Mutharika warns political unrest may scare off investors impressed with Malawi economy

President Peter Mutharika has said a rosy economic outlook of Malawi has attracted foreign investors to come to Malawi but warned that the chaotic political landscape could be frightening the international companies who would want to invest in the country.

Mutharika said this on Sunday on arrival from the United Kingdom where he led a delegation of government and private sector who attended the  first ever UK-Africa investment summit.

President Mutharika said the international community has expressed confidence in Malawi’s macro-economic situation.

“They say it is an economy where they can invest in power, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education,” Mutharika said.

He said despite the economy being stable, political turmoil will cause Malawi to lose private investments.

The President said the investors express concern with the situation of peace and stability in the country.

““I assured the investors that Malawi is a peaceful nation and that the tense situation in the country is temporary and it will change,” said Mutharika on arrival at Kamuzu International Airport in an interview monitored by Nyasa Times on tax funded Malawi Broadcasting Corporation.

“My request is for those destroying the country to withdraw from the path of destruction. We need to learn to dialogue when we have issues, instead of resorting to destroying what we have in Malawi,” said Mutharika.

Malawi has been in a political lock down following the highly disputed May 21, 2019 polls.

Apart from the UK-Africa Investment Forum, Mutharika also attended the UK-Malawi Investment Forum where 16 Malawian companies also attended the forum to market themselves and their activities for potential investment.

Malawi has since clinched deals in energy, health, mining, tourism, agriculture, among others.