President Lazarus Chakwera is getting praise from Malawians both inside and outside the country. One of the people praising him is Onjezani Kenani, a well-known voice on social media. This comes after Malawi was not included in the latest travel ban announced by the United States.
The US had warned Malawi that it had 60 days to fix a problem. The concern was that Malawi might be giving passports to people who are wanted by the US government. If Malawi failed to fix this, its people might have faced travel restrictions.
However, when former US President Donald Trump announced the new travel ban on Wednesday, Malawi was not on the list of banned countries. Many people believe this means President Chakwera and his team worked quickly and quietly to solve the issue and meet the US’s demands.
Kenani praised Chakwera’s leadership, saying that avoiding the ban shows good decision-making and smart international relations.
“This is what leadership looks like,” Kenani wrote in a post that was shared widely. “While other countries were banned, Malawi acted quickly and protected its people.”
The new travel ban, which starts Monday just after midnight, affects people from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, and Yemen. It also places stronger rules on travelers from 7 more countries like Cuba, Laos, and Venezuela.
The last time the US made such a ban, in 2017, it caused confusion at airports around the world. But this time, the early warning gave countries like Malawi time to respond — and Malawi did so successfully.
Now, many people are thanking President Chakwera for keeping the country off the banned list and protecting Malawi’s good image in the world.
For now, Malawi has avoided the ban — a small but meaningful success on the global stage.
