In his New Year address, Malawi’s leader, Lazarus Chakwera, meticulously outlined the array of challenges that besieged the nation, highlighting how his administration confronted them. From grappling with disasters like cyclone Fredy, which he emphasized as an ordeal exempt from blame allocation, Chakwera astutely acknowledged the nation’s landscape as a bustling construction zone despite these adversities.
“Everywhere you go in the country, roads are being constructed, hospitals are being built, bridges are being completed, schools are being expanded, and public buildings are rising from the ground.
“ After years of neglect and resistance, the railway system of Malawi is being restored, an investment that will significantly cut the cost of moving goods to market in the future,” said Chakwera.
He added:
“Continuing with the improvement of the business environment through a focus on digitization, we are also pleased to see the cost of data going down and stabilizing. On governance, we have completed the exercise of cleaning up a sewage of bad and poorly negotiated contracts in the energy and mining sectors; we are enforcing the most progress land law in our region to end decades of land hoarding and give land to real investors who will add value to the same; and we have shut down the useless and wasteful operations of Power Market Limited, and so these sectors are now poised for revenue generation in the years ahead.”
Now regarding 2024, Chakwera said it will be a year for “pushing.”
“Because now that we have put the institutional framework in order, 2024 is the year for pushing for the completion of current projects and the start of new ones. Now that we have investors and donors coming back, 2024 is the year for pushing ourselves to produce, produce, and produce.
“Now that we have indications that El Nino weather is coming our way, 2024 is the year for pushing for the use of our farms to grow legumes that will thrive in and survive in those conditions instead of crops that will not.
“Now that we have austerity measures in place to maximize and leverage our limited resources on the most productive activities, 2024 is the year for pushing every wasteful part of government out of our way, because whether that means pushing out people that are simply wasting time in government offices or wasting government money intended for serving Malawians, we must do so without apology. And I am confident that as I do so, I will have your support.”
