is] a failed 20-year-long policy I recently ended by making the bold, painful, unpopular, but healthy decision to end the falsification of the exchange rate and start the work of rebuilding it on the foundation of productivity. It is also undeniable that some of the pain being felt by Malawians stems from the devastation left by the four natural disasters that hit Malawi within a 13 month period, killing thousands, displacing millions, disrupting power supply, washing away homes, flattening entire villages and businesses, dismantling infrastructure, and destroying fields and fields of food crops, which has in turn left millions in need of food relief and which is why everywhere I have gone around the country to hear directly from Malawians themselves over the past six months, they have told me that their greatest threat right now is hunger,” said the President.
Chakwera said this should give reason for Malawians to demand seriousness in the way both elected and non-elected civil servants discharge their duties with seriousness.
He reminded members of Parliament (MPs) and the nation at large that the fundamentals of the country’s economy have been unsound for a long time, which led to stunting of the pace of growth.
President Lazarus Chakwera delivers 2024 2025 Budget Session at Parliament -pics by Lisa Kadango Malango
He said time had come for Malawians to urgently restructure the economy.
“Take the inflation rates, for example, which reached 34.5 percent this past December, well above the 2023 average of 28.8 percent. Such inflation rates, which have been going up from year to year for some time now, recently triggered by reduced maize production, are a rising temperature and fever signalling the presence of an infection in the bloodstream of our economy,” said Chakwera.
“Madam Speaker, with such clear signs of disease, it is sad that there are economists in this country that think that any small improvement in Malawi’s Gross Domestic Product is acceptable, but I have come here to ask members of this House to join me in rejecting this mindset. What Malawians deserve is an economy that is no longer sick, one that is healthy and able to compete, not just one whose fever is slowly going down. I hope no one in this room or this country thinks it is acceptable that between 2022 and 2023, the GDP only grew by 0.6 percent. I hope no one in this room or this country finds it acceptable that our GDP for 2023 was lower than the 3.1 percent the World Economic Outlook Report projected for the global economy in the same period,” he explained.
“I hope no one in this room or this country is satisfied to see our economy continue to be at the mercy of the fate of advanced economies, whose economic slowdown and restrictive monetary policies are currently dragging down global growth. I hope no one in this room or this country accepts that just because the economic growth for the Sub-Saharan region is stuck below its historical average and just because the economic growth projected for Malawi this year is also below that average, we must let that be our fate. I hope no one in this room or this country finds it acceptable that our gross official reserves at the end of the third quarter of 2023 were less than 250 million dollars, equivalent to just under one month of import cover, not when we have thousands of diaspora Malawians generating revenue abroad and not when the international market is in short supply of value chains we can produce in abundance here at home, added Chakwera.
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Uchizi Mkandawire, has assured the nation that the government will hit its target of training 20, 000 young people through the National Youth Service Programme.
President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, who is the brainchild of the programme, launched the programme in July 2022 as a vehicle for empowering young people through development of technical and vocational skills.
On Thursday, Mkandawire inspected work by two groups of youths undergoing six months training in Mzuzu.
Speaking to journalists after the inspection, the minister expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the programme, saying currently there are 3, 600 youths undergoing training across the country, 400 short of the initial target of 4, 000 per year, assuring the nation that the figure will be covered in the next cohorts.
“I decided to come and see for myself what these youths are doing, I am impressed, and this is what President Chakwera envisioned when he launched the initiative. I will lobby Parliament to allocate more funds towards the service because we are aware that not all our youths can get employment, so we need to train them in various skills of excellence and make them productive,” he said.
The two groups, which the minister inspected in Mzuzu, are being trained in solar and electrical installation with a component of irrigation farming using solar power, and organic fertilizer production through waste management.
Around 90 youths from two groups are being trained in Mzuzu from the initial estimation of 47 trainees.
President Chakwera described the National Youth Service Programme as a timely intervention that will perfect our youth empowerment drive.
The initiative – which formed part of our campaign promises both in 2019 and 2020 – offers a multi-pronged approach to offer profitable ventures to our young people through vocational training and capitalisation of respective trades of choice.
This program will train thousands of unemployed youth with marketable skills and connect them to opportunities for productive and profitable work.
Catholic priest Reverend Father Maxwell Kubalasa has called upon churches and civil society organizations (CSOs) to be vigilant in ensuring that citizens vote for the right leaders in the 2025 General Elections.
Kubalasa made the call in Mponela on Thursday when he opened a day-long training of trainers’ workshop organized by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-funded Malawi Electoral Support Program (MESP).
UNDP has awarded grants to CCJP through ECM and six other organizations to conduct voter and civic education across Malawi. The six projects focus on three key target groups: youth, women and the general public. For CCJP, the project focuses on “Enhancing the Participation of Women in the 2025 Malawi General Elections”.
Father Kubalasa said General Elections are important events in the country’s democratic process, as they provide the opportunity for citizens to exercise their rights to vote, choose their leaders, and subsequently participate in the crucial role of determining the future direction of the country.
He said churches and CSOs are therefore supposed to play an active role by providing civic education that would help citizens make informed choices during elections.
“The upcoming 2025 elections, as has been the case with all the previous six elections, calls upon the church and Malawians in general to be vigilant in ensuring that Malawians elect the right leaders. This job requires CCJP to have the capacity and resources to conduct civic education and raising awareness to all people in Malawi, more especially the marginalized groups like women, the youth and people with disabilities and all those who feel and think they are not relevant in society,” he said.
At this point, Father Kubalasa thanked UNDP for providing financial support to Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) to help CCJP to start civic and voter education in good time in preparation for the 2025 elections.
Father Kubalasa (sitting 3rd from right) posing for a photo with CCJP officials and participants to the workshop–Photo by Watipaso Mzungu
In his remarks, Director of Social Development and Industries in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe, Brian Odhiambo, reminded participants that majority of Malawians are in discomfort due to economic challenges emanating from the recent devaluation.
Odhiambo stated that voters’ participation in elections is negatively affected when they are not financially comfortable.
“Voting is among the most critical civic duties for every citizen, therefore, there is need to maximise voting in 2025. It is the duty of the church through CCJP to encourage Malawians to participate in public life, and elections in particular. Let us use this opportunity to reflect together on what has been happening, asses the present situation and plan for the future. Planning helps us achieve a lot with the resources at hand, and within the stipulated time. Capacity building, knowledge sharing, all helps us achieve our mandate as required. Therefore let us take this meeting very seriously,” he said.
Odhiambo lamented that the youth, women and people with disabilities have been left behind through many years of oppression and marginalization.
He added that high illiteracy levels, some unacceptable traditions and cultures are factors, which have increased the gap between men and women when it comes to participating in elections and other development opportunities.
“Through this project, we need to find ways to narrow down this gap. More women need to be involved in decision making and more especially in elections both as voters and as candidates,” stressed Odhiambo.
Human and economic rights activist Kelvin Chirwa has asked the government to urgently identify and address causes of land scarcity in Malawi.
Chirwa, in an interview on Thursday, feared problems of land scarcity could potentially derail the economic aspirations of the nation; hence, the need for the government to find a lasting solution.
His sentiments follow reports that a court in Thyolo fined a number of people for encroaching on land belonging to an estate.
Chirwa observed that land encroachment is becoming a daily phenomenon as the country has similar cases in Nkhatabay, Mulanje, Chikwawa, among others.
Chirwa: The government needs to find a lasting solution to land problems
“It is important that the underlying factors contributing to such actions are addressed. Instead of solely focusing on punitive measures, such as prosecutions, we must delve deeper into the root causes of land scarcity. We need to start addressing underlying issues such as inequitable land distribution and lack of alternative livelihood opportunities,” he said.
Chirwa stressed that time had come for the government to start making bold decisions regarding idle land in estates in the concerned districts, observing that ‘Kudzigulira Malo’ and other similar programs that encouraged people to relocate to other districts have failed.
“This is not a government-only action. Government authorities, local communities, and stakeholders are crucial in coming up with sustainable solutions. Land reforms must promote equitable land distribution and sustainable land management practices. There is also a need to put in place measures aimed at diversifying livelihood options, promoting responsible land utilization, and enhancing community participation in decision-making processes. By addressing the underlying causes of land scarcity and promoting sustainable land management practices, we can pave the way for a more equitable and resilient future for all,” he suggested.
In a related development, the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) Executive Director, Sylvester Namiwa, has proposed that a special court be created to handle land-related matters.
Install the Nthanda Times APK for a faster, smoother, and more seamless browsing experience.
