APM dares Malawians to be innovative
President Peter Mutharika has challenged Malawians to begin thinking creatively to find solutions to challenges the country is experiencing.
Mutharika made the remarks Friday night during the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) 2015 Innovations Awards held at the College of Medicine in Blantyre where he was guest of honour.
The President said as the country’s population continues to grow at a fast rate, Malawians must realise that solutions to the problems cannot only come from government but individuals too.
While acknowledging that the country was facing several problems, Mutharika challenged that many of them were “not problems to defeat us but challenges to be resolved.”
Said Mutharika: “We are being challenged to be innovative, not militant. Take time to think. Thinking needs patience, which is not a virtue of many Malawians. We all have the duty to innovate solutions for this country.
“The challenges we have are real; the pain is real; the suffering is real. And we need real solutions. But tonight, we are also challenged to realise that there are men and women who pursue innovations to provide solutions.”
The President also commended MBC for recognising individual innovative Malawians who have demonstrated virtues of patriotism, integrity and hard work.
The public broadcaster honoured 10 innovative Malawians which include agriculture, science and technology, arts, entrepreneurship (large and small scale), disability, education, health, environment and sports.
Among the winners were Thom Mpinganjira, owner of FDH (entrepreneur-large), Malawi’s only netball export Mwai Kumwenda (sports) and visual artist Elson Kambalu.
Physically challenged Sautso Ndalama also proved that disability is not inability after he scooped two prizes including the prestigious innovator of innovators award.
The 27-year-old Nsanje-based disc jockey (DJ), music producer and video editor also got the disability award. n
