President Chakwera announces cabinet overhaul to focus on economic growth, public service delivery
"The year 2022 was a difficult year for the economies of the world," he said.
Malawi: The President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, has announced plans to reconfigure his cabinet in an effort to focus on maximizing resources and improving public service delivery, write Winston Mwale and Gloria Masanza Kanyang’wa.
The new cabinet, set to be unveiled this January, will reportedly be leaner and prioritize sectors including agriculture, tourism, and mining to drive inclusive economic growth and shared prosperity.
In his New Year's address to the nation, Chakwera stated that the new ministers would be focused on delivering on the government's promises and contributing to economic recovery.
Chakwera had previously announced that he would be conducting performance assessments of his cabinet every six months. Still, there have been no updates on these assessments since he took office in June 2020.
The announcement by the president comes as the country continues to grapple with the economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation, and war in Europe, as well as longstanding issues such as unsustainable public debt and corruption.
In response to these challenges, the government implemented austerity measures and secured funding from abroad in an effort to prevent the economy from collapsing.
"The year 2022 was a difficult year for the economies of the world," he said.
"The sharp rise in the cost of living that was triggered by supply chain disruptions and high inflation on imported commodities emanating from two years of Covid-19 pandemic and one year of war in Europe has spared no nation and no continent."
Chakwera went on to discuss the specific difficulties that Malawi had faced, including unsustainable public debt, corruption in the public sector, and unforeseen climate events.
"These phenomena created an environment last year in which economic growth and opportunities were limited," he explained.
"In fact, as an administration, we had to accept that the finances we had as a nation were simply not enough to end the pains many of you suffered."
Despite these challenges, the president reassured the citizens of Malawi that the government had worked hard to prioritize the most pressing issues.
"Our key priorities last year included addressing the short-term shortage of forex and fuel; securing fertilizer for millions of farmers after addressing the procurement failures of our agricultural agencies; fixing the damaged power plant at Kapichira; funding critical public services in health and education; hunting for the private sector and foreign investments to stimulate the economy this year; and maintaining our resolve to continue fighting against corruption and upholding the rule of law," he said.
He also emphasized the importance of giving "our energies and resources a renewed focus on delivery" in order to sustain and expedite the country's progress on the path of economic recovery.
The President also announced the formation of a Presidential Private Sector Council, comprised of private sector leaders who will advise the government on economic policy and help to attract private sector and foreign investment.
Down the president’s full speech below:
