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By Myra Elias & Bernard Mhone
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and UTM have, at separate rallies, pledged to transform the country economically and infrastructure-development-wise.
Speaking during whistle-stop tours in the outskirts of Lilongwe Wednesday, UTM president Dalitso Kabambe vowed to restructure the economy and improve people’s living standards if voted into power on September 16, 2025.
“As at now, the economy is in dire state, marked by rising costs of basic commodities and a struggling agriculture sector.
“Fertiliser prices have increased from K18,000 in 2020 to K 158,000 and a 50-kilogramme (kg) bag of maize that cost K16,000 in 2020 now costs K138,000. This needs immediate action or else the prices will continue skyrocketing,” said Kabambe, a former national budget director.
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He also promised to revitalise the agriculture sector by reducing fertiliser prices to K55,000 per 50kg bag, and channelling forex revenue generated from agriculture exports towards the importation of agricultural inputs, which he said would stabilise prices in the country.
“We will make sure that our farmers have access to affordable fertiliser so that they can grow more crops to address issues related to hunger,” Kabambe said.
Kabambe faulted the current administration’s handling of the economy.
“The current administration’s economic policies have fallen woefully short. Malawians deserve better and I am determined to change things for the better,” he said.
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On his part, UTM director of operations Khwesi Msusa said it was high time Malawians handed over power to Kabambe to experience real transformation.
And, speaking during a whistle-stop tour of Embangweni Trading Centre in Mzimba District on Tuesday, DPP presidential running mate Jane Ansah pledged to complete the construction of Inkosi ya Makhosi M’mbelwa University, also known as Mombera University, if voted back into power.
Ansah accused the current administration of failing to continue implementing projects that were launched by the DPP administration in 2015.
“During DPP’s tenure, preliminary works related to access roads, water supply, bridges and electricity were already completed, leaving the construction of academic buildings as the next phase.
“The new commitment is that when [Peter] Mutharika is in government, he will start where he stopped and you can see here, at the university, that all roads were already built, water, eight bridges and electricity were already done. Only actual academic buildings remained.
“The current leadership has done nothing. Last time the financiers broke the agreement at the eleventh hour but another funder was identified and we were on the verge of a breakthrough but we were booted out of government. Otherwise, the university would have been operational,” Ansah said.
However, speaking at Ephangweni in Mzimba District earlier this month, President Lazarus Chakwera said his administration remained committed to ensuring that M’mbelwa University was completed.
Meanwhile, DPP vice president for the Northern Region, Jappie Mhango, has faulted the current administration for abandoning projects that were initiated by the former governing party in Mzimba District.
“A good example is the 21-kilometre Jenda-Edingeni Road. We constructed the road from Jenda to Embangweni. We will finish it because we started it and we will extend it to Mzimba Boma,” Mhango said.
During the whistle-stop tour, DPP officials held rallies at Edingeni, Embangweni, Jenda and Mzimba Boma.
Earlier, Ansah laid wreaths at Nthungwa, the site where Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others perished in a plane crash on June 10 last year.
Ansah, also paid a visit to Paramount Chief M’mbelwa V at his Edingeni headquarters.
