President Lazarus Chakwera says conflicts over natural resources have left Africa poor while people from other continents are benefiting from the same natural resources.
Chakwera made the remarks after arriving from Mozambique where he attended the Extraordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The Malawi leader said countries in the SADC region have a bright future but they need to maintain peace and stability because if there are conflicts, Africa’s natural resources will continue being looted by people from other continents.
“Conflicts over natural resources have destroyed Africa such that people on the continent are poor yet Africa’s resources have been used to develop other continents across the continents.
“The natural resources which are being discovered in Malawi should be safeguarded through proper agreements that are not tainted by corruption,” said Chakwera.
The Malawi leader who will become chairperson of SADC in August said the chairmanship of SADC will open more doors for Malawi in terms of trade as SADC seeks to advance trade among member states.
He advised government ministries and the private sector to take advantage of the SADC summit which will be held in Malawi in August to improve relations with other countries and secure business deals.
Chakwera left for Mozambique on Wednesday morning. During the one-day summit in Mozambique on Wednesday members discussed Covid-19, trade and security. They agreed to send troops to Mozambique where thousand of people have been killed in gas-rich Cabo Delgado province.
