Up-close with Atupele Muluzi, new Minister of natural resources, energy and mining

Atupele Muluzi is the new minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining. He will be sworn in today along with the other remaining members of the cabinet, who were announced by President Arthur Peter Mutharika and effective as of yesterday, 22 June 2014.

Son of a former president, 36-year-old Muluzi is the only opposition lawmaker in the cabinet. He was reelected Member of Parliament for Machinga North East. He worked as Minister of Economic Planning and Development under former president Joyce Banda, but resigned from this position in November 2012 to pursue his presidential bid.

Muluzi, who was the United Democratic Front’s presidential candidate in the May 2014 tripartite elections, replaces John Bande. Bande was Minister of Mining from December 2012 when the Ministry of Mining and Energy was split into two ministries.

Muluzi will oversee the creation of a unit in the Department of Mining to manage the negotiation of mining agreements and Malawi’s candidacy for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

The government has a cabinet of 18 ministers and 2 deputies. This sees newly elected president Mutharika honouring his campaign promise to reduce the size of the cabinet. As a result, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining brings together the former Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Management, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Mining.