Engineers are valuable to the successful implementation of government policies and including the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP), Malawi Growth, Development Strategy and National Export Strategy (NES), a renowned expert, Thom Mpinganjira, has said.
Speaking at the 10th Annual Engineering Conference organised by the Malawi Institution of Engineers (MIE) which took place at Sunbird Nkopola in Mangochi on Thursday, Mpinganjira, who was guest of honour at the conference, argued that the country cannot talk of economic recovery without the input of engineers.
Mpinganjira, who is FDH Financial Holdings Limited group chief executive officer, argued that reliable infrastructure plays a crucial role to the smooth running of economic activities in the country.
Said Mpinganjira: “Engineers are a catalyst for a vibrant export oriented economy.
“Malawi as a nation continues to face numerous challenges be it economic, social or environmental,which are opportunities that require engineering expertise.
“Engineers should realise that businesses, economies and nations are built on the basis of infrastructure, systems, and supplies which are products of engineering, without which the global economies would not function. I would like therefore to challenge you engineers gathered at this august occasion to be mindful of the responsibility you are shouldering to keep our country Malawi on the move.”
He also noted that for the past three weeks, Mangochi has been home to several conferences for internal auditors, economists, marketers, surveyors, architects, and accountants and noted that the gatherings are very important for continued professional development of members and to strengthen the professions.
The conference whose theme was, ‘An Engineer: A valuable resource for development,’ ran from September 25 to 28, lined up interesting topics covering entrepreneurship, capital markets, regulatory environment, motivation, wellness health and project management.
The conference, which included engineers from across all spheres of the profession, also dissected engineering problems which were resolved by a panel of specialised engineers.
