Malawi VP Chilima challenges engineers to up standards

Vice President Saulos Chilima on Friday opened a virtual Malawi Engineering Institution Annual General Meeting (AGM) from his office at the seat of government Capital Hill in Lilongwe with a call to the engineers to up standards in the delivery of services to the nation.

Chilima emphasized that the engineering profession is among the pivotal professions that are key to the attainment of the Tonse Alliance agenda and its services cut across the administration’s conjoined manifesto.

However, the Vice President bemoaned the poor quality of infrastructures mushrooming in the country’s cities, strategic towns and trading centres, saying this is a demonstration that there is still room for improvement in the sector.

“Recently, we have witnessed infrastructure failures. For example, failed bridge embankment at Chapananga in Chikwawa, collapsed Biti Kalanje bridge in Mangochi and many other project failures, not to mention poor quality infrastructures that have mushroomed in our towns and cities,” said Chilima.

He continued: “ I therefore, urge the new board to commit to ensuring that engineers remain professional by maintaining their standards, acquiring new knowledge, upholding professional code of ethics and being patriotic to their professional calling.”

Chilima, who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms,

said the AGM provides an opportunity to celebrate the important contributions of engineers and engineering to sustainable development and good life and to usher in a new lease of life to the profession by electing the first ever MEI Board of Directors.

The country’s second-in-command emphasized that engineers are very critical with regard to achieving Sustainable Development Goals, observing that they are the ones who develop and implement technologies and systems.

“It is engineers who develop transport, communication, energy, mining, agriculture, manufacturing and other various infrastructures such as roads and bridges. It is engineers who come up with innovations that benefit the people and enable them lead a better life among other activities.

“Therefore, it is against this background that Government has been in the forefront in ensuring that our engineers have the space to be able to offer the best services in the country. Therefore, the ever-rising stakeholder expectations and an increasing desire for quality in engineering infrastructure provides a reasonable justification that this new lease of life to the engineering fraternity, will bring in the much-needed competence, professionalism, quality and ethics,” said the Vice President.

He further stated that the Tonse Administration denotes that the engineering profession ought to be at the core of delivery of an enabling environment for economic development.

Chilima therefore urged those to be elected into the MEI Board to commit to work closely with the government to ensure that the aspirations and expectations of the people of Malawi are fulfilled.

“We demand nothing less than high quality professional advice and engagement with Government and other stakeholders. As the Honourable Deputy Minister has mentioned, the Malawi Engineering Institution Act of 2019 repealed the Engineers Act (1972) in order to provide a stronger and more effective legal framework. This was done in order to address challenges and promote quality and ethical practice of engineering.”

He said the new Board should therefore be committed to the implementation of the provisions of the Act to ensure that the desired outcomes and benefits of the Act are accelerated for the good of the people of Malawi,.

Recently, President.Lazarus Chakwera launched the National Transformational 2063 Agenda linked to the continental/African-driven aspirations manifested in Agenda 2063.

Chilima therefore stressed that the achievement of high quality standards in the infrastructure sector will clearly demonstrate the MEI‘s influence in the realization of the ambitious agenda.

He called on engineers to think outside the box.