Maxwell Mkwezalamba

Who is Maxwell Mkwezalamba?

Maxwell Mkwezalamba is a Malawian politician and economist. He is Commissioner for Economic Affairs for the African Union Commission, a position he has held since May 2004.

He graduated in Economics from Chancellor College, University of Malawi with an honours degree in Economics, where he subsequently lectured and headed the Economics Department. He obtained a Master's degree in Economics in 1984 from the University of Manchester, UK, a Masters degree in Policy Economics in 1992 and a PhD in Economics in 1995 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA.

In addition to lecturing at the University of Malawi, he has worked in various capacities for the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the World Bank and the Malawi Government. He has also worked as a consultant on development, financial and economic management issues for the Malawi Government, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Bank, and the Germany Agency for Technical Cooperation.

Mkwezalamba was a founding member of the Economics Association of Malawi and served as its first President between 1998 and 2000. He was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee and the Economic Management Team in Malawi between 2000 and 2003 and also served as Secretary to Cabinet Committees on the Economy and Budgetary and Financial Matters during the same period. Between 1997 and 2003, he served on Boards of several organizations, including National Roads Authority, Shire Bus Lines, David Whitehead and Sons, PFG Wright Insurance Brokers, and the Malawi Institute of Management.