The Minister of Finance, Joseph Mwanamvekha, has assured Malawians that the country’s economy is on the path to recovery, saying government is committed to stabilising and improving the economic situation.
Mwanamvekha made the remarks during a pre-budget consultation meeting organised by the Ministry of Finance, which was held in Lilongwe on Friday.
The meeting attracted various organisations and individuals who expressed willingness to support government efforts aimed at economic recovery.
During the discussions, some participants advised government to focus on mega farming and mining as key drivers for export growth, noting that Malawi is currently not producing enough to sustain the economy.
However, the Director of the Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN), Bertha Phiri, expressed concern that national budgets often neglect the welfare of poor and vulnerable citizens.
“Our social protection allocation is always underfunded. Government concentrates on other areas while leaving behind vulnerable people,” said Phiri.
She added that many Malawians are suffering because social protection programmes are compromised at community level, including in the health, education and agriculture sectors. Phiri stressed that government must put more effort into these areas if the country is to achieve meaningful development.
The pre-budget consultations focused on fiscal discipline, realistic revenue targets and economic stabilisation measures ahead of the presentation of the national budget to Parliament.
In his response, Mwanamvekha assured the nation that despite the current challenges, Malawi is moving in the right direction.
“Without pointing fingers at each other, the nation will improve. We are changing for the better,” he said.
The pre-budget consultations are for the 2026/2027 fiscal year. Similar meetings are scheduled to continue in Mzuzu on Monday and in Blantyre on Tuesday, as government aligns its spending priorities ahead of the next national budget.
