Goodall Gondwe, the former Minister of Finance in Malawi, has passed away at the age of 86. Gondwe was born on December 1, 1936, and served as finance minister from 2004 to 2009.
He was a respected economist and technocrat. Gondwe, a former IMF vice-president, was credited with transforming Malawi’s economy between 2004 and 2009.
Goodall Gondwe was born on December 1, 1936, in Kayiwonanga village, Mzimba, Malawi. He earned a B.Sc. in economics from the University of London, and went on to hold a number of significant positions in both Malawi and abroad.
He served as General Manager of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, Senior Vice President and Acting President of the African Development Bank (ADB), and Senior Advisor to the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He was also Chief Economic Advisor to Presidents Bakili Muluzi and Bingu wa Mutharika.
Gondwe’s impact was perhaps most profound during his terms as Malawi’s Minister of Finance. He served from 2004 to 2009.
During this period, Gondwe orchestrated a transformative overhaul of Malawi’s economy.He reduced inflation from 30% in 2005 to a remarkable 6% by 2008, and the nation’s economy expanded by about 6%.
Goodall Gondwe also helped negotiate a contract with Paladin Energy that marked Malawi’s foray into uranium mining; turning Malawi to one of the top 10 producers of Uranium in the world during his tenure.
He also served in different cabinet ministerial roles under President Peter Mutharika between 2014 and 2019.
Goodall Gondwe was a visionary economist and a trailblazing political leader. His adept governance, strategic acumen, and commitment to economic progress will be remembered for years to come.
His death is a major loss for Malawi. More details about Gondwe’s death will be released soon.
