Long time to wait for improved livelihoods

Twenty-four years is a long time to ask a struggling nation to wait for a better life. Yet, according to the National Planning Commission (NPC), that is how long Malawi could still have to wait to attain lower-middle-income status if current projections hold.

For Malawians grappling with the cost of food, fuel and other necessities, 2050 must sound painfully distant. It is even harder to reconcile that prospect with a country blessed with fertile soils, natural resources and a youthful population that should be powering its economic transformation.

The NPC’s call for a change of gear in implementing Malawi 2063 (MW2063) could not have come at a more important time. Indeed, it is a call we must take seriously, not because Malawi lacks development plans, but because we seem to have perfected the art of setting ambitious goals without doing enough to achieve them.

The figures tell a worrying story. According to NPC chairperson Richard Mkandawire, the economy has been growing at an average of two percent since 2021, against an annual population growth rate of approximately 2.6 percent. The two percent economic growth is far below the preferred 6.4 percent. On the other hand, per capita gross domestic product remains around $600, against a target of $1 200, while only three out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track.

Even if the economy grows at eight percent from now, NPC says, Malawi would only attain lower-middle-income status in 2050, missing the 2030 target under the first Malawi Implementation Plan (MIP-1) by two decades.

How did we get here? And, more importantly, what are we prepared to do differently?

These are questions that should concern every Malawian struggling to afford the next meal, find fuel, access foreign exchange to keep a business running or obtain essential medicines in a public hospital.

People are feeling the pinch. Taxes weigh heavily on households and businesses, while necessities remain a daily struggle. Meanwhile, dwindling donor support means the government can no longer comfortably rely on external partners to fill gaps in development financing. Surely, this should force us to rethink how we run our country.

Our problem is not a lack of potential. We have agricultural products that could earn much-needed foreign exchange, natural resources that could support industries, and young people who should be an economic asset.

Yet we continue to struggle with low productivity, unemployment and dependence on imported goods. Somewhere between our potential and our performance, something is going terribly wrong.

This is why NPC’s proposal to prioritise value chains such as cotton, chillies, mangoes and spices deserves support. With limited resources, we must focus on areas where Malawi has a competitive advantage and invest in them properly.

But announcing priority crops will not transform the economy. Farmers need markets, irrigation, affordable inputs, and storage. Processors need reliable electricity and finance. Exporters need consistent production and quality standards. We must produce more locally, process more of what we grow and export more of what we make.

We must also confront corruption. Money lost through corrupt deals, inflated contracts and wasteful expenditure is money that cannot build hospitals, equip schools or support productive investment.

The change of gear must bring transparent procurement, credible investigations and consequences for those who abuse public resources. Citizens cannot keep shouldering a heavy tax burden while public money is squandered with little accountability.

Nor can we continue celebrating our youthful population without creating opportunities for young people to work, acquire relevant skills and establish businesses. A demographic dividend is realised through productive employment, not simply having a large youth population.

Ultimately, MW2063 is our vision. Nobody imposed it on us. We chose the ambition of becoming an inclusively wealthy, self-reliant and industrialised upper-middle-income country. We must therefore own both its implementation and its results.

Government must translate the vision into clear priorities, fund them adequately and hold ministries, departments and agencies accountable. The private sector needs room to invest and grow, while development partners should complement, not substitute, domestic commitment.

From where I stand, the greatest danger is not simply missing another target. It is becoming accustomed to failure, as though falling short of our ambitions were an unavoidable part of national life. It is not.

The road to improved livelihoods may be longer than we hoped, but we cannot keep walking at the same pace and expect to arrive sooner. Malawi needs the change of gear NPC is calling for. The questions are whether our leaders have the will to deliver it, and whether we will demand results?

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