By Chimwemwe Mangazi, in Dar es Salam, Tanzania:
The Tanzania- Malawi Trade and Investment Forum, which was scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Dar es Salam, Tanzania, ended abruptly following the tragic death of Vice President Saulos Chilima.
Malawi’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Andrew Kumwenda announced to delegates who had converged at Hyatt Regency Hotel that the event could not proceed as Malawi is observing 21-day mourning.
It has transpired that Minister of Trade Sosten Gwengwe, who was expected to grace the event, cut short his trip to Tanzania following the death of Chilima.
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“We were having all these arrangements and earlier it was at the very end of our arrangements that we heard from the Minister of Trade that please cancel the event in keeping with the mourning that we are having in Malawi.
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“This was the inaugural event but we expected this to take place and then from here we wanted to even go further for the whole East Africa probably holding it in Uganda or Kenya. Because we feel that this is where we do get a lot business. Going forward that will depend on how we can reorganize the resources. Because this function was wholly supported by the private sector,” Kumwenda said.
Meanwhile, business captains have described Chilima as a champion for business and economic development stressing that he devoted his life to improving the doing business environment and demonstrating excellence.
In an interview, Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) Chief Executive Officer Daisy Kambalame said Chilima understood the needs of the private sector.
“If you look at the recent deals that were done in South Korea, he was already giving direction on some of the issues that we need to tackle. So, he was very practical and understood the need to create an enabling environment for the private sector. We’ve definitely lost a champion.
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“We’ve lost someone who understood and who we felt can also help drive the growth of the economy in Malawi. I think his left a legacy. He has always talked about hard work, he’s always been someone that has demonstrated professionalism and determination.
“One of the things that we want to reflect on is creating an environment where we have a private sector that is focused and determined for growth as led by Chilima,” Kambalame said.
ICT Association of Malawi President Clarence Gama said he knew Chilima during their time at Airtel where he was Managing Director.
“He is the best example of decisive and resilient leadership. His strict commitment to his values and what he believes in is something all leaders to adopt. In my view he was the future of a transformed Malawi and he will be greatly missed,” Gama said.
Old Mutual Malawi Chief Executive Officer Edith Jiya described Chilima as a strategist, passionate about his work and great execution skills.
“From us our biggest lesson was how he was able to adapt from a private sector player to a public servant quite easily and yet at the same time acted as a bridge to allow for smooth engagement between public and private sector players. We are grateful for his contributions to this country and may his soul rest in peace,” Jiya said.
Chilima died on Monday in a plane crash in Chikangawa forest in Mzimba.
