Atupele Unpacks His Business First Strategy to Fix the Malawi Economy

In a candid and compelling live interview on Linga Radio yesterday, United Democratic Front (UDF) President and Presidential Candidate Atupele Muluzi reflected on the party’s progress since its October Convention and laid out his bold vision to revive Malawi’s economy through a “Business First” strategy.

Responding to the opening question on the state of the UDF, Muluzi shared that he and his team have spent the past months actively engaging with Malawians across the country. The message he has consistently received is clear and urgent: the cost of living is spiraling out of control, and it is pushing families deeper into poverty. “No money, no food,” he remarked emphatically, capturing the despair felt by many.

Beyond hunger, he highlighted how millions—especially in rural areas—lack access to basic necessities like clean water and essential medicines. He stressed that this dire situation underscores the need for a new kind of leadership: one that listens, understands, and acts decisively to restore dignity and hope to ordinary Malawians.

Muluzi stated that his Business First strategy, if elected, will focus on a simple yet transformative mission: put more money in people’s pockets, while ensuring they have reliable access to food, clean water, and healthcare.

When challenged by a caller who asked how he would succeed where many politicians have failed, Muluzi detailed the “low-hanging fruits” of his plan—clear, actionable reforms that can begin to fix the economy from day one.

1. Reduce the Cost of Living

• Liberalise the exchange rate within a controlled band to stabilise the Kwacha and curb inflation.
• Restrict the purchase of luxury goods, including vehicles, to forex earned outside the country—“bought in forex, sold in forex.”
• Prioritise forex allocation for essential imports that earn or save forex, such as industrial and agricultural equipment.

2. Help the Poor

• Audit and reform the AIP (Affordable Inputs Programme) to ensure it supports not only smallholders but also large-scale, efficient commercial farmers—especially along the green belt—to enhance food security.
• Lift the ban on food exports, which he said is hurting farmers and distorting market incentives.
• Abolish minimum pricing for agricultural commodities to allow competitive market forces to benefit producers.
• Redirect donor aid strictly toward humanitarian and educational initiatives to maximize social impact.

3. Open Economic Access

• Remove all unnecessary barriers that are slowing trade and tourism.
• Introduce visas on arrival for all countries to make Malawi more accessible to visitors and investors.
• Scrap landing fees to attract more airlines and increase flight connectivity.
• Implement a comprehensive air access plan to open Malawi to regional and global markets.
• Enforce a “30-Day Rule” for business permits and licenses: use it or lose it—cutting bureaucracy and encouraging speed.
• Roll out a Rapid Pothole Repair System, with decentralised units paid per pothole filled, to quickly restore roads and improve mobility.

4. Stop Corruption of the System

• Enforce a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, backed by swift and transparent accountability.
• Impose a moratorium on new government vehicle purchases until the economy recovers, to conserve forex.
• Reduce the size of the Presidential cavalcade, sending a message of fiscal responsibility and humility.
• Undertake civil service reforms to restore professionalism, performance, and accountability in public service delivery.

5. Drive Up Growth

• Benchmark mining legislation against global best practices to attract high-quality investment in critical minerals.
• End VAT on forex-generating tourism, to make Malawi a more attractive and competitive destination.
• Gradually eliminate fuel subsidies, reinvesting the savings into forex-generating sectors like mining, agriculture, and tourism.

Muluzi emphasized that the above reforms are not isolated—they are part of a broader strategy to unlock growth. He identified critical minerals and agriculture as the twin engines of Malawi’s economic transformation.

Muluzi revealed that he has already held constructive discussions with serious investors who are eager to invest in Malawi—provided there is policy clarity and a government that respects the private sector.

Muluzi concluded by underscoring that his Business First strategy is not just another manifesto—it is a contract with the people of Malawi. A contract to deliver results, not rhetoric. He stressed the urgent need to make doing business easy again.

He criticised the current administration for failing to listen to the private sector and even going as far as threatening it. “Government must stop trying to control the private sector. It should govern, not run businesses,” he said.

“We are at the end of the aid era and must now step boldly into an era of investment and trade. Our economic survival depends on expanding trade, especially with our regional neighbours,” he added.

Muluzi believes that by liberating enterprise, restoring trust in governance, and focusing on production, Malawi can rise again. Jobs can be created, and prosperity can be shared—not through handouts, but through enterprise.

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