Malawian President Peter Mutharika banned raw mineral exports and promised arrests for violations. He announced the policy on Tuesday at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre while swearing in two cabinet members and a second vice president. The leader said graphite and rutile deposits could produce over 500 million dollars yearly for nearly a century to fund a sovereign wealth program. He compared the potential transformation to Norway's oil development.
Mutharika said foreign buyers purchase unprocessed materials cheaply and then resell them at premium rates. He ordered airport officials to block shipments of unrefined resources or face detention. The president created a Ministry of Industrialization to capture value from African trade agreements and duty exemptions. George Patridge leads the new department tasked with generating foreign currency and economic expansion.
The government plans to remove unauthorized miners from the Namizimu forest in Mangochi district. Roza Fatch Mbilizi becomes the first woman to head the Ministry of Agriculture after her appointment. Mutharika expects processing facilities to keep mineral wealth inside national borders rather than enriching overseas companies.
Mutharika said foreign buyers purchase unprocessed materials cheaply and then resell them at premium rates. He ordered airport officials to block shipments of unrefined resources or face detention. The president created a Ministry of Industrialization to capture value from African trade agreements and duty exemptions. George Patridge leads the new department tasked with generating foreign currency and economic expansion.
The government plans to remove unauthorized miners from the Namizimu forest in Mangochi district. Roza Fatch Mbilizi becomes the first woman to head the Ministry of Agriculture after her appointment. Mutharika expects processing facilities to keep mineral wealth inside national borders rather than enriching overseas companies.
