Mutharika tells UNGA Malawi economy stable: ‘Leadership not prestige but responsibility’
President Peter Mutharika used the United Nations podium on Tuesday to highlight that the Malawi economy has improved in the last four years under his leadership and the welfare of the people has been better under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rule as the country goes to polls next year.
Mutharika will be seeking a fresh mandate to govern for his second and mandatory final five years term.
He told the UN General Assembly that his administration has in the past four years “relentlessly pursued” macro-economic measures that are now improving Malawi’s economy.
“We have stabilized the economy within four years in spite of the natural disasters of floods, drought and hunger that hit Malawi for two consecutive years,” said Mutharika.
“Within four troubled years, we have reduced inflation from 24 per cent to single digit. We have reduced interest rates from 25 per cent to 16 per cent.
“We have taken our import cover from the lowest point to the highest point in our economic history. Our import cover has risen from below 2 months to 6 months. We have made local currency stable and predictable,” said Mutharika.
Mutharika said he found Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rate at 2.4 per cent when he took over the leadership from Joyce Banda in 2014 after the Cashgate corruption scandal.
“Now we expect growth 4 per cent in our 2018/2019 financial year. And we expect this growth to rise to 6 percent in 2019,” he highlighted.
Mutharika said his administration is improving the macro-economic because “a bad economy is injustice to its citizens.”
He said his administration is also focusing on the justice of specific sectors of the society.
“We are fighting against violence against women and girls. I believe no human society can meaningfully develop while marginalizing its women. Development must always be inclusive,” he said.
Mutharika disclosed that with support from the United Nations and other development partners, particularly the European Union (EU), Malawi will from 2019 implement the Spotlight Initiative in a bid to eliminate violence against women and girls.
He also said no society can progress without the youth, saying his administration is therefore implementing a number of youth initiative including a skills development program that involves establishing community technical colleges.
“We are empowering the youth with skills for them to create jobs and businesses for themselves and others. We believe no society can develop without a skilled labour force. Our urgent need is to train the trainers in this Youth program,” he said.
In his speech, Mutharika said power is responsibility. “Leadership is not prestige. Leadership is responsibility,” he said.
World leaders are meeting at the UN for this year’s 73rd UNGA under the theme: ‘Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies.”
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who is benefiting anyway?
You think the audience is as dumb as you’re? They know Malawi better economically than Matchona of Malawi origin.
Look who’s talking about prestige and responsibilities….. have you not taken the leadership, that was granted to you by the people of Malawi, as pure prestige and for granted, with no sense for responsibilities.??? Please look into yourself Your Highness Mr APM, coz as far as I can you tell you now, you have opted to be treated like some superior demigod, who is Untouchable, Inconsiderate and a Selfish leader, who is totally ignorant about his responsibilities as a leader that too an elderly person. Elderly people are supposed be human loving pepole and affectionately involved with his citizens, but… Read more »
What nonsense is he talking now. Who is he trying to fool? That too people of high caliber, and that again on an international podium. What a joke. What damn achievements? Can he not see the reality. I think he forgot that he is on UN podium.😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I would hide indefinitely of shame and embarrassment. Apart from looting this country inside out, they have also made a joke of our country. What are we made of????? I honestly n seriously fail to understand the mentality of my fellow malawians. Our tolerance levels must, most definitely, score the highest in the… Read more »
Malawi, the perfect country under APM and the DPP – Not! Does this man seriously believe is own words? The UN delegates listening to him are not so foolish as to simply take his word for it. They know Africa and its leaders only too well. Any of the delegates, who know what life is like in Malawi for the ordinary people in the villages, will wonder how their President has the gall to stand up there before them and say what he has said. They will certainly not be impressed.
Economy is stable my foot bwanji kuno Goodson Gondwa nduna yopumayi ikuti ngati world Bank sachita support budget ndiye kuti kukhala mbwadza misonkho ayikwezanso mochititsa makhalu in fact ikwera misonkho 199% komano musapemphe kuti tithandizeni nanga si ECONOMY ili bhoooo
People of Malawi will not judge you based on the words that come from mouth but rather the actions. In the modern connected world, the audience that you’re addressing have already accessed a Malawi Status Report (Social-Economic Reports) which were produced by world Bank and the Un itself. If you have read the reports bwana, you’ll realise that they’re not flattering or complimentary of current situation. In fact they just reported that 71% of Malawians are living in abject poverty and the number is increasing year on year. here you are talking of how far Malawi has come. The inflation… Read more »
DzukaniAmalawi…… tiyeni tamu dzudsani…. aanthu akugona tu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pumbwa waboza uyu
tiyeni tikalile limozi a DPP pa ntawi yovuta ngati imene mpaka tiduse basi , chonde tiyeni tonse ma supporter a DPP tikalile limozi tivote chipani chiduse ntawi ikubwelayi, tilimunyengo yovuta koma ndikuziwa amalawi tikalila limozi mpaka chipani chatu cha DPP chidusr
this is infuriating, pena azichitako manyazi when reading these speeches. economic measures have improved their pockets indeed!!!