President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika has appealed to former United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change to support Malawi in securing, among others, favourable mining and energy investments.
President Mutharika made the appeal at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe when he held talks with Blair on Malawi’s economic recovery agenda and foreign investment.
President Mutharika told Blair that his administration inherited an economy facing high inflation, food shortages and foreign exchange challenges, prompting the government to implement what he described as the Four Fs strategy — Food, Forex, Fertiliser and Fuel.
“As I speak we have stabilised food supplies, resumed fertiliser imports and we plan to establish a fertiliser manufacturing plant by 2027 to reduce dependence on imports and save foreign exchange,” The President said.
The Malawi leader has since appealed to Blair to use his international influence to help Malawi attract credible investors, particularly in the mining and energy sectors, who would safeguard the country’s interests.
The President also sought Blair’s support in debt restructuring to ease pressure on public finances.
In his remarks, Blair expressed confidence in President Mutharika’s leadership, saying Malawians voted him back into power because of their trust in his ability to turn around the country’s fortunes.
By Mwai Mtumodzi
