Meet Austin Chiumia, MEFMI Accredited Fellow

Meet Austin Chiumia, MEFMI Accredited Fellow

Principal Economist, Reserve Bank of Malawi

I am a Principal Economist, responsible for Macroeconomic Modelling in the Economic Policy Research Department in the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM). I hold a PhD in Economics obtained in December 2017 from the Witwatersrand University, South Africa. I am an Accredited MEFMI Fellow in Monetary Policy Management. I joined the MEFMI Fellowship program in 2013 after having worked with the RBM for 13 years. After two years of intensive work, I became a Graduate Fellow in July 2015. I immediately embarked on the accreditation Program and I became an Accredited Fellow in July 2017.

Several things have kept me afloat; my family, which endures my lengthy work hours as I try to balance official work, MEFMI assignments as well as research. Secondly, I owe it to my Superiors who considered my area of expertise and placed me as a Principal Economist, responsible for Macroeconomic Modelling in May 2018; a position which I hold to date. Third, for the MEFMI Fellowship I selected an area which was of great interest to myself and which is also an area I am practically working on, on a daily basis. Fourth, I owe it to MEFMI. Between 2015 and now, I have developed a lot of MEFMI learning material and delivered many trainings in modelling and forecasting, as well as in monetary policy analysis. These have enhanced my ability to provide firm technical advice to the authorities.

What lies ahead for me is more work, more opportunities for growth but also more challenges! As a Fellow, one works more like an academic. As one progresses in age and career, competing demands set in, putting speed bumps in one’s professional growth path. Therefore, awareness of the changing environment and recalibration of activities through careful re-prioritisation becomes key.