Chakwera made the remarks in Mzuzu on Friday at the 16th congregation of the University of Livingstonia.
He said since he assumed the presidency, he has based his leadership on principles of honesty and truthfulness because he believes in speaking the truth at all times.
“My tenure as President has further solidified my commitment to these principles. Just last week, on a Friday like this one, I was at Parliament giving my honest assessment of the state of our nation, and I openly told Malawians that our beloved country is suffering from the deep wound of not producing enough valuable and exportable goods and services to generate the forex and revenue necessary to pay off our debt, lift millions of Malawians out of poverty, engage in meaningful development, free ourselves from foreign aid, and make our economy resilient against external shocks, disasters, public health crises, and global disruptions,” he said.
Chakwera challenged the graduands to be part of the solution to challenges besetting Malawi at the moment.
“I believed that here I would be in the company of those who do not even whisper the lie that Malawi is doomed to fail, that there is nothing good being done in Malawi, or that the Egypt we have come from was better. I believed that here I would be in the company of those whose response to Malawi’s deep-rooted challenges is not to point fingers, or complain, or rebel, but to roll up their sleeves and get to work. I believed that here I would be in the company of those who have enough hope for the country to give hope to those who have lost hope,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Chakwera has commended CCAP Synod of Livingstonia for establishing the university.