The return of fuel queues to Malawi’s roads is a telling symptom of deeper, unresolved economic malaise.
In a country where scarcity has become normalised, the sight of motorists lined up for hours, hoping to obtain a few litres of fuel, is an inconvenience as much as it is a national crisis that highlights chronic policy failures.
Economic activity is once again grinding to a halt.
Small-scale businesses that rely on mobility and consistent energy supply are bearing the brunt.
Public transport operators and other services that need fuel are caught in the crossfire of systemic dysfunction.
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For an economy already grappling with inflation, unemployment and food insecurity, the impact of disrupted fuel supplies is profound.
At the heart of the crisis is the foreign forex dilemma, a perennial problem for Malawi.
The hope was that the tobacco marketing season, often touted as a foreign exchange lifeline, would provide some relief.
After all, tobacco remains the country’s top forex earner, accounting for the largest influx of forex within a defined period.
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However, even in a good season, tobacco earnings only cover a little over one month’s worth of the import bill.
This makes any expectation that tobacco can sustain the country’s forex requirements both unrealistic and misleading.
Government officials have already admitted that forex reserves are insufficient, despite the onset of the tobacco season.
This admission, though honest, does little to reassure the public that there is a coordinated strategy to address the problem.
It only confirms what many already suspect; that the country remains dangerously dependent on a single export crop and lacks a diversified forex base.
The fall in donor support has only deepened the crisis. However, to blame it solely on aid cuts is disingenuous.
This forex crisis was already looming before donor funding began to diminish. What we are seeing is the cumulative effect of years of poor planning, lack of strategic foresight and weak economic fundamentals.
One must ask: where are the experts in government? What is being done to find sustainable solutions to the persistent forex crisis?
A capable and responsive government does not sit idly by while one issue, be it forex, fuel or food, wreaks havoc on livelihoods for months or even years without reprieve.
It is unfathomable that a problem so predictable and recurrent is still being managed in an ad hoc, reactive manner.
The current situation raises legitimate concerns about governance and accountability.
Elsewhere, repeated crises of this nature would lead to resignations or dismissals. Heads would roll. Investigations would be launched.
In Malawi, however, the crises simply continue, met with indifference and recycled promises.
The sugar crisis is a perfect example. How is it possible that citizens are struggling to find sugar, a basic commodity, while manufacturers claim there is no shortage?
Illovo has maintained that its production levels are adequate, yet shop shelves remain empty and prices continue to soar.
Clearly, there is a serious breakdown either in the supply chain or in enforcement mechanisms.
Even more concerning is the apparent impunity surrounding illegal sugar exports.
Trucks are reportedly impounded while smuggling sugar across borders, yet the public hears nothing about who is responsible or what consequences have been applied.
Who has the confidence to orchestrate such operations without fear of accountability?
It strains belief to suggest that ordinary citizens could undertake such large-scale illicit activities without protection or complicity from powerful people within the system.
This leads to a sobering conclusion: Malawi’s current problems are not acts of fate or bad luck. They are man-made crises; the result of either incompetence or corruption, or a dangerous combination of both.
The leadership must be held accountable. If those in power are merely overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis and lack the capacity to respond effectively, then they must make way for those who can.
If, on the other hand, they are benefitting from the chaos, using it as a smokescreen for profiteering or political manoeuvring, then the situation is even more grave.
What is most disheartening is the normalisation of dysfunction. There seems to be no urgency, no sense that things must change.
Citizens are expected to adapt to crises, to endure and to remain patient while facing recurring shortages of fuel, sugar, medicines and basic services.
Malawi deserves better. A country rich in potential should not be perpetually stuck in cycles of crisis.
