President Mutharika, Minister Ben Phiri Among Five Malawians Nominated for Iconic Africa Honours 2026

President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika and Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dr. Ben Malunga Phiri, are among five esteemed Malawians nominated for the prestigious Iconic Africa Honours 2026 awards, to be presented on 13 February 2026 at the Rainbow Towers and Conference Centre, Harare in Zimbabwe.

The other nominees include, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) Director General, Maya Nkoloma, M-Hub founder Dr. Racheal Sibande and Irrigation Expert and founder of Foundation for Irrigation and Sustainabile Development (FISD), Frank Mwenechanya.

The Iconic Africa Honours is an award that recognises outstanding individuals and organisations making significant contributions to Africa’s development and growth.

The awards aim to promote unity, innovation and excellence across African continent.

To Malawi, the recognition highlights the exceptional contributions of these individuals to Malawi’s development and their impact on the continent.

According to the organisers, President Mutharika will be honored for outstanding leadership and political acumen by becoming the first politician in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region to win elections twice from opposition.

On the other hand, Ben Phiri’s nomination is a testament to his dedication to improving local governance and rural development in Malawi.

Phiri has also been honoured to participate as a distinguished speaker through a key address aligned with four thematic areas, local government reform and decentralised development and rural development and community empowerment among others.

The event, will be convened under the theme, “The Africa We Want, Sustainable Development, Everyone’s Responsibility.”