Suleman Chitera 
By Suleman Chitera, MFN Editor
September 28, 2026 | 10:18 PM
LILONGWE, MALAWI — United Democratic Front (UDF) leader Atupele Muluzi has called on Malawians to draw lessons from Ukraine’s response to the ongoing war, particularly the country’s emphasis on unity, innovation and finding practical solutions during a national crisis.
Muluzi made the remarks following his return from Kyiv, Ukraine, where he attended the Platform for African Democrats (PAD). Recent reports indicate that the delegation sought to understand the realities of the war, its consequences and its wider implications for Africa.
Writing on his Facebook page, Muluzi said Ukraine’s experience demonstrates how societies can respond when confronted with circumstances that threaten their stability.
“When a nation faces an existential crisis, what does it do? It comes together. It innovates. It finds solutions. Ukrainians have demonstrated this spirit under extraordinary circumstances.”
Muluzi said Malawi is also facing serious economic and institutional challenges, pointing to rising costs, foreign exchange shortages and what he described as a system that has failed to deliver the transformation Malawians deserve.
According to the UDF leader, the Ukrainian experience should encourage Malawians to look beyond simply enduring economic difficulties and instead focus on developing practical responses to the problems facing the country.
He argued that resilience should involve turning difficult circumstances into an opportunity for innovation, determination and institution-building.
‘Crisis into innovation’
Muluzi said Ukraine provides an example of how citizens and institutions can continue seeking solutions even under extraordinary pressure.
He said Malawi, although facing a different set of circumstances, can examine the principles behind that resilience and consider how they could apply to the country’s own economic and institutional challenges.
“Resilience is not simply about enduring hardship,” Muluzi said, stressing the importance of turning desperation into determination, crisis into innovation and adversity into a reason to build a better future.
His comments come as Muluzi has recently placed economic transformation and institutional reform at the centre of his public political messaging. Earlier this month, he also outlined what he calls a “Third Liberation” for Malawi, focused on economic freedom, accountable institutions and improved prosperity.
Ukraine experience
Muluzi’s visit to Ukraine has given him an opportunity to draw a direct comparison between the resilience he observed there and the challenges confronting Malawi.
Reports on his visit said the delegation experienced aspects of life in wartime Ukraine and examined the conflict’s wider consequences, including issues affecting food security and supply chains.
For Muluzi, the central lesson is not that Malawi faces the same circumstances as Ukraine, but that countries confronted by serious challenges need collective determination and practical solutions.
He is therefore urging Malawians to come together, innovate and take greater responsibility for addressing the country’s economic and institutional difficulties.
The message places unity, innovation and resilience at the centre of Muluzi’s latest call for national action as Malawi continues to grapple with economic pressures.
Malawi Freedom Network (MFN) will continue to follow Muluzi’s political and economic interventions as he develops his proposals for addressing Malawi’s challenges.
