Malawi's president says poverty is due to misrule

Malawi's president has said that his country's poverty is due to the misrule of his predecessors.

“The poverty of our people is man-made, which means it can and must be unmade,” Lazarus Chakwera said in his first state of the nation address since being elected in June.

He promised to end corruption by making the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) fully independent and resourced to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.

He also promised to regularly attend parliament to respond to questions and to unify the country and to set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission through a newly created Ministry of Civic Education and National Unity.

There’s been mixed reaction to his address, with most supporters saying it gives hope for a bright future while critics say the address failed to inspire.

The leader of opposition in parliament will give his formal response to the president’s address on Monday.