Every nation must pause and ask itself: Is what carried us yesterday still able to carry us tomorrow?
For Malawi, that moment is now.
For decades, agriculture has been the lifeblood of our economy and post-colonial governments built institutions to accomplish the national agriculture vision.
Chitedze and Bvumbwe agricultural research stations nurtured knowledge and the Natural Resources College trainees took extension services to farming communities nationwide.
Agricultural policies and regulations provided direction, supported by vibrant fiscal and monetary policies.
As a result, estates flourished, farmers benefitted and tobacco generated valuable forex.
That is what made agriculture a sector to watch. It was built on research, skills, infrastructure, investment, markets and sound policy.
Today, however, the reality has changed.
Climate change has made rainfall increasingly unpredictable. Arable land is becoming scarce and less fertile. Agricultural inputs’ prices skyrocket. Many farmers cannot produce enough food for their families.
Tobacco, our golden leaf, fetches too little forex as health concerns reshape the global market.
These are whistling winds of change.
No nation succeeds by holding tightly to yesterday while tomorrow is knocking at its door.
Malawi must begin a serious national conversation about redefining what should drive our economy into the future.
Agriculture will remain part of what feeds us, employs millions and shapes our identity, but it should no longer drive the entire economy.
Prosperity is not built on hope alone, but also on comparative advantage, investment and policy choices.
Next-door, Zambia invested in the institutions and systems that support copper mining.
Similarly, Botswana transformed diamonds into a foundation for national prosperity through strong public institutions and long-term planning.
No country succeeded simply because it possessed natural resources. Prosperous nations built systems around those resources.
If Malawi believes mining can drive economic growth, we must build the institutions to make it tick. We need modern laws, well-trained mining experts, engineers, geologists and environmental scientists.
We need transparent licensing systems, reliable energy, improved roads and railways, local mineral processing industries and strong environmental safeguards.
Shady mineral deals will not transform Malawi. Systems will.
The same applies to tourism, manufacturing or digital innovation—the potential pillars of our economy.
Every serious ambition requires equally serious reforms in regulation, institutions, infrastructure and mindset.
Decision- makers already know what needs to be done, but they are blinded by narrow self-interest.
If a family depends on one maize field and the harvest keeps shrinking every year, common sense requires them to find another source of income. The family no longer expects that single field to provide everything.
Nations are no different.
Malawi should continue investing in agriculture, but with a renewed purpose.
Agriculture should feed the nation and supply agro-processing industries, but it should become more productive, resilient and better adapted to climate change.
However, expecting agriculture in its current form to generate the economic growth, exports and jobs we need is not realistic.
The lifeblood of tomorrow’s economy may be different from yesterday’s.
History is full of nations that found new paths without forgetting where they came from.
Our challenge is believing that our economy must remain exactly as it was 60 years ago while the world around us has changed.
Development begins when a nation has the courage to ask new questions.
Perhaps the question before Malawi is no longer how do we revive agriculture, the lifeblood of our economy.
Perhaps, it is what should become the new lifeblood and what systems must we build around it.
That conversation cannot wait.
The future does not reward nations that cling to comfort zones, but those willing to prepare for a different tomorrow.
The seeds founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda planted should not stop us from planting new ones. They should teach us how a nation grows.
The author is a development communications specialist. He is writing in his personal capacity
