Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika focused his address on his country’s efforts to meet the MDGs

Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika focused his address on his country’s efforts to meet the MDGs, saying there had been steady progress so far and he was confident that most of the eight targets would be met or surpassed by 2015.

The percentage of people living below the poverty line, for example, has fallen from almost 54 per cent in 1998 to 45 per cent last year, he said. Malawi also has a food surplus of at least 1.4 million tons more than its own requirements, allowing it to export food to other southern African nations.

President Mutharika said Malawi had identified six “priorities within priorities” that it believed could pull the country out of the poverty trap: agricultural development and food security, irrigation and water development, transport and communication infrastructure development, energy and power, integrated rural development and the management and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Improving governance was also critical, he said, citing the need to fight corruption, reform the public and private sectors, safeguard human rights and the rule of law and increase social protection for vulnerable groups.