President Lazarus Chakwera says he is committed to ensuring that his administration leads by example towards efforts for the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities across the country.
President Chakwera was speaking this on Thursday November 17 at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe during the inauguration of this year’s Malawi Council for the Handicapped (MACOHA) Flag Week.
The Malawi leader described the 2022 MACOHA Flag Week as an opportunity for everyone to stand in solidarity with these other Malawians who are persons with disabilities by supporting and empowering them economically.
He said as his government is creating opportunities for Malawians, he will make sure that persons with disabilities are not left behind, by giving them an integral place in all aspects of the country’s development.
Chakwera also mentioned that he will make sure that persons with disabilities are acquiring the very best vocational skills which he described as a vehicle towards the creation of jobs that give them the opportunity to become self-reliant.
“The global economy is dynamic and its most generative markets are changing all the time with increasing frequency and velocity. As such, we cannot afford to be giving Malawians in general and persons with disabilities in particular the kind of skills they cannot earn a livelihood from in the economy of tomorrow or that are not germane to the acceleration and sustainability of Malawi’s development,” said Chakwera.
President Chakwera further articulated that supporting and empowering persons with disabilities is part of Servant Leadership, Uniting Malawians, Prospering Together, which are the first three pillar of his SUPER Hi5 agenda.
He then emphasised his commitment towards improving livelihoods of persons with disabilities by indicating that he will not allow them to be treated as charity cases and added that persons with disabilities should join forces in the cause of building a New Malawi for themselves and their children, even children with disabilities.
“This means that I am committed to ensuring that Government delivers quality and timely service to Malawians, even Malawians with disabilities. It means that I am committed to ensuring that any prosperity that Malawi experiences as a result of Government efforts to manage and build a robust economy that creates wealth are tailor-made for and suited to the circumstances and capacities of all citizens, even citizens with disabilities.
“Our approach is to transform what are often marginal survival activities for vulnerable people by treating them as productive citizens with great agency and potential. Our approach is to base our policies on the principles of human dignity, not human charity,” he added.
The Malawi leader has then urged all Malawians to play an active role in advocating for the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities in all aspects of both the economy and society.
Chakwera has also appealed to both government and Non-Governmental Organizations, international and local development partners, and private enterprises to donate generously towards this year’s MACOHA Flag Week as a demonstration of commitment towards empowering persons with disabilities in the country.
