Planning Commission starts vision 2063 consultations
The National Planning Commission (NPC) yesterday started the much-touted consultations on the successor plan to Vision 2020 in Lilongwe.
The start of the consultations came barely three days after President Peter Mutharika unveiled consultations for Vision 2063 which will see NPC engaging Malawians for two months on what should to be incorporated in the long-term development blueprint.
Yesterday, NPC officials, led by the commission’s director general Thomas Chataghalala Munthali, organised an ‘envisioning retreat’ with members of NPC’s Youth Core Advisory Panel (CAP) and youth representatives from all major political parties.
Addressing the youths at Bingu International Convention Centre, Munthali said it was imperative for the commission to engage the youth first as they form the majority of the country’s population.
He said: “We want to define the future we want as a country in the next 40 years and so come 2063, it will be the youth and children who will be there; hence, important to engage them from the beginning.”
On his part, co-chairperson for the youth CAP Asharn Kossam said the youths were delighted to have an interface with NPC, saying the platform accorded them an opportunity for them to input into Vision 2020 successor. A comprehensive review exercise of the ambitious Vision 2020 validated in November last year by NPC showed that despite Malawi making progress in some indicators during the implementation period, the country had failed to meet most of the targets with the performance rated under par and below the world’s average in some instances.
