Some African leaders are full of egos - Chakwera

Chakwera invites Masisi for JPCC I want young Africans to speak out, challenge us - Chakwera

SADC chairperson and President of Malawi Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has called on fellow African leaders to drop their egos and refrain from thinking that they are bigger than the continent.

Chakwera, who was in Botswana on a threeday visit to the SADC headquarters this week in his capacity as the chairperson, said earlier in the year when he was crowned as champion of high education across the continent, he wanted to give young people an opportunity to express themselves, and established the Chakwera Prize for Public Speaking.

Through the award, college students across Africa would be invited to make recorded submissions articulating their innovative ideas for strengthening pan- African unity.

“Young people want a continent that is moving with speed, a continent that is not exploited but rather recognised for what it is. They want a continent that uses its resources to develop itself and not to be at the mercy of whoever because Africa is a great giant and I want to encourage young people to speak this out and challenge us even in political leadership,” Chakwera said.

He said that some leaders in Africa are full of egos and often seem like they are bigger than the continent. Chakwera said SADC remains an intact, solidified and progressive regional bloc and continues to be a force to reckon with and is steadfast in its regional integration aspirations despite the recent travel bans imposed on some member states, following the discovery of the new Covid- 19 variant, Omicron.

“SADC is open for business, it remains ready to unlock opportunities in trade and development and creating a future for coming generations,” he stated. Without mincing his words, Chakwera criticised the west for taking emotional decisions instead of relying on science.

His take home message from Botswana and the SADC Secretariat, is that “my visit to the SADC headquarters has been a very successful visit and I am glad that Botswana which is hosting the16 nations is home to all of us.

“I go back home having confidence that SADC is on the move and will industrialise and integrate in terms of trade and the movement of people across the whole region.”

Chakwera said his visit to Botswana enabled him to engage with President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi about cementing bilateral ties between their two countries, and they hope to have a greater collaboration in the areas of mining, trade security, health and tourism.

Chakwera invited Masisi to attend the Joint

Permanent Commission on Cooperation ( JPCC) in Malawi at a date still to be announced. He stated that his country could learn best practices in mining and tourism from Botswana as it had potential in the two areas.

In response, Masisi said Botswana and Malawi were committed to deepening and broadening their bilateral cooperation by signing outstanding

MoUs and participating in the planned JPCC. He said the two countries intended to “take advantage of the unique cooperative advantages” they have.

Masisi commended Chakwera for his stewardship and agile leadership of the regional bloc, saying he has been able to communicate SADC values and beliefs to the rest of the world.