President Chakwera announces cabinet overhaul to focus on economic growth, public service delivery

Malawi: The President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, has announced plans to reconfigure his cabinet in an effort to focus on maximizing resources and improving public service delivery, write Winston Mwale and Gloria Masanza Kanyang’wa.

The new cabinet, set to be unveiled this January, will reportedly be leaner and prioritize sectors including agriculture, tourism, and mining to drive inclusive economic growth and shared prosperity.

In his New Year's address to the nation, Chakwera stated that the new ministers would be focused on delivering on the government's promises and contributing to economic recovery.

Chakwera had previously announced that he would be conducting performance assessments of his cabinet every six months. Still, there have been no updates on these assessments since he took office in June 2020.

The announcement by the president comes as the country continues to grapple with the economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation, and war in Europe, as well as longstanding issues such as unsustainable public debt and corruption.

In response to these challenges, the government implemented austerity measures and secured funding from abroad in an effort to prevent the economy from collapsing.

Chakwera went on to discuss the specific difficulties that Malawi had faced, including unsustainable public debt, corruption in the public sector, and unforeseen climate events.

Despite these challenges, the president reassured the citizens of Malawi that the government had worked hard to prioritize the most pressing issues.

He also emphasized the importance of giving "our energies and resources a renewed focus on delivery" in order to sustain and expedite the country's progress on the path of economic recovery.

The President also announced the formation of a Presidential Private Sector Council, comprised of private sector leaders who will advise the government on economic policy and help to attract private sector and foreign investment.

Down the president’s full speech below: