‘Graft fight key to MW2063 success’
Development experts have told the Malawi Government that a dedicated fight against corruption is critical to achieving aspirations in Malawi 2063 (MW63), the country’s long-term development strategy.
Speaking during the opening of a two-day National Development Conference in Lilongwe where President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima were in attendance, African Union (AU) High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows senior adviser Maxwell Mkwezalamba and National Planning Commission (NPC) chairperson Richard Mkandawire urged government to ensure action in the fight against corruption.
Mkwezalamba said: “The law enforcement agencies need to be capacitated both in terms of human and financial resources. And there should be stiff penalties for us to address the issue of corruption.
“Corruption is evil. Corruption derails development. Corruption robs the poor, the youth, the elderly and the most vulnerable. Corruption indeed kills.”
He emphasised the need to invest in economic infrastructure.
Mkwezalamba, who served as former minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Development in Joyce Banda administration and as AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, called for boosting foreign exchange generation, clearing debt and avoiding domestic borrowing if the country is to be transformed into an upper middle income country by 2063.
Besides corruption, he said soaring inflation, forex shortages and fast growing debt all negatively affect efforts to grow the economy.
Mkandawire, on the other hand, said there is need to intensify the fight against corruption and ensure utilisation of the country’s meagre resources.
He said: “A growing economy that benefits a few due to corruption and inefficient resource use will make the attainment of the Malawi 2063 aspiration of inclusive wealth and self-reliance to take much longer in realising.”
Mkandawire also stressed on need for time bound performance targets for institutions entrusted with implementation and hold them accountable.
In his address, the President said nothing on corruption, but emphasized the need for citizens to deliver at all cost.
He said: “The focus for this year is implementation and delivery no matter the office, no matter the ministry, no matter the department and no matter the agency. Nothing but implementation and delivery must be accepted because as a nation we do not have the luxury of time.”
The President said heads of government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) will have to go into contracts on delivering of the plans and he will hold them accountable.
Chakwera directed Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Sosten Gwengwe to align the 2023/24 National Budget to Malawi 2063 First 10-Year Implementation Plan (MIP) if the country is to deliver its long-term development plans.
He said he was concerned that in the MIP 1 all pillars are registering low progress.
The meeting focused on MIP 1 and noted that Covid-19 has heavily affected the economy.
An NPC report showed that economic growth performance declined to 1.9 percent in 2021 from a projection of 4.2 percent.
It further said Russia-Ukraine war, which resulted in disruption of global supply chains and pushed up inflation, has also affected the economy locally and globally.
NPC projects Malawi’s 2022 growth at 0.9 percent from an earlier projection of 4.2 percent and 2.5 percent for 2023.
It said Malawi growth performance in implementation of MIP 1 is way below the growth rate of six percent which the country needs to attain a middle income status.
In an interview, NPC director general Thomas Chataghalala Munthali lamented that there is slow progress in MIP 1, saying time has come for Malawi to do the right things in implementing the plan.
He said: “If you make the wealth and there is corruption, it is like putting all your wealth in a leaking bucket.”
Malawi launched MW2063 in January 2021 to transform the country into a middle income economy and self-reliant nation.
