President Peter Mutharika says his goal is to leave Malawians happier than he found them by providing basic social services to every community.
The president made the remarks in London on Tuesday during a public lecture at the School of Oriental African Studies (SOAS), University of London under the theme ‘Moving on African Society from Poverty to Prosperity: Challenges and Opportunities’.
Mutharika said he wants to ensure that every community is food secure, has electricity, a good road network, water, health care, secondary school and a community technical college.
“I want people in every community to create their own jobs, have basic social services for them to be productive and be happy.
“It is by empowering the youth, men and women with access to education, industrial skills and access to capital that we can industrialize Malawi and create new wealth. This initiative must be done in a free and democratic society with a government that is accountable to its people,” said Mutharika
He then told the gathering that his government is doing everything possible to use investment opportunities and move from aid to trade as a way of moving from poverty to prosperity.
During the speech, Mutharika also noted that the popular image is that the West is the benevolent giver while Africa is the poor receiver. He said the narrative is constructed and popularized to justify aid and overshadow the exploitation of the continent.
“The truth is that every year, more wealth leaves Africa than the aid and loans that enter the continent. While Africa receives about $162 billion every year, about $203 billion leaves the continent to Europe. Africa is losing $41 billion or 32 billion pounds every year. This is according to Honest Accounts 2017 Report, also published in The Guardian— your paper here!
“We are made to believe that Africa is a corruption-infested continent full of bad leadership because the world has to be kept blind from this global syndicate of exploitation. We are convinced to find a reason to blame Africans for their situation,” said Mutharika.
He then called for the need to reject and unlearn all the myths, stereotypes and negative concepts of African people saying the continent cannot achieve anything positive with negative thinking.
