Diplomatic Foreword

I wish to thank the organizers for bestowing

immense honor upon me by inviting me

to speak among the luminaries of Malawi

whose achievements are an epitome of

excellence and best practice. My main task is

to speak on how achievers manage to stand

out. In other words, I should delve into how they

have managed to emerge at the top. Next I

should comment on African Leaders and include

Zimbabwe.

We are inspired by the super achievers as they

are awarded well-earned and well-deserved

accolades to honor them either as individuals

or institutions. This glorious and rapturous

celebration is an acclamation of the good fruits

of their labor. They are inevitably the cream of

this nation. Cream comes to the top hence the

Top Awards. Tonight, we applaud Malawi,

in the sense that its sons and daughters have

become leaders of distinction in their own fields

of expertise, as well as institutions, which are

receiving recognition for their high standards.

These institutions become towers of excellence

emulated by many through their impeccable

reputation. They stand out because they are

giants of success. They never surrender or quit

in the face of adversity.

The secret of their success is their unﬂinching

hard work, unyielding determination, selﬂess

dedication, exceptional commitment and

unequalled perseverance. In addition, they have

initiative coupled with inspirational leadership.

They are prepared to go an extra mile and do

not make failure an option. No doubt, they

acknowledge that high-level success requires

the support and cooperation of others. Under

good leadership, there is shared vision, a clearly

articulated mission, a strategic plan and good

ideas, which are translated into action.

A consultative approach which fosters a spirit of

consensus is fundamental for good leadership.

Jack Canfield states that achievers see the world

as a place, where amazing things can happen,

where billions of lives can be improved, where

new technology can change the way we live and

where the worlds' resources can be leveraged for

the greatest possible mutual gain. They believe

anything is possible. Martin Luther King dreamt

of a country free of prejudice and injustice. Bill

Gates dreamt of a world in which every home

had a computer. He cites Napoleon Hill who

declares that whatever the mind can conceive

and believe, the world can achieve. Get the

word "I can't" out of your vocabulary and its

cousins "I wish I were able to" because you

can!

The hallmark of high achievers is that they know

that exceeding expectations helps them stand

above the world. Successful people simply do

more. Their rewards increase as they become

highly inﬂuential. When you are at the top you

strive to remain there because life "there" is

stimulating, rewarding and worthwhile.

At this juncture, I present some African leaders

past and present, to generate enthusiasm

in leadership while hinting on some of the

challenges they encountered. Some of the

utterances of these great men certainly reveal

their stamina of determination to overcome. I

have opted to speak on selected former and

current Presidents of Africa, instead of business

leaders due to the nature of my call of duty.

On 18 April 2005, Zimbabwe celebrated

its silver Jubilee. As part of celebrations for

attainment of this milestone, a special investure

ceremony was held at the Harare Sheraton

Hotel, now Rainbow Towers. The ceremony

was attended by the following Presidents at that

time; President Pohamba, Benjamin Mkapa,

Robert Mugabe and President Bingu Wa

Mutharika. Honor was showered on the leaders

of Southern Africa, in some cases posthumously,

Cde Samora Machel, Dr Julius Nyerere, Sir

Seretse Khama, Cde Agostino Neto and

Dr Kenneth Kaunda, in recognition of their

contributions as national heroes. In according

honor to the gallant leaders, President Mugabe

asserted that it was being done for the whole of

Africa, which accorded the giants profound and

eternal esteem. He drew attention to their deeds

for Africa and more specifically for Southern

Africa. In poetic language he said that those

deeds were recognized through them.

The president stated that it was necessary

to celebrate those deeds, which they begot

for Africa. (Achievers are doers.) Indeed a

free Zimbabwe, as indeed a free Namibia

and a free South Africa, illustrate those men's

persuasive accomplishments, which then

translated into free and independent African

peoples. President Mugabe thanked these

gallant leaders.

African states owe their independence, to

a large extent, to some of Africa's visionary

leaders. Pan Africanism jointly initiated

by Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Jomo

Kenyatta of Kenya laid the foundation for

the decolonisation of Africa. For Nkrumah,

world peace required freedom of the African

masses to develop the resources of Africa

unrestrained by the selfish interests of foreign

empires. In 1960, Nkrumah became the first

president of Ghana. To lift the nation out of

poverty, he created a welfare system. He

started various community programmes and

established schools. He ordered the construction

of roads and bridges to further commerce

and communication. Tap water systems were

installed in villages. In 1962, Nkrumah was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.12

The establishment of the Organisation of African

Unity (OAU) on 25 May 1963 was directly linked

to the inﬂuence of Kwame Nkrumah. It was the

writings and fighting Spirit of these remarkable

historical figures, which brought to consciousness,

the tragic plight of Africa and its people over

a whole period of centuries. From this example

of leadership, it is vivid that more hardwork is

experienced at the top. "Uneasy lies the head that

wears the crown". Sleepless nights are part of the

glory.

The African Heads of State met in Sirte, Libya on

September 9, 1999 for the OAU, which discussed

the establishment of the African Union. The AU

was officially launched in 2002, in Durban

when the constitutive act came into force. Africa

continues to strive to overcome its marginalization

in global affairs.

NEPAD, the AU's Programme of Action, calls

for sustained efforts to mobilize Africa's entire

human and natural resources and put them in the

you stand the risk of relying on a depleted

human resource base.

One of the most famous African leaders is

Nelson Mandela who shared the Nobel Peace

Prize in 1993 with F.W Deklerk, South Africa's

last White President. Mandela promoted

reconciliation and peace in South Africa. The

first black President of South Africa said that

there is no easy walk to freedom anywhere

and many of us will have to pass through

the valley of the shadow of death again and

again before we reach the mountain top of

our desires. This implies that the journey to the

top is littered with obstacles but they can be

overcome.

The following quotes from the famous former

President of South Africa are worth noting

because they are words of remarkable wisdom.

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never

failing, but in rising every time we fall" The

message from this is that never quit!

"Never, never and never again shall it be that

UNLESS YOU TAKE THE WOMEN ON BOARD , YOU STAND THE RISK OF

RELYING ON A DEPLETED HUMAN RESOURCE BASE.

service of the overall well being of its people.

The adoption of the New Partnership for Africa's

Development (NEPAD) is an indication of the

resolve of the African People to eradicate Poverty

and thereby improve the quality of life of all the

people of the continent.

Recently, the AU Chairman, President Konare

visited Malawi. He yearns for gender equity,

which would ensure that there is a balance of

employment of men and women within the AU.

The President of Senegal, Wade struggled for

Gender equity, a move which has been taken up

by Konare. Unless you take the women on board,

this beautiful land will again experience the

oppression of one by another"

The implication is that harmonious relations work for the better. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". This means

education empowers a nation for economic

growth.

"If there are dreams about a beautiful South

Africa there are also roads that lead to this

goal. Two of these roads could be named

Goodness and Forgiveness". This quote is an

expression of reconciliation.

"I dream of the realization of the unity in Africa,

whereby its leaders combine in their efforts

to solve problems of this continent. I dream of

our vast deserts, of our forests, of our entire

great wilderness". Like President Konare of the

AU, Nelson Mandela shares the same view

of a United Africa. Africa's economic strength

lies in economic integration of its economic

communities.

President Nyerere of Tanzania introduced

UJAMAA of self-reliance. He attacked the

obsession with attracting external aid, which

bred a dependency mentality and detracted

from what Tanzanians could do for themselves

by better harnessing their resources. Tanzania

however, continued to receive foreign aid

without strings attached. The Arusha Declaration

underlined the importance of hard work. As

president, he fostered mass literacy campaigns

and instituted universal education. He supported

the liberation movements within the OAU for

the liberation of Zimbabwe. From this narration,

the qualities of a good leader that emerge are

decisiveness, value for hard-work and national

pride.

During the course of my tour of duty, I have

witnessed good governance. I would dare to

say that His Excellency President Bingu Wa

Mutharika is a visionary leader, who will,

with your cooperation, transform Malawi to

the pinnacle of economic development. There

has been prudent fiscal discipline, which

enabled Malawi to attain the completion

point for the award of the debt cancellation.

Economic progress has been realized. The IMF

commended Malawi for good governance and

for its raging war against corruption.

As a champion of the poor, President Bingu

wa Mutharika leads a government that is on

course to alleviate poverty. If his vision to open

the Nsanje Port comes to fruition, Malawi will

experience astronomic economic growth, as

the port would serve the entire region. The port

is the key to Malawi's economic dominance. I

think Malawi would be transformed to a donor.

As an economist, the President cherishes micro-

economic policy. I am certain as a vanguard of

gender, he realizes that keeping pace with SADC

and AU resolutions on gender equity would

accelerate economic growth, as in any given

population, women tend to be slightly more than

men in numbers. Women work extremely hard,

so please consider promoting women in your

organisations.

I salute President Mutharika and the government

of Malawi for according the President of the

Republic of Zimbabwe an unforgettable State

Visit. Your gracious traditional hospitality was

greatly appreciated. I am highly indebted to the

people of Malawi for their heart piercing warm

hospitality. Our long-standing historic relations

were strengthened. Malawi and Zimbabwe are

bound together by common ancestry, history,

culture, language and multifold inter-marriages.

While there has been visible action, after signing

of the MOU in small to medium enterprises more

action is anticipated as a follow up to the signed

MOU in Agriculture. I mention it here to draw

attention to the stagnation in the process to the

relevant authorities.

Both leaders face the common challenges of

eradicating poverty and to some extent low levels

of development. The Republic of Zimbabwe has

registered success with HIV/Aids which has

declined from 24% to 18.1%. This has been

achieved through its own effort without substantial

financial assistance. Successive drought has

made food security top priority in our countries.

During the state visit the two leaders urged each

other to continue working together at SADC

level in peace and stability. A commitment to

cooperate with the Malawi government at the

bilateral, regional and multilateral levels was

announced by the visiting President, for the

enhancement of peace, stability and development

for all.

At the Non-Aligned Summit in Havana, Cuba in

September 2006, President Mugabe described

the critical economic situation in Africa, the

least developed and most marginalized of

all regions. The economic situation had to be

addressed, if global economic growth and

interdependence were to have any meaning at

all. Africa's need was appropriate partnerships

to enable it to exploit its abundant resources,

increase its production capacity and compete

on the global market.

The President's key address to the United

Nations centered on issues of development.

He stated that there was consensus that the

United Nations should play a fundamental and

central role in the promotion of international

co-operation for development. At the country

level, the United Nations system had to be

co-ordinated effectively to support national

efforts in poverty reduction and sustainable

development.

In conclusion, the main challenges of

African leaders are poverty, disease and

underdevelopment. Conﬂict in the Sudan,

Somalia and Chad continues to cause grave

concern.

President Mugabe is courageous and

intelligent. He is outspoken on international

issues, he expects the international community

to renew its solidarity with Africa through

tangible support which would boost resources

and trigger investment and growth. In spite of

the soaring inﬂation, development in Zimbabwe

is at a fast pace, making the country a positive

showcase which is testified by an increase in

the number of tourists visiting Zimbabwe.

If you expected me to comment on the Land

Resettlement Programme in Zimbabwe, my

response is that the chapter is closed. For first

hand experience, I urge you to visit Zimbabwe

yourselves.

I thank you for your attention.

Tandiwe Dumbutshena

Zimbabwe High Commissioner to Malawi