Commissioner
MR RICHARD CHAPWETEKA
Date of appointment: 9th June 2021
Mr. Richard Chapweteka is a Strategic Manager and Development Economist holding a Master of Science in Strategic Management and a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Economics) with over 20 years of experience of projects management including advising private sector companies, NGOs and African governments on rural development, managing credit, agricultural input supplies and markets. He served as a member of the Steering Committee of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Multi-country Agricultural Productivity Program (2007-2011) that established the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development in Southern Africa (CCARDESA). Mr Chapweteka is also the Executive Secretary of the Fertilizer Association of Malawi (2006-present) and the founder of Rural Market Development Trust (RUMARK). He has extensive experience in the Market for the Poor (M4P) approach, negotiating business contracts and credit for enterprises. He has considerable policy advocacy experience, completing a study entitled “Developing Sustainable Input Supply Systems in Malawi,” which led to the development of the Malawi Input and Output Market Development Programme (IOMDP) under Ministry of Agriculture. Furthermore, Mr Chapweteka’s knowledge and understanding of the Africa’s economic land-scape is demonstrated in having assisted in the establishment and registration of the Fertilizer Association in Malawi and of the National Agrodealers Associations in Tanzania and Malawi. In Southern and East Africa, Mr Chapweteka has in depth knowledge and experience in the economic market, political economy, gender, social, poverty and environmental analyses. During his career, he has worked and engaged the Parliamentary Committees and Ministers in order to get them understand why it is imperative to work together for the good of the rural poor as well as gender integration.
Mr. Chapweteka has significant management experience, having served as Country Director for Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia; Senior Policy Advisor for Africa Region; Team Leader of a technical secretariat that presented to the UN Millennium Commission on Promoting a Green Revolution in Malawi; and Team Leader of a 15-member consortium (made of fertilizer, seed and crop protection chemicals companies) advocating to the Government of Malawi for a market-based inputs subsidy program. He can incorporate best practices from other countries, having advised the Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania Government on implementation of market-based subsidy programs. Mr. Chapweteka understands stakeholder engagement and consensus-building, for example in the conceptualization and establishment of the Fertilizer Association of Malawi and the Agricultural Inputs Traders Association (AITA) of Malawi. He was responsible for the successful outcome of initiating and bringing together all private sector players, donors and government in Malawi to start a dialogue on implementation of subsidy programs in 2006.
Mr. Chapweteka has also assisted in writing reports and opinion papers contributed to AGRA, USAID, DFID, AfDB, NORAD, World Bank and other donor policy discussions.