Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has asked each citizen to take responsibility for the country’s development rather than always demanding it from the politicians.

He said he had hundreds of messages on his phone from people asking him “to run their families for them” just because he is president - adding that MPs had similar messages from their constituents.

“We must cure ourselves of the habit of asking more of our politicians than we demand from ourselves… Our country will never develop with that kind of spirit,” he said on Monday.

The Malawian president asked citizens to implement plans at household level that were in line with a national development plan, which he was launching.

He gave an example of the country’s plan to improve productivity and commercialisation of agriculture - which he said could not happen “without fundamental changes at the household level”.

He said farmers had to think of diversifying the crops they grow and how they do it in order to improve harvests.

He said it “won’t matter which politician you elect into office or how many times you tell a politician to change” if the people did not change.

A video of the president's speech has been shared on Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/watch/?v=409100100683450