Malawian policymakers and civic leaders yesterday issued a renewed call for urgent, bold reforms to unlock the country’s development potential.
Proposals range from irrigation-based agriculture and local manufacturing revival to large-scale energy investments and youth-led innovation.
Speaking during the Raise the Flag Summit held at Kamuzu Palace, panelists challenged both government and citizens to move beyond passive rhetoric and embrace radical, actionable strategies aligned with Malawi 2063 (MW2063)—the country’s long-term vision for inclusive wealth and economic self-reliance.
“We must move away from rain-fed farming to irrigation-based production, shift youth expectations from white-collar jobs to enterprise, and reduce dependence on unnecessary imports,” said National Economic Empowerment Fund chief executive officer (Neef) Humphrey Mdyetseni.
He said that kind of transformation needs “bold thinking and even bolder leadership”.
Wealth Magazine managing executive Harry Chima, who organised the summit, urged the middle-class to invest in agriculture and light industry.
He also challenged the public to take pride in local innovations and products.
To mark 61 years of Independence, Chima announced that the Raise the Flag campaign will implement 61 civic projects this year, including youth volunteer initiatives and city clean-up drives.
He said: “A destiny will not arrive through wishful thinking. We used to make radios, jams and uniforms here. Now we glorify foreign goods while ignoring our own young inventors. That must change.”
Electricity Generation Company chief executive officer Maxon Chitawo warned that Malawi’s current 300-megawatt (MW) output falls far short of the country’s development ambitions.
“Everything Malawi wants to achieve—mining, irrigation, manufacturing—depends on energy,” he said.
Chitawo outlined plans to double hydropower capacity by 2030 through a $30 million global investment package, alongside new solar projects in Salima.
Linking infrastructure to economic resilience, National Planning Commission research and capacity-building manager Andrew Jamali acknowledged that growth had been constrained by global shocks and climate-related challenges.
But Jamali insisted that the country’s reform agenda remained firmly on course.
He welcomed the expansion of the ATMM (Agriculture, Tourism, Mining and Manufacturing) strategy to include manufacturing and called for more deliberate youth engagement in development planning.
“Young people are not just the future—they are today’s agents of change,” he said.”
Taking stock of local progress, Lilongwe City mayor Esther Sagawa attributed recent improvements in urban infrastructure to strategic national leadership.
She said the city council is prioritising enforcement of road-use laws and protection of public assets through collaboration with the police and the Road Traffic Directorate.
Beyond government institutions, civic leaders underscored the need for broad-based participation.
Prophetess Natasha Nalikungwi said the faith community has already secured loans from Neef and mobilised grassroots action. She called for formal recognition of religious actors as key partners in national development.
Youthful medical doctor Yotamu Moyo, who recently returned from the diaspora, criticised the government’s limited outreach on MW 2063.
“Plans must reach the people they’re meant for,” he said.
In his closing remarks, President Lazarus Chakwera said Malawi’s long-term prosperity will not be realised through vision statements alone.
“It demands a shift in mindset—from dependency to enterprise, from passive hope to intentional action,” he said.
