Off the wall of Hellen Chabunya on copying Chilima transformational idea

I quickly joined many Malawians to congratulate our President in launching the Malawi Agricultural and Industrial Investment Corporation (plc.

I eagerly tuned in to listen to this highly publicized event. What came out clearly is that this has been rushed to out maneuver Dr. Saulos Chilima’s commitments to Malawians who firstly articulated that he would institute this organization.

Our President has launched an institution with a recently appointed Board only but with No office, No operating policies, No employee at all at present.

So infact all the glitz was to launch a name…launch an idea that Dr. Chilima had already articulated.

I question here, should we then have had the President launch this at this point giving hope to populace when this at best is presently just an idea???

Resources wasted today could have been directed to farmers for much needed agricultural inputs.

Let’s not forget that this is a commercial entity with a goal to make money…we needed more thought in the tax incentives and operational approach that is dare I say it Nationalistic.

Now the President and old friend Goodall Gondwe proudly stated that they have now delivered transformation to Malawi. They then go on and proudly say that this institution that has been launched in name only will deliver tinned fish, canned fruit etc just as already pronounced by Dr. Chilima. They further copy Dr. Chilima and say pension funds will be directed to this. Didn’t we hear SKC say this already???

Take note that the cry by the business sector and farmers in particular, SME and general populace for a development bank was on premise that commercial banks were not forthcoming, expensive and lacking long term lending capacity. Now with this set up where Bank(s) are in forefront how certain are we that this will solve the hurdles earlier identified.

On a positive note though, is that this takes out concerns on government governance however, the national goal still needs to be pursued. If the way in which MSB went down we need to extremely cautious if indeed government will let this be an autonomous institution.

But talking on MSB now government says proceeds K13bn (have) been put into this new institution as government equity. Question is which institution, the idea!!!??? Is this money really still around?

In summary Malawians we have been duped, our money wasted on yet another launch in name only just so people can gain political mileage.

This madness has to stop! Stop toying with our ambitions and aspirations for Malawi… We need tangible solutions and none of these games….

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