By Jimmy Chazama:
The National Planning Commission (NPC) has said inclusive wealth creation is crucial for achieving Malawi’s long-term development vision, Malawi (MW) 2063.
The commission said this approach was essential for the country’s prosperity, as it would enable Malawians to create own wealth and reduce reliance on donor support.
Outgoing NPC Director General Thomas Munthali said Malawi must shift focus from relying on foreign aid to creating own wealth.
He made the remarks in Lilongwe on Tuesday during a dialogue session hosted by Malawi School of Government.
Participants focused on capacity building for Malawi’s public service and private sector towards the attainment of the country’s long-term goals.
“Our vision is clear; inclusive wealth creation and self-reliance must guide our long-term development. We can no longer rely on donor support. We must create our own wealth. Planning and long-term thinking are important for national development,” he said.
He cited several achievements during his time at NPC, including the development of MW 2063, which outlines goals for a prosperous nation.
Munthali then urged training institutions such as MSG to align their programmes with goals that are outlined in MW 2063.
He stressed the need for capacity building to support the national vision in a way culture, Tourism, Mining and Manufacturing being prioritized.
On her part, Higher Education Minister Jessie Kabwila said the MW 2063 vision needed to be discussed and known by everyone.
“When Malawians understand a certain issue, they are able to implement it. So, we need to explain to everyone what the Malawi 2063 [vision] entails. Malawians have a lot of ideas; we need to engage them to achieve this vision. When implementing it, we need to decentralise it,” Kabwila said.
Kabwila said underprivileged people had good ideas but that they were rarely engaged.
MSG Council Chairperson Lewis Dzimbiri said the goal of becoming a self-reliant nation required more people to be trained in requisite areas.
“We can also achieve the Malawi 2063 vision through engagement between the private and public sectors; it is not a one-person job,” Dzimbiri said.
The dialogue session included stakeholders such as policymakers, industry captains and leaders of civil society organisations.
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