Profile of the new Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamvekha

Joseph Mwanamvekha is a prominent Malawian politician and banker, has served as the Member of Parliament for Chiradzulu South Constituency and DPP Vice President for the Southern Region.

He was also serving as the DPP Spokesperson on Finance and Economic Affairs in Parliament.

Born on October 19, 1964, in Namathiya village, Chiradzulu District, Mwanamvekha comes from a humble Christian family, with his father being a church minister.

He excelled academically, consistently ranking first in his class from primary school to university, and graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College in 1989.

Mwanamvekha’s career spans both the public and private sectors, having worked at the Reserve Bank of Malawi for seven years, and later becoming the CEO of Malawi Savings Bank from 2007 to 2009 and Continental Discount House, where he was also a minority shareholder.

He has also held various government roles, including Secretary to the Treasury from 2010 to 2012, Minister of Industry and Trade in 2014, where he initiated the “Buy Malawi ” concept to promote local products, Minister of Agriculture in 2018, and Minister of Finance from 2019 to 2020 under President Peter Mutharika.

Notably, as Minister of Finance, he managed to bring back donor support, including budgetary support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and played a crucial role in revitalizing the seed industry through the formulation of the seed policy during his tenure as Minister of Agriculture.

Mwanamvekha is also recognized for his philanthropic work, providing bursaries to disadvantaged students in his constituency through the Joseph Mwanamvekha Foundation.