By Linda Kwanjana
President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera says fraud and low productivity remains biggest threats to Malawi economy.
Chakwera was speaking at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe during the co-management signing ceremony of Nyika National Park and Vwaza Game Reserve between Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) and Malawi Government which was witnessed by the PPF Vice Chair who is also Mozambique former President Joackim Chisano.
“I have said it before and I will say it again that our primary challenges as an economy is the result of low
productivity and fraud, and most of the other things people complain about are merely symptoms. The historical levels of poverty in this country have
persisted because we have not been producing enough goods and services of value to create the wealth, jobs,
and food necessary to end poverty, and the little that we do produce was being smuggled out of the country through fraud and with no remittances of revenue to the country,” he said.
The president said his administration is determined to defeat the two evils.
He added that government has put forward mechanisms aimed at fostering productivity and fighting fraud.
“You get used to the fact that as we ramp up the fight against low productivity and fraud, those who benefit from these evils are going to fight back with their own smear campaign to paint us as the
villains. But we will not retreat and we will not surrender until these twin evils that have been impoverishing our
country are defeated,” he explained.
The president hailed signing of the management saying will help to protect wildlife.
Chakwera has since invited President Joackim Chiasano to go together with him and see Nyika National Park.
Peace Parks Foundation facilitates the establishment of transfrontier conservation areas in southern Africa.
The non – profit organisation was founded by Dr Nelson Mandela, HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and Dr Anton Rupert in 1997.
