BLANTYRE--Can Malawi with its economy in a shambles learn something from economy reviving Zimbabwe?

A Zim engineer says yes.

In what area?

Malawi needs to track down its citizens in the diaspora so that it can contribute to development.

"Malawi needs to establish where its citizens have gone to, what they are doing, through the internet and technologies, harness them so they can share ideas and their experience," Zimbawean Martin Manuhwa, president of the Southern African Federation of Engineering Organisations (SAFEO), was quoted saying by the Daily Times.

Manuhwa told a a meeting of Malawi Institute of Engineers that that Zimbabweans who were scattered all over the world didn't leave with their minds.

"Their minds were always at home," he said, adding that these and other professionals who remained home "pushed the country forward."

He said the Malawian diaspora "have to be motivated to share those ideas they are using in the UK and South Africa back home."

He said people "get wiser when they face hardship...you start to value certain things that you always took for granted.Malawians will now start to look at how they can optimise the use of resources and how they can stretch their every dollar."

Manuwha's last shot: " Malawian problems can only be solved by Malawians."

Malawi has established a desk at the ministry of foreign affairs to deal with the isuue of the diaspora and how they can invest their dollars back home.

With a volatile foreign exchange regime, many Malawians abroad are not willing to invest back home fearing loss of revenue as the dollar value changes everyday.
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(c) The Maravi Post 2012. Reproduction without acknowledgement prohibited

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