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Welcome to the year of the Lord 2025, like it so far? For Malawi, we might have flipped the calendar, but the challenges we face remain as persistent as ever. The new year kicked off with a grim sense of déjà vu: the fuel lines winding longer than both a wedding or the president’s convoy, no sign of the cost of living decreasing, and hope feeling like a luxury we cannot afford.
In Malawi, you have no future if you do not practice resilience, but even that seems to becoming expensive. What we have left is our dark humour, and a prayer that this year produces leaders that are able to steer the country to an economic recovery direction. What seems to be a clear sign is that 2025 is the year when many will need to survive a lot more on “I know my car.”
Will 2025 reshape the fate of Malawi?
Fuel Queues: The Endless Wait
There was a sadness attached to the 31st of December, 2024. Not only did the sadness emanate from how tragic 2024 had been, but the scenery in the towns of Blantyre. Often times, the last day of the year is usually busy. People are often in queues stocking up on groceries and buying supplies to cook on the 1st of January, some are moving from place to place looking for the best entertainment, while others go to their respective churches for nights of prayers.
The last day of 2024 was different, the roads in Limbe were mostly quiet. Cars were lined up in different gas stations hoping to get a drop of petrol. This was an accurate summation of the year we had just had, since fuel scarcity was the normalcy.
Even sadder was that 2025 started on that same note. Instead of people celebrating with their families, having family lunches or going to church; people were spending the first day of 2025 in a fuel queues.
As at the 3rd of January, there was a press release from the Ministry of Energy that assured Malawians that from the 9th of January, the country will be swimming in fuel. Read the press release below
Perhaps a glimpse of hope, although there is an important factor that could render this slightly impossible. The state of the roads in the northern region of the country would delay this process. As at 2024, the pictures below depict the state of the M1 road in Chiweta which is the corridor that would be used to bring in the fuel from Tanzania.
This, perhaps, will be a great indicator for the northern region to get improvements in infrastructure, especially the M1 road. The alternative would be the Mozambique corridor. Unless you have not been following the news, this is the most impossible due the political unrests that have been ongoing for months.
Let’s be hopeful though, that the fuel scarcities will soon come to an end.
The Economy: A Grim Reality
We call this month ‘General January’ because not only does it feel like it is a month that has 365 days, people are usually broke. The usual financial shortages are due to over-expenditure in December on entertainment without a little thought of how to stay afloat in January. However, 2025 has shown that it is different. Which money were people meant to overspend when they had inadequate monies?
The purchasing power of citizens has been been by gravity, while prices continue to skyrocket. Households continue to struggle to make ends meet, and most have to now consider things that were once basics as luxuries. Prices of essentials such as maize, cooking oil etc are increasing. Budgets for expenses such as transportation have to be increased, since fuel shortages directly affects transport costs.
As Malawians hope for the tide to turn, the government seems to be in a different fantasy world. On the first day of 2025, President Chakwera announced a new cabinet. Instead of the cabinet being one that concentrated on economic recovery, it was clear that it was an appeasement cabinet. One meant to allow people to grab the last coin available. Here is the full list of the new cabinet.
Several ministerial positions should have been changed, especially Finance and Trade to indicate the viability of economic recovery in 2025. A couple of ministries that were introduced are so redundant and irrelevant. For example, of what need was there to disband the Ministry of Education and branching it as Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, and Ministry of Higher Education?
Ministries of Energy, Mining, and Natural Resources could have been bundled together. Ministries of Gender and Youth should have bundled together etc. These would have been a great example that the President is on a stride to economic recovery. However, the cabinet presented and sworn in is an indication that they were trying to get a salary in a any way possible at the expense of the taxpayers money.
September 2025: A Silver Lining
In all this, every Malawian awaits September 2025 when elections will be conducted. This is a chance Malawians have to usher in a new leadership, or maintain the current one with hope that changes will come. This is a race that will be a close call, with chances of Malawians going to the polls twice to ensure we get a 50+1.
The forthcoming elections hold a lot at stake. These are not just about bringing into office new or maintenance of leadership, it is about our economic future. We have long suffered from governments that prioritise enriching their pockets, we need one that will for once think of enriching Malawians and ensuring our priorities are put first.
Once again, we shall be looking at the ballot box as our beacon of hope, one that brings positive change. Most of all, it is a year we hope that our elections are void of violence, that Malawians are not fooled by gimmicks but instead choose a leader who is transparent and an achiever (as hard as that will be).
The September 2025 elections may not bring substantial changes nor may they solve all of our problems, but the right choice will put us in the right direction.
My message to you
Happy New Year!!!! 2024 was one of the hardest years to navigate, but we made it because of our resilience. It is my prayer that 2025 pours onto us all of the blessings above.
For most of us, it is hard to set goals when the environment we are in keeps trumping them. Let us set them anyway, and ensure to have a positive outlook on life.
May 2025 be the best year we experience!!