Following a meeting between the Minister of Economic Planning and Development and the Malawi Institute of Management officials, the Minister, also Vice President Saulos Chilima, sent the MIM officials away to prepare a fresh presentation about their operations, as he deemed their prior presentation wasteful.

“I told them I do not have time to waste and they better come again when they are ready and prepared for a discussion meant to perfect an organisation,” Chilima wrote on his Facebook page.

The meeting follows numerous others that the VP has had with leaders of parastatals, as part of the public sector reforms agenda. According to what Chilima gathered, MIM is an organisation has experienced persistent cash flow challenges resulting into lawsuits; and suppliers refusing to offer them goods and services as well as accumulating arrears in taxes and pension contributions.

On the other hand, The Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA) Executive Director John Kapito has criticized the government for dissolving the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) board without appointing a new one, as the vacuum has now lasted two months and has affected fuel pricing, according to Kapito. Among the dissolved boards is the state broadcaster, the tobacco commission, communication regulatory authority, the bureau of standards, the electricity supply commission and national examination board.