Malawi is not short of ideas or strategic plans. We have developed countless well-crafted policy documents and blueprints, many of which have the potential to transform our nation.
However, what continues to hold us back is not a lack of vision but rather selfishness and a failure to act.
Take the Malawi Social Action Fund (MASAF) as a prime example. On paper, MASAF was a brilliant initiative aimed at improving livelihoods and community infrastructure.
But while Malawi continues to treat such documents as trophies to be shelved, other countries, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Mozambique, have taken these same ideas and implemented them with discipline and dedication.
The results speak for themselves. Rwanda has made remarkable development strides, and Tanzania has managed to construct maternity wings at nearly every village level a critical step in improving maternal health.
Meanwhile, Malawi is caught in a cycle of drafting and redrafting, announcing and re-announcing, with little progress to show. Self-interest and political posturing have taken precedence over national interest.
Those entrusted with implementing these plans often divert funds, stall progress, or use these projects as political tools rather than engines for real development.
We must confront this culture of selfishness. Policies must no longer remain words on paper they must translate into action.
Malawi has the brains, the plans, and the resources. What we need now is integrity, patriotism, and a commitment to doing what is right, not just for individual gain but for the collective good of the nation.
It’s time we stop letting others develop using our ideas while we remain stagnant. Malawi deserves better—and it starts with putting our people before our pockets.
