President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has reiterated that mining is one of the priority sectors under the Agriculture, Tourism and Mining (ATM) strategy.

Chakwera entitled his 2024 SONA State of the Nation address, ‘Taking stock and advantage of our progress in achieving economic recovery and resilience’, and said this today during the opening of the 2024/2025 budget meeting.

The President is optimistic that concerted efforts centered on the ATM and other priorities hold the promise of improved livelihoods and greater growth of Malawi’s economy than what the economists are projecting.

The ATM Strategy hinges on enhancing agriculture, tourism, and mining productivity.

Chakwera observed that sectors under the ATM strategy are vital sectors that hold the key towards achieving food security, job creation, and wealth creation in the shortest time possible if their activities are boosted.

“If achieving food security, job creation, and wealth creation through Agriculture, Tourism, and Mining is our priority, I said, then this is where we must put our hardest-working and smartest officials, not those who are lazy and complacent.

“Madam Speaker, I believe that our concerted effort in promoting and leveraging these priorities holds the promise of greater growth than what the economists are projecting,” Chakwera said.

He then called for seriousness in promoting ATM across MDAs instead of engaging in territorialism through institutional turf wars.

“We must get serious by taming our appetite to spend public resources on nonproductive activities and non-productive public sector bodies,” Chakwera said.

Reacting to the SONA, National Planning Commission Director General Dr Thomas Chataghalala Munthali said the address “is the most MW-2063 centric SONA” as it places wealth creation at the centre of focus.

“It sends the correct signals to all stakeholders - Parliament, MDAs, non-state actors and citizens on the importance of getting serious in living the talk of wealth creation,” Munthali said.