Chilima dates MPs on Mining and Malawi Agenda 2063 vision
Malawi’s Vibrant and hands-on-the-deck State Vice President Salous Chilima says the government has set its eyes on the prize with a sharp focus to ensure all public entities adhere to the MW2063 vision goals and treat mining as a significant priority.
Chilima, who is also minister of economic planning and development and public sector reforms made the remarks Thursday when he held a joint meeting with the Budget and Public Accounts Committee of Parliament to lobby them to support implementation of Malawi 2063 and legislation to promote the mining sector.
Chilima courting MPs on MW2063 and mining
The meeting took place at Bingu International Conference Centre in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
The flamboyant Malawi number two citizen, who is widely known as SKC in the political spheres said the Chakwera led Tonse Alliance administration’s main focus is to ensure that all government entities are in sync and therefore religiously adheres to the MW2063 vision and treat mining as a priority and main sector.
Chilima said implementation of MW 2063 as agreed and planned will see Malawi graduate into a lower middle income country by the year 2030.
Said Chilima: “This year’s budget is the first to fund the MW2063.
“Given the vision and implementation plan, it is now imperative that we all be pulling in the same direction and our efforts and resources be seen to be focused on the achievement of the Vision.”
The Veep urged MPs to support an amendment to the Political Parties Act to ensure that MW2063 gets the necessary backing and that all arms of government adhere to the vision.
“I trust that Honourable Members will support this Bill to ensure that MW2063 gets the necessary institutional backing,” he said.
He said MW 2063 is an important blue print in developing the country as it is focused on three pillars of Agricultural Productivity and Commercialization, Industrialization and Urbanization.
Chilima, who is a corporate world guru, disclosed that in the next weeks he will hold consultative meetings with stakeholders in the agriculture sector on how to achieve agricultural transformation feats as envisaged in the MW2063 vision plan.
“It is, therefore, imperative that the Agriculture sector be transformed by productivity upgrades through modern agronomic practices and commercialization where agriculture is treated as a business and not merely a survival and default activity,” emphasised the vice president.
On industriasation, the Veep said the government will table a bill to create a statutory development corporation to spearhead industrialization.
On mining, Chilima said a new bill proposing the creation of a Mining Regulatory Authority to bring sanity and orderliness to the sector will soon be tabled in the August house.
” I hope members of these two Committees will support this Bill when it comes to Parliament,” said Chilima.
The Veep said the government is treating mining as the main sector for achieving Malawi’s structural transformation, and implementation of MW2063.
” The Government is currently reviewing the legal standing of a State Mining Company that was registered to promote mining and represent Government interest in strategic mining operations.
“I hope Honourable Members will support the funding for this company when they are presented for appropriation,” he pleaded.
Chilima said it is important that Malawians and their representatives in Parliament commit to move forward and leave no room for policy reversal or going back on what the nation agreed in MW 2063.
‘Youth involvement’
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament deputy chairperson and UDF’s leader in the House, Ned Poya, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Zomba Ntonya in an interview with Nyasa Times said:
“I would like to commend the vice president for his relentlessness in pushing for a better Malawi but now it is up to those in places who have the responsibilities to implement these plans to change their mindset and start working realistically to attain those goals,” said Poya.
“Mining and agriculture sectors holds the key to a progressive future for the generations to come. We need to roll up our sleeves and go down to business and work hard towards achieving the goals in line with 2063.
However, Poya said in these programmes we must consider involving the youth who will be part of the future we are trying to create now.
“We cannot be talking about Malawi 2063 vision without the people who will be there. All of us won’t be there so let those that will be there be part of the plan,” said the soft-spoken Poya.
The Malawi 2063 is a product of selfless contributions, dedication and commitment of patriotic Malawians across the country in rural and urban areas, as well as the diaspora.
Malawi 2063 vision was launched on January 19, 2021 to replace the outdated Vision 2020 which expired in December 2020, with aims to transform Malawi into a wealthy and self-reliant industrialized ‘upper middle-income country’ by the year 2063.
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Moning needs to be regulated not for foreigner to eat well with our hard earned minerals, We need good policies on mining and mining proceeds.
In all these developmental strategies if this government of Chakwera Chilima will not look into rehabilitation of M1 and lake shore roads, these strategies will not yeild enough results. Kindly please construct us these roads the rest later
Gladys Ganda is the person of the year 2021. Read the Chronicles.
Our house is on fire now. No forex and no business. SMEs are closing now, you can witness that at game complex. Life is very tough these days as opposed to 2019…2020 and the years before. Why can’t we spend all our efforts, ideas and energy fixing today and later focus on 2063. I believe today is the foundation for tomorrow and we can not achieve tomorrow is today is this bad. We can do the vision 2063 later and that’s why it is a vision. Let’s not be carried away with this 2063 idea. We are suffering today.