Note: These are the thoughts of one thinker. As you read this article, I encourage you to think for yourself, and form your own opinions.
I form my own opinions. This, I consider, is true privilege.
Unpacking the Foundation
By Nthanda Manduwi – Economist, Policy Analyst, and Development Advocate
I have spent the past few years deconstructing everything I thought I knew. About society. About development. About religion. About what makes a person, what builds a nation, and what holds us back. This isn’t a comfortable process—unlearning rarely is. But if there is one thing I am certain of, it is that we will never move forward as a people if we do not pause, question, and rethink the foundations upon which we have built our understanding of the world.
I always take into account that I could be completely wrong about everything.
And that is exactly why I write. Not to impose conclusions, but to invite discourse. To encourage a different way of thinking. To offer hypothesis that can be tested, debated, and refined. This is an invitation to do the same.
The Premise: A Nation of Beggars in Suits
Malawi’s development—or lack thereof—has been weighing heavily on my mind. As I think deeply about the likelihood of public office in my future, and the very future of global governance, I find myself searching for an equation, a model, a framework that explains why we are where we are. And more importantly, how we move forward.
I have come to describe one of our most pressing systemic issues as a phenomenon I call “Beggars in Suits.” This is not just about politics; it is about an entire culture. The average Malawian, when faced with a problem, does not think, How can I create value to solve this? Instead, the default response is: Who can I ask for help?
From the village chief to the pastor, from the politician to the donor, our first instinct is to beg. This is not a personal failing—it is a learned behavior. It is a system that was ingrained in us through colonization and later reinforced by donor aid dependency. We became beggars, not builders. Our leaders became beggars in suits, advocating not for innovation, industry, or value creation, but for more foreign aid, more grants, more loans, more handouts.
And the root of this? It is not just economics. It is psychological. It is cultural. It is deeply embedded in the way we have been conditioned to see ourselves in the world.
Religion: The Double-Edged Sword of Colonization
On my recent visit to Segovia, Spain, I posted a tweet that seems to have sent Twitter Malawi in a bit of a spiral.
I want to be clear—I do not have strong feelings about religion as a personal belief system. Faith is a personal journey, and it should remain that way. But when religion becomes a societal framework that dictates the collective mindset of an entire people, it must be examined, and critically so.
The West had religion too. The Romans had it. The Muslims had it. But one thing that defined their civilizations was war. They did not just worship their gods; they fought for resources, they built empires, they expanded their territories.
Then they found us—a people largely at peace in their homelands. And they gave us their God, but with a different interpretation. To them, religion had always been a tool for conquest. But to us, it became a doctrine of passivity and submission.
Instead of seeing prosperity as something to fight for, strategize for, or build with our own hands, we internalized the belief that prosperity is something to pray for. Something to wait for. Something to be granted in the afterlife.
So here we are today, a nation where prayer is prioritized over planning. Where fasting is preferred over financial literacy. Where people tithe in expectation of blessings instead of investing in skill-building and innovation. And this is not a condemnation of faith—it is an observation of how faith has been weaponized to suppress action.
I am not particularly saying religion is the problem (if it is, it is a conversation for a different day). I am saying that if we do not recognize how our religious indoctrination has shaped our dependency mindset, we will never break free from it. The same faith that made the West conquer and build made us surrender and wait.
The Missing Culture of Doing
Growing up, my mother taught me to be a doer. One of my most vivid memories is of her handbag. Whenever my mother asked me to bring her handbag, there was one rule—I was not allowed to return without it.
It was never an option to say, I didn’t find it. It was never acceptable to give up. This wasn’t just about a handbag—it was about a mindset. It was about learning to be resourceful. About finding solutions instead of excuses.
This is something I have come to appreciate more as I navigate different spaces, particularly in the West. Here, everyone is a doer. Getting stuck is not an option. In Malawi, however, I have found that many people are not trained to push through challenges. The first instinct is to stop, to ask for help, to wait for someone else to provide the answer.
And I have been reflecting deeply: why do people get stuck?
Why do we have brilliant, talented, capable individuals who cannot seem to break through? The answer, again, is systemic. We were never trained to create. We were trained to manage.
The Regression Model: What Truly Drives Development?
As a researcher, my mind often works in models and data. And as I think about Malawi’s development, I have started constructing a multiple regression model—an equation that attempts to quantify what truly drives development.
If I were to construct this model, some of the key variables would include:
- Governance quality
- Access to capital
- Infrastructure
- Education and skill acquisition
- Entrepreneurial culture
- Technological adoption
- Policy effectiveness
- Social trust and collaboration
But there is one variable that I believe is critical yet often overlooked: religion. Not in the sense of personal faith, but in the way it shapes societal behavior, work ethic, and economic activity.
Hypothetical Regression Model for Development:
Development Index = β0+β1(Governance)+β2(Education)+β3(Infrastructure)+β4(Entrepreneurship)+β5(Innovation)+β6(Religion)+β7(Foreign Aid)+β8(Cultural Attitudes)+ε
Breaking it Down:
- Governance – The strength of institutions, transparency, and rule of law.
- Education – The quality of education, access to higher learning, and literacy rates.
- Infrastructure – Roads, energy, digital connectivity, etc.
- Entrepreneurship – The ease of doing business, access to capital, market opportunities.
- Innovation – The degree to which new ideas and technologies are developed and adopted.
- Religion – How religious beliefs influence decision-making, work ethic, and risk-taking.
- Foreign Aid – Dependence on donor funding versus self-sustaining growth.
- Cultural Attitudes – Work ethic, social norms, collectivism vs. individualism.
Key Insight:
- Religion may be a predictor, but is it a positive or negative one?
- In some societies, religion has fueled expansion, conquest, and discipline.
- In others, it has pacified people, making them passive recipients of fate.
- The relationship between religion and development is complex, and that’s what you want to explore further.
Regression Model #2: The Formula for a Functional Human Being
If I were to construct a second regression model—one that explains what makes a person functional and productive—some of the variables would include:
- Education – Both formal education and lifelong learning.
- Emotional Intelligence – The ability to navigate relationships, self-awareness.
- Spirituality – A deep-rooted sense of purpose, meaning, and connection to something greater.
- Work Ethic – The discipline and drive to push forward.
- Resilience – The ability to recover from setbacks.
- Access to Resources – Financial, technological, and knowledge-based resources.
- Social Capital – Networks, mentorship, and opportunities provided by relationships.
Success Index=α0+α1(Education)+α2(Emotional Intelligence)+α3(Spirituality)+α4(Work Ethic)+α5(Resilience)+α6(Access to Resources)+α7(Social Capital)+ε
Key Insight:
- Spirituality (not just religion) plays a fundamental role in shaping human beings.
- It can drive ambition, purpose, and ethics, but it can also limit agency if it encourages passivity.
- This is why understanding the role of religion is critical—it shapes societies from the individual level up.
These are working hypotheses – simply, like all hypotheses: just opinions of one man, yet to be (dis)proven. Some of these variables could be insignificant. They are not absolute truths. And that is the point.
An Invitation to Think
I am not particularly here to debate (I do enjoy thinking, but debate has never been my forte), nor am I here to provide final answers. I am here to ask the questions that make both you and I uncomfortable. To challenge the assumptions we hold dear.
Malawi—and Africa at large—will not develop by accident. It will not develop through prayer alone, through donor aid, or through political speeches. It will develop when we become doers. When we start thinking critically about why we are the way we are and how we actively change it.
I have spent years deconstructing everything I know. I invite you to do the same.
Ask yourself:
- What mindset has shaped the way I see success?
- What role has religion played in how I approach problem-solving?
- Do I rely more on external help than on my own ability to create solutions?
- Am I a doer, or have I been conditioned to wait?
We do not move forward by accepting things as they are. We move forward by thinking, questioning, breaking things apart, and rebuilding them better.
This is the only way forward.
Erternally curious,
Ntha
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