Finance Minister Dr Ken Lipenga on Friday saluted business and economic journalists for providing vital information to policy makers, investors and the academia.
Lipenga was speaking at a dinner the Association of Business Journalists (ABJ) organised in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, to interact and discuss with the minister critical issues affecting the economy.
“On behalf of government, I salute you, business journalists, for the wonderful work you are doing,†he said.
Lipenga said during his time as a journalist, business journalism was confined to privileged individuals unlike now.
The minister worked as Editor-In-Chief of Nation Publications Limited before he joined politics.
He said unlike in the past, issues of finance and economy continue to dominate the front page of daily papers which he said shows the significance of business journalists in the country.
“Yesterday [last Thurday], I was reading a comment in The Nation on the proposal to reduce the liquidity reserve requirement by the Reserve Bank of Malawi and the comment was crafted in a fascinating way to show the role business journalism can play in the economy. You are unsung heroes,†said Lipenga who was accompanied by his deputy Ralph Jooma and other senior officials from his ministry.
He, however, urged the journalists to be accurate in their reporting, saying figures can distort the whole story if reported wrongfully.
“I am at your disposal and during my tenure of office I will work in such a way that that information is accessible from my ministry,†he said.
On his part, ABJ national coordinator Thomas Chafunya thanked the minister and his deputy for sparing their time to be with the journalists and assured them of a cordial relationship between business journalists and the Ministry of Finance.
Chafunya, however, requested the ministry to ensure recruiting a public relations officer to act as a bridge between the journalists and the ministry, a proposal Lipenga welcomed.
