AFORD seeks stakeholder input for 2025 elections manifesto
The Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) is calling on all stakeholders to contribute to its 2025 General Elections Manifesto which takes an inclusive and consultative approach to governance.
The party has set a March 30, 2025, deadline for professionals, civil society organizations, and the general public to submit their input to refine its proposed policies ahead of the September 2025 elections.
AFORD Director of Economic Affairs, Chifipa Mhango, emphasized the importance of collective contributions in ensuring that the manifesto addresses Malawi’s pressing economic and governance challenges.
The manifesto outlines an economic strategy centered on tackling key structural issues, particularly what AFORD describes as the “Four Fs Principle,” focusing on resolving persistent challenges related to fertilizer, fuel, forex, and food shortages.
The party argues that these problems stem from economic mismanagement and require urgent structural reforms to set the country on a path to sustainable development.
AFORD’s manifesto stresses on economic revitalization through six core policy interventions that include “Four Fs,” strategy, stabilizing the macro and microeconomic environments, creating jobs through sector-based investment, empowering youth, women, and small enterprises, expanding infrastructure in key sectors, and reinforcing democratic principles.
The party asserts that these interventions are necessary to correct the stagnation in GDP growth, rising inflation, foreign exchange shortages, and high unemployment, which is estimated to affect 91 percent of working-age individuals.
The party says it aims to transform Malawi into an industrial and manufacturing hub by establishing the Malawi Industrial Development and Infrastructure Development Corporation to drive industrialization and the Malawi Mining Development Company to regulate mining investments.
It also plans to promote agricultural mechanization, diversification, and local production of key inputs such as fertilizer. In addition, AFORD advocates for policy and land reforms, improved financial regulation, and a better investment climate to encourage economic growth.
Further to that, governance and transparency remain a key focus for AFORD, which has committed to restructuring the national budget to allocate at least 40 percent toward development projects while reducing administrative costs.
The party contends that the current administration has mismanaged public finances, leading to wasteful spending and economic instability.
Meanwhile, the party has accused certain groups of intellectual theft, arguing that such actions undermine the democratic process and public trust in political leadership.
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