* The government has introduced free secondary education by fees for abolishing tuition, examination, school development and identity card
* Mutharika unveiled a series of new government initiatives aimed at improving livelihoods, boosting industrialisation, and enhancing service delivery
* But for all this to happen, good governance and rule of law will be very key. I will not tolerate any corruption
* My Government will empower the Anti-Corruption Bureau to prosecute corruption cases without fear or favour. In the end, we will all have the Malawi we want
By Duncan Mlanjira
In his official opening of the 52nd Session of Parliament in Lilongwe this morning, President Arthur Peter Mutharika announced that to improve literacy levels in the country, his administration has introduced free secondary education by fees for abolishing tuition, examination, school development and identity card.
Thus he has directed that no public school should be requesting learners to contribute towards school development fund and any other fees, except boarding fees.
The school fund, which was adjusted from K22,000 to K45,000 for secondary schools, is managed by Parents & Teachers Association, and when not paid, the learners were being sent back home until it is fully paid.
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Mutharika unveiled a series of new government initiatives aimed at improving livelihoods, boosting industrialisation, and enhancing service delivery — that include:
State of the economy
He stressed that he was deeply concerned with the state of the economy as all major macro-economic indicators are misaligned; that inflation is high at 28.2, up from 8.6% in 2020 under the MCP-led administration.
“Persistent shortages of forex have resulted in intermittent fuelsupply and critical shortages of fertilizer and medical drugs. The forex scarcity has also driven up the prices of nearly all essential items including food, soap, salt, and sugar — placing immense pressure on households.
Budget Performance
Owing to the misaligned macroeconomic indicators, Mutharika took note that “both revenue and expenditure for this fiscal year have been performing poorly [since] Government has not been able to mobilise enough revenue to implement its programmes”.
“Overall growth projection remains weak with GDP projected to grow at 2.8% in 2025 from 1.7% in 2024 — mainly attributed to low agricultural productivity, supply chain constraints, and limited industrial capacity.”
He indicated that the national deficit has surged from MK558.9 billion in 2020 to the current MK2.4 trillion and that similarly, as of April 2025, total public debt had reached MK21.6 trillion from MK4.1 trillion in 2020 — “underscoring mounting fiscal pressures and long-term sustainability concerns”.
“My Administration has already started taking steps to deal with the prevailing undesirable situation by engaging financiers on debt treatment and raising more financing through grants, among others.
Standing ovation during the President’s speech
Food security
The President unpacked that his vision on food security “remains that no Malawian dies of hunger. However, we are in a food crisis [as] over four million Malawians are in need of food assistance.
“This is why on 25th October, 2025, I declared a state of disaster in 11 districts,” he said, as he announced that his administration has procured 200,000 metric tons of maize from Zambia for free distribution to four million Malawians — while ADMARC will be allocated more maize to its outlets across the country.
Fertilizer for 2025/2026 farming season
The President is set to re-introduce Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) for the forthcoming farming season which will be launched in the second week of November, 2025 — which will benefit 1.1 million households, each accessing two 50kg bags of fertilizer plus a 5kg pack of seed of their choice.
“The beneficiaries will be paying MK10,000 per 50kg bag of fertilizer. But let me issue a strong warning against selling fake fertilizer. I am aware there have been cases of fake fertilizer.
“The malpractice is very wrong and inhuman,” he said, while directing Malawi Bureau of Standards and Malawi Police Services “to be vigilant and end this criminal act”.
“Our long-term plan is to facilitate the establishment of a fertilizer manufacturing plant in the country to ensure availability of affordable fertilizer. A feasibility study for this plan has already been done.
“I am also aware that we still have a lot of unsold tobacco in the Central and Northern regions due to policy mismanagement. I am directing the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning & Development and the Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation & Water Development to engage the buyers and ensure that all tobacco is sold.”
Energy (fuel)
Mutharika declared that Malawi is “still in a fuel crisis” as service station queues are still taking place: “Malawians voted for us to end this crisis and we will end it. Therefore, in order to ensure stability of fuel supply in the country, my Administration will ensure that fuel imports consistently meet national demand.
“We will increase allocation of foreign exchange to match import requirements,” he said as he also announced that his administration will revert to the Open Tender Fuel
Procurement System to ensure fast deliveries, efficiency, transparency, and value for money, while also diversifying fuel importers to promote competition and reduce dependence on a few suppliers.
Fuel queues order of the day
Energy (electricity)
He took great note that economy cannot grow is power generation continues to be a challenge — thus he will increase power generation from multiple sources including hydro, solar, interconnectivity and biomass; while fast track construction of the
358.5 megawatt (MW) Mpatamanga Hydropower Project in 2026, and scale up to 50MW installation at EGENCO’s Salima Nanjoka Solar Power Plant by 2026.
EGENCO’s Salima Nanjoka Solar Power Plant
Mining
He took cognizance that the mining sector stands at the centre of economic transformation and that while Kayelekera Uranium Mine in Karonga has resumed production, the Kanyika Niobium, Songwe Rare Earths, and Kangankunde Rare Earths projects are advancing toward mine development.
“Meanwhile, feasibility work is in progress for the Kasiya Rutile and Graphite projects. These key initiatives will give a significant boost to our economy,” he said, while indicating that the Government will create a Sovereign Fund to ensure that proceeds from the mineral exports benefit Malawians.
Passports
The President declared that he “will not allow the chaos of passports to continue”, pledging that the government will reduce queues and congestion at the Immigration offices by resuming printing of passports in Blantyre, Mzuzu and Mangochi by the end of this financial year.
A heavy-duty passport printer that will quadruple the current production of 500 passports per day has been commissioned.
Constituency Development Fund
This programme will be re-introduced but reformed in line with High Court ruling in which MK5 billion will now allocated every year to every constituency starting from next financial year.
“In addition, every constituency will receive MK100 million every year for the youths to access soft loans for businesses. Again, every constituency will also be allocated MK100 million for businesses for women.
“This funding goes to all constituencies, regardless of whether you are a government, independent or opposition MP. All Malawians and all districts deserve equal development.
Industrialisation
A strong manufacturing sector and a vibrant knowledge-based economy is his administration’s agenda, to prioritise promotion of the private sector to be the engine of economic growth and a source of fiscal revenue, foreign exchange and employment.
Thus the government will focus on six key industries — agro-processing, textile and apparel, mineral processing, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and technology.
Public health
Taking note that public hospitals do not have enough medical drugs and that every Malawian deserves access to safe, quality and affordable healthcare, the President has direct the Ministries of Finance, Economic Planning & Development and Health, District Councils and Central Medical Stores Trust to work together to resolve the challenges with urgency.
Public service management
“For a longtime, Malawi Public Service was among the best in Africa in terms of professionalism, discipline, and hardworking spirit — sadly, service delivery across all sectors has collapsed.
“Malawians struggle to access basic services such as quality education, health care, potable water and sanitation services, passports, driving licences, electricity, and social welfare programs as well as pensions and gratuities.
“I want efficient service delivery and the integrity of the Civil Service restored and all unbudgeted recruitments and unprocedural promotions must stop.”
Foreign policy and international relations
“We have spoken about promoting economic diplomacy as the bedrock of our foreign policy. Unfortunately, we have not progressed much. Moving forward, my Government will, among others:
i. Increasingly engage new and existing relations to maximise potential benefits that serve our economic plan; and
ii. Use our diplomatic missions abroad as hubs of attracting investment and remittances.
Foreign Affairs Minister George Chaponda recent engagement with head of diplomatic missions
Social support
He indicated that most Malawians need social support with most of them being the elderly and people with disabilities — thus he “will continue to collaborate with development partners and increase its contribution to ensure that the vulnerable are supported through the Social Cash Transfer Programme”.
In his conclusion, President Mutharika emphasised if his administration “will get the economy right, it will get everything else right. It is a growing economy that will create more jobs for the youth and women.
“But for all this to happen, good governance and rule of law will be very key. I will not tolerate any corruption — my Government will empower the Anti-Corruption Bureau to prosecute corruption cases without fear or favour. In the end, we will all have the Malawi we want.”
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