The Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has told Malawi president Lazarus Chakwera to resolve the mess that rocked the Affordable Inputs Programme (AIP) during the 2022/23 farming season.
This comes as the coalition met president Chakwera at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Wednesday. 24th May, 2023 where they discussed several issues affecting Malawians.
According to a press statement which was released after the meeting, signed by HRDC chairperson Gift Trapence, there are many issues affecting lives of people in the country which president Chakwera needs to address.
Trapence through the statement expressed concern over the mess that has rocked the procurement of subsidized farm inputs under the AIP.
The group has urged president Chakwera to resolve issues surrounding AIP so that it should benefit all deserving Malawian nationals which he said will help in developing a food secured nation.
“We demanded urgent resolution of these issues and the return of the funds to Treasury. Moreover, we urged the government to professionally manage the next AIP cycle by ensuring early preparations to safeguard Malawians’ right to food,” reads part of the statement.
The coalition has also asked president Chakwera to fulfil his campaign promises where among others Malawians were assured of employment opportunities.
“We called upon the President to ensure that his government fulfils its campaign promises to generate investments that create employment opportunities. Additionally, we urged the government to prioritise high-impact development projects that would stimulate private sector growth.
“He assured us that his government would make efforts to curb excessive borrowing and prevent the debt from spiralling beyond control,” reads another part of the statement.
During the meeting, Chakwera reportedly asked the coalition and other human rights activists to help his government towards achieving national agenda.
It is reported that Chakwera urged human rights activists to be in the forefront in demanding people’s rights by, among other tracking development and progress of various projects.
Presidential Press Secretary Anthony Kasunda has told the local media that president Chakwera acknowledges the crucial role civil society organisations play in helping Malawians access the deserved developments, hence the meeting with HRDC.
“The President invited the HRDC leadership to discuss with them how they can support the government, especially by monitoring infrastructure projects and giving regular reports on what is causing delays in the completion of some of these projects, for him to facilitate their expedition,” Kasunda said.
Kasunda said the Malawi leader is working tirelessly to ensure that infrastructure projects are completed in time towards vision to attain middle-income status.
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