Malawi will have its first-ever modern mining project located in the northern town of Kayelekera in Karonga by early next year if plans by an Australian mining company, Paladin (Africa) Limited, are successful. In April this year, the Malawi government granted the mining company a licence to exploit up to 34,5 million tons of uranium.
One would have taken it for granted that there would be immense enthusiasm over the introduction of this mining project in a country where the economy has over the years been solely dependent on agriculture.
This is especially so since the mining company has promised that the project will generate an annual income of over 100 million US dollars, which is about five percent of Malawi’s annual gross domestic product and 20 percent of the country’s total export income.
The revenue for the uranium is projected to exceed tobacco’s annual proceeds of 19 million US dollars. Tobacco is currently Malawi’s main foreign exchange earner.
The uranium project also promises to transform the under-developed Kayelekera into a prosperous town and create jobs for 800 people during the construction phase and 280 people during the operational phase.
It also promises to indirectly support more than 1,000 additional jobs, build a modern primary school, a secondary school and a health facility near the project area.
However, controversy has been dogging the project since its hatching stages with fears from the public that the mining of uranium poses serious health hazards, such as cancer and disability in infants due to radiation.
A warning signal was first sent by a 2006 paper published by researcher Martin Mkandawire. He argues that scientific evidence shows that uranium mining is implicated in most cancers, especially those of the lung, blood and bone and that it also leads to disability in infants.
In the paper, titled ‘‘The Kayelekera uranium mining activity: Economic benefit and environmental dangers’’, Mkandawire argues that the project will lead to the loss of social goods which do not have market value, such as human health in the surrounding community.
‘‘As someone who has been conducting research on uranium deposits, mining and cleaning of uranium sites for more than ten years now, I would caution government, the politicians and all Malawians to weigh carefully the pros and cons of the project,’’ states Mkandawire.
Then came an environmental impact assessment (EIA), also conducted last year by an international consulting firm, Knight Piesold Consulting. Among others, it indicated that the project could increase social problems in the Karonga area in the form of increased cases of HIV/AIDS due to the migration of sex workers to the area.
‘‘There will be an increase in the existing commercial sex industry and risks of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS,’’ says the EIA.
A group of six influential civil society organizations in Malawi said the company has neither complied with the Environmental Management Act nor with international uranium mining standards which underscore the importance of ensuring health and environmental protection for people.
These organisations were the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Focus on Karonga, Citizens for Justice, the Institute for Policy Interaction (IPI), the Uraha Foundation and the Foundation for Community Services.
They have since obtained a court injunction stopping the project from proceeding. It is unlikely that the issue will be resolved soon since court processes in Malawi usually take a long time due to case backlogs.
CHRR executive director Undule Mwakasungura argues that local people are being taken for a ride as they were not given information on the dangers of the uranium project. Mwakasungura says that the mining project should be handled responsibly with adequate information being supplied by environmentalists and radiation experts.
A lawyer representing the organizations, Titus Mvalo, says uranium is radioactive and that with open-pit mining, like the one to be conducted at Kayelekera, the soil drains into rivers and contaminates the water. When humans drink the water, it damages kidneys and causes cancer.
In Malawi, according to the 2006 Human Development Report (HDR), up to 33 percent of the population of 12 million people do not have access to safe water. They depend on water from rivers and lakes. Mvalo says there is a need for measures that will mitigate the damage that could arise from radiation.
‘‘There are examples in Mexico and Ghana where people suffered irreparable damage to kidneys because of such mining,’’ Mvalo cautions.
The NGOs are demanding that legislation regulating radioactive materials is put in place and that government should invite comments from the public. They want the project to be redesigned following the input from the public and that government should make public the EIA report.
Furthermore, Paladin should enter into a separate legally binding agreement with the local community to ensure ‘‘meaningful’’ social investment and that the mining company should provide a guarantee to the public regarding their well-being, health and environmental conditions.
The controversy surrounding the uranium project also came up during parliamentary proceedings in March this year, when government described some of the contents of the agreement with Paladin as classified. The government refused to make it available after opposition parliamentarians demanded a copy of the agreement.
The chairperson of the parliamentary legal affairs committee, opposition member of parliament Atupele Muluzi, took the government on, saying it was important for people who would be affected by the project to have a copy of the agreement.
But Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe stressed that ‘‘certain details of the agreement have to be kept secret’’.
Minister of Energy and Mining Henry Chimunthu-Banda only reported that the Malawi government awarded Paladin a 15-year license over 55,5 square kilometres with a possibility to renew the license for another ten years.
Moreover, Paladin will only transfer a 15 percent stake in the uranium project to the Malawian government but get a corporate tax reduction from 30 percent to 27.5 percent. Paladin will also not pay a 10 percent resource rent tax.
Both the government and Paladin have defended the project and denied that uranium mining could pose health and environmental problems.
Chimunthu-Banda says that the Malawi government believes that Paladin has met all the requirements and that all environmental issues have been tackled in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s prescriptions.
‘‘We believe all necessary consultations have taken place. As government we have been shocked that some stakeholders are presenting this issue as if government did not want to take care of environmental issues,’’ says the minister.
An information brochure from the mining company says Paladin will ‘‘carefully’’ monitor the radiation which people at the mine will be exposed to and will ensure that levels are always as low as can be achieved reasonably.
‘‘People not working at the mine will receive far less than that level. Like the heat from a fire, the radiation level drops the further you move away from the source,’’ says the brochure.
Paladin also says that the radon gas, one of the natural decay products of uranium which is radio-active, will not harm people. The company admits that the gas can be carried by wind but insists that it quickly disperses after being released from the ground.
The country’s president Bingu wa Mutharika has since said that Malawi will in the next ten years be one of the largest producers of uranium in Africa. Another Australian-based company, Globe Uranium, has since been carrying out search activities since January 2006, also in the northern part of Malawi.
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Taiwan to directly buy Malawi tobacco this year
Malawi’s tobacco industry Tuesday received a big boost from the Republic of China on Taiwan which has agreed to have the crop enter the island state’s markets directly starting this year.
The Taiwanese ambassador to Malawi, James Chuang, told journalists in Lilongwe on Tuesday that his government will from this year going to purchase flue cured tobacco worth 1,190.4 tonnes from local tobacco processing companies.
Chuang said a state-owned Taiwanese tobacco organisation recommended that the local companies should directly supply them the leaf after complying with all the required procedures.
In years past, Taiwan bought the country’s crop from middlemen who had themselves acquired the tobacco from Malawi’s tobacco firms.
Apart from buying flue cured tobacco, Taiwan also was likely to purchase a substantial amount of burley tobacco from Malawi.
"As a bilateral partner, we would like to empower local Malawian farmers economically as well as in the decision-making process in terms of the tobacco industry," he said.
According to Chuang, 691.2 tonnes would be bought from the locally-dominated Premium TAMA tobacco firm, while 499.2 tonnes will be purchased from the American-owned Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company.
Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) President Charles Mwansambo said the move would further boost the local economy which mainly depends on agriculture, with tobacco being the country’s highest foreign currency earner.
The Taiwanese ambassador to Malawi, James Chuang, told journalists in Lilongwe on Tuesday that his government will from this year going to purchase flue cured tobacco worth 1,190.4 tonnes from local tobacco processing companies.
Chuang said a state-owned Taiwanese tobacco organisation recommended that the local companies should directly supply them the leaf after complying with all the required procedures.
In years past, Taiwan bought the country’s crop from middlemen who had themselves acquired the tobacco from Malawi’s tobacco firms.
Apart from buying flue cured tobacco, Taiwan also was likely to purchase a substantial amount of burley tobacco from Malawi.
"As a bilateral partner, we would like to empower local Malawian farmers economically as well as in the decision-making process in terms of the tobacco industry," he said.
According to Chuang, 691.2 tonnes would be bought from the locally-dominated Premium TAMA tobacco firm, while 499.2 tonnes will be purchased from the American-owned Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company.
Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) President Charles Mwansambo said the move would further boost the local economy which mainly depends on agriculture, with tobacco being the country’s highest foreign currency earner.
Stakeholders Bang Heads On 'Brain Drain'
The impacts of the 'brain drain' are complex and it is clear that many African countries and Malawi in particular, have been left with serious specific gaps in many areas especially in the health sector.
Statistics have it that by the 1990s, the Doctor, population ratio in Malawi and other surrounding countries such as Mozambique and Tanzania was 1;30,000 compared to 1;300 in industrialized countries.
Between 1960 and 1987, sub Saharan Africa is thought to have lost at least 30 percent of its highly skilled men and women to the highly industrialized nations.
In Malawi alone, it has been reported that over the past five years, 52 percent of health administrators, 64 percent nurses and 85 percent physicians have left the government health system either to join private medical providers, other non- governmental organisations (NGOs) or have left the country to join overseas health systems.
There have been several initiatives by government to reverse the trend and recently key stakeholders from the public and private sector gathered in the capital, Lilongwe bringing together experts to strategize on how best to address the debilitating problem of 'brain drain.'
Under the focus, exploring the potential of intellectual diaspora knowledge networks as a source of human capital for development - giving consideration to the specific needs of Malawi, the gathering produced initial conclusions and recommendations on mechanisms and strategies for the effective engagement of the diaspora.
Will Halkett, a representative from the University of Dundee of Scotland, who organized the workshop in partnership with Bunda College of Agriculture observed that though it's a difficult venture to woo the intellectuals back to Malawi, he acknowleged that it was possible. "With good policies coupled with the right conditions, "am sure these people can come back and contribute to their native country (Malawi)," he said
"Actually we want to initiate dialogue with the health personnel working in foreign countries to re-consider their stand. There are various interventions that could be used to inspire them (health personnel) back," he emphasized.
Halkett announced during the meeting to have already approached and spoken to about 50 Malawians working in foreign countries who all expressed willingness to come back home. He also observed that a recent move by foreign governments to reject extensions of working visas for nurses could also work to the initiative's favour.
A million dollar question however is, does the country have enough financial muscle to put in place attractive infrastructures, competitive salaries, working conditions and opportunities to match the developed countries?
"This is a challenge for all of us and am sure funding could come if this program seems to work for the benefit of Malawians," Halkett said.
Director of Management Services in the Department of Human Resource Management and Development at Bunda College of Agriculture Isaac Zimba - Bondo hailed the idea saying the 'diaspora option' which involves making use of the skilled and highly skilled expatriate pool could contribute to capacity building in the country.
"The 'diaspora option' is a policy alternative to repatriation schemes, which have been adopted successfully by a number of newly industrialized countries, or big countries like China and India, where enormous efforts and massive investments in science and technology infrastructure and other facilities have been made to tempt skilled expatriates back home," he said.
Bondo said that though some informal collaboration and exchange of knowledge between the intellectual diasporas and their home countries may have already taken place with more or less success, "these efforts are likely to continue whether or not formal arrangements are put in place."
The question however, continued Bondo, is how to harness diasporas systematically as significant and valued partners in development cooperation and create the opportunity structures which link them effectively and productively either through temporary, perhaps repeated return or without any physical return through distant cooperative work.
He explained, " the latter may include research partnerships, knowledge brokerage activities, business initiatives and other links which do not only utilize the professional abilities of individual expatriates but tap into the social capital or networks upon which they can draw in their adopted countries which may be expensive. This may afford access to state of the art class medical research facilities, for example with relatively low investment."
"The building of capacity for development is typically a long term process which of course begins in the schools and whether or not knowledge repatriation involves physical return and many expatriates may wish to return temporarily, the diaspora may provide both the type of resources and the enduring commitment to the home country that is required."
According to Bondo, other measures could include promotion of dual citizenship and foreign denomination bank accounts for expatriates, the creation of ministries for nationals living overseas, visiting research scientist programs and forgiving outstanding student loans.
The fruits are yet to be seen as the country curiously awaits the coming back of the cream of its skilled professionals to fulfill their aspirations in their country of origin.
Statistics have it that by the 1990s, the Doctor, population ratio in Malawi and other surrounding countries such as Mozambique and Tanzania was 1;30,000 compared to 1;300 in industrialized countries.
Between 1960 and 1987, sub Saharan Africa is thought to have lost at least 30 percent of its highly skilled men and women to the highly industrialized nations.
In Malawi alone, it has been reported that over the past five years, 52 percent of health administrators, 64 percent nurses and 85 percent physicians have left the government health system either to join private medical providers, other non- governmental organisations (NGOs) or have left the country to join overseas health systems.
There have been several initiatives by government to reverse the trend and recently key stakeholders from the public and private sector gathered in the capital, Lilongwe bringing together experts to strategize on how best to address the debilitating problem of 'brain drain.'
Under the focus, exploring the potential of intellectual diaspora knowledge networks as a source of human capital for development - giving consideration to the specific needs of Malawi, the gathering produced initial conclusions and recommendations on mechanisms and strategies for the effective engagement of the diaspora.
Will Halkett, a representative from the University of Dundee of Scotland, who organized the workshop in partnership with Bunda College of Agriculture observed that though it's a difficult venture to woo the intellectuals back to Malawi, he acknowleged that it was possible. "With good policies coupled with the right conditions, "am sure these people can come back and contribute to their native country (Malawi)," he said
"Actually we want to initiate dialogue with the health personnel working in foreign countries to re-consider their stand. There are various interventions that could be used to inspire them (health personnel) back," he emphasized.
Halkett announced during the meeting to have already approached and spoken to about 50 Malawians working in foreign countries who all expressed willingness to come back home. He also observed that a recent move by foreign governments to reject extensions of working visas for nurses could also work to the initiative's favour.
A million dollar question however is, does the country have enough financial muscle to put in place attractive infrastructures, competitive salaries, working conditions and opportunities to match the developed countries?
"This is a challenge for all of us and am sure funding could come if this program seems to work for the benefit of Malawians," Halkett said.
Director of Management Services in the Department of Human Resource Management and Development at Bunda College of Agriculture Isaac Zimba - Bondo hailed the idea saying the 'diaspora option' which involves making use of the skilled and highly skilled expatriate pool could contribute to capacity building in the country.
"The 'diaspora option' is a policy alternative to repatriation schemes, which have been adopted successfully by a number of newly industrialized countries, or big countries like China and India, where enormous efforts and massive investments in science and technology infrastructure and other facilities have been made to tempt skilled expatriates back home," he said.
Bondo said that though some informal collaboration and exchange of knowledge between the intellectual diasporas and their home countries may have already taken place with more or less success, "these efforts are likely to continue whether or not formal arrangements are put in place."
The question however, continued Bondo, is how to harness diasporas systematically as significant and valued partners in development cooperation and create the opportunity structures which link them effectively and productively either through temporary, perhaps repeated return or without any physical return through distant cooperative work.
He explained, " the latter may include research partnerships, knowledge brokerage activities, business initiatives and other links which do not only utilize the professional abilities of individual expatriates but tap into the social capital or networks upon which they can draw in their adopted countries which may be expensive. This may afford access to state of the art class medical research facilities, for example with relatively low investment."
"The building of capacity for development is typically a long term process which of course begins in the schools and whether or not knowledge repatriation involves physical return and many expatriates may wish to return temporarily, the diaspora may provide both the type of resources and the enduring commitment to the home country that is required."
According to Bondo, other measures could include promotion of dual citizenship and foreign denomination bank accounts for expatriates, the creation of ministries for nationals living overseas, visiting research scientist programs and forgiving outstanding student loans.
The fruits are yet to be seen as the country curiously awaits the coming back of the cream of its skilled professionals to fulfill their aspirations in their country of origin.
Working to Strengthen Local Research Capacity
The research, training and care centre of the University of North Carolina based at the Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe deserves a pat on the back, especially looking at the commendable contribution of the organization towards the health sector in the country on HIV/AIDS related biomedicine, one of which being the initiative called The Lighthouse.
The UNC Project is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health & Kamuzu Central Hospital, the HIV Prevention Trials Network & AIDS Clinical Trials Network of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) worldwide; the College of Medicine in Blantyre, the University of Witwatersland in Johannesburg, South Africa, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (NIH).
It aims at identifying innovative, culturally acceptable and relatively inexpensive methods for reducing the risk of HIV and STI transmission through research. It also aims at strengthening local research capacity through training and technology transfers and the improvement of patient care capacities.
Through its confidentiality, professionalism, commitment, excellence and integrity, the UNC Project has instilled a corporate culture of teamwork to reach common acceptable goals.
UNC Project Country Director, Dr Francis Martinson says since the inception of the project in Malawi in 1999, a lot of studies have been completed.
"We have completed studies on the effect of metronidazole (commonly known as Flagyl) on the cure rate of urenthritis in men, Nanoxynol-9 study, Pharmacokynetic study comparing the bio-equivalent of Triomune with patented drugs, the Intestinal Parasite study, the effect of antibiotics to treat choriamnionitis on HIV Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT), HIV Immunity and Anti-Retroviral Therapy operations," says Martinson.
He further says the project has several on-going research studies on Breast feeding, ART and Nutrition to determine the best method to help reduce the HIV MTCT in a predominantly breast feeding population; Nevirapine resistance, microbicides acceptability to identify and explore from a variety of perspective, the relationships and factors likely to affect acceptability and use of vaginal microbicides if and when they become available; discordant couples study which seeks to assess the effect of ARV therapy on the prevention of HIV transmission among discordant couples and the Fertility intention study which seeks to determine the prospective fertility intention of women on learning their HIV status through Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT).
"We are also conducting a randomised clinical trials to evaluate effectiveness of current syndromic management of Genital Ulcer disease (GUD), clinical trials to compare three different ARV regimens in ARV naïve patients, clinical trials to determine if Nevirapine given to mothers as a single dose for PMTCT has an effect on the success of ARV therapy and the Cellular Immune Response study which seeks to understand the meaning of HIV specific cellular response in a high prevalence population.
The Country Director has all reason to smile as he looks back to 1999 when the idea of introducing the now famous Lighthouse came.
"It was then that government agreed to establish a clinic to specifically deal with cases related to HIV and AIDS. So a Lighthouse Trust was established headed by Malawi Government's Ministry of Health and UNC Project," he says.
The Lighthouse is currently famous for its services to the HIV/AIDS infected and affected people such as Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and the dispensation of antiretroviral drugs. However, most of these services are successful with the support services from UNC project and funding from National AIDS Commission (NAC).
According to Martinson, about 30 per cent of the staff at the Lighthouse is still under the UNC Project and all patients coming to the Lighthouse for other tests like CD4 Count are sent UNC Project Laboratories.
Dr Francis Martinson is a Ghanaian who came to Malawi in 1999 and established the research project under the University of North Carolina.
He is now happy to have a good structure that has all facilities including a resource centre, laboratory and the brainchild - the Lighthouse.
He says the resource centre is open for reference to those looking for information especially relating to their fields of study.
The UNC Project is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health & Kamuzu Central Hospital, the HIV Prevention Trials Network & AIDS Clinical Trials Network of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) worldwide; the College of Medicine in Blantyre, the University of Witwatersland in Johannesburg, South Africa, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (NIH).
It aims at identifying innovative, culturally acceptable and relatively inexpensive methods for reducing the risk of HIV and STI transmission through research. It also aims at strengthening local research capacity through training and technology transfers and the improvement of patient care capacities.
Through its confidentiality, professionalism, commitment, excellence and integrity, the UNC Project has instilled a corporate culture of teamwork to reach common acceptable goals.
UNC Project Country Director, Dr Francis Martinson says since the inception of the project in Malawi in 1999, a lot of studies have been completed.
"We have completed studies on the effect of metronidazole (commonly known as Flagyl) on the cure rate of urenthritis in men, Nanoxynol-9 study, Pharmacokynetic study comparing the bio-equivalent of Triomune with patented drugs, the Intestinal Parasite study, the effect of antibiotics to treat choriamnionitis on HIV Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT), HIV Immunity and Anti-Retroviral Therapy operations," says Martinson.
He further says the project has several on-going research studies on Breast feeding, ART and Nutrition to determine the best method to help reduce the HIV MTCT in a predominantly breast feeding population; Nevirapine resistance, microbicides acceptability to identify and explore from a variety of perspective, the relationships and factors likely to affect acceptability and use of vaginal microbicides if and when they become available; discordant couples study which seeks to assess the effect of ARV therapy on the prevention of HIV transmission among discordant couples and the Fertility intention study which seeks to determine the prospective fertility intention of women on learning their HIV status through Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT).
"We are also conducting a randomised clinical trials to evaluate effectiveness of current syndromic management of Genital Ulcer disease (GUD), clinical trials to compare three different ARV regimens in ARV naïve patients, clinical trials to determine if Nevirapine given to mothers as a single dose for PMTCT has an effect on the success of ARV therapy and the Cellular Immune Response study which seeks to understand the meaning of HIV specific cellular response in a high prevalence population.
The Country Director has all reason to smile as he looks back to 1999 when the idea of introducing the now famous Lighthouse came.
"It was then that government agreed to establish a clinic to specifically deal with cases related to HIV and AIDS. So a Lighthouse Trust was established headed by Malawi Government's Ministry of Health and UNC Project," he says.
The Lighthouse is currently famous for its services to the HIV/AIDS infected and affected people such as Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and the dispensation of antiretroviral drugs. However, most of these services are successful with the support services from UNC project and funding from National AIDS Commission (NAC).
According to Martinson, about 30 per cent of the staff at the Lighthouse is still under the UNC Project and all patients coming to the Lighthouse for other tests like CD4 Count are sent UNC Project Laboratories.
Dr Francis Martinson is a Ghanaian who came to Malawi in 1999 and established the research project under the University of North Carolina.
He is now happy to have a good structure that has all facilities including a resource centre, laboratory and the brainchild - the Lighthouse.
He says the resource centre is open for reference to those looking for information especially relating to their fields of study.
Malawi to test all sexually active adults for HIV
The Malawian government launched a campaign yesterday to test all sexually active adults for HIV to try to identify thousands of people infected with the virus.
An estimated 14% of Malawi's 12 million population are HIV positive but most do not know their status, which prevents them from getting effective treatment and also hampers efforts to curb the spread of the disease.
Health officials say they hope to test 130,000 people this week. President Bingu wa Mutharika's government has distributed 300,000 testing kits across the country.
Article continues
The testing drive will concentrate on Malawi's rural areas, where more than 70% of people live and which are often out of reach of basic health care services.
"We want to encourage Malawians to go for the tests. We also want to take advantage to reach them with correct information on HIV prevention, treatment, care and support," said Mtemwa Nyangulu, a health official.
About 6 million Malawians are in the sexually active age group but health officials say that only 1 million have been tested for HIV.
"This implies that the majority of Malawians do not know that they are carrying the virus because they have not gone for a test, a situation that poses a great threat to prevention effort," said the health ministry in a statement, according to the South African Press Association.
More than 1 million Malawians have already died from Aids, leaving more than 900,000 children orphaned. The disease has strained the country's basic health services and badly affected agriculture, the country's economic mainstay.
Malawian health officials are struggling to establish a grassroots HIV-prevention campaign, especially in rural areas where HIV infection rates are still rising, in contrast to the declines seen in cities.
Nearly 30,000 newborn infants are infected with HIV every year because the government has not been able to provide the drugs that can greatly reduce mother-to-child transmission.
A small fraction of those with HIV are on the life-saving anti-retroviral drugs, according to officials.
More accurate statistics of the prevalence of HIV could help the Malawian government raise international funds for its programmes.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 80% of people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa do not know they have the virus.
In May the World Health Organisation issued new guidelines, saying that in countries where HIV is prevalent health officials should test all those seeking medical treatment, unless they specifically chose against the test.
However, WHO said that no test should be done against a person's wishes or without their knowledge.
An estimated 14% of Malawi's 12 million population are HIV positive but most do not know their status, which prevents them from getting effective treatment and also hampers efforts to curb the spread of the disease.
Health officials say they hope to test 130,000 people this week. President Bingu wa Mutharika's government has distributed 300,000 testing kits across the country.
Article continues
The testing drive will concentrate on Malawi's rural areas, where more than 70% of people live and which are often out of reach of basic health care services.
"We want to encourage Malawians to go for the tests. We also want to take advantage to reach them with correct information on HIV prevention, treatment, care and support," said Mtemwa Nyangulu, a health official.
About 6 million Malawians are in the sexually active age group but health officials say that only 1 million have been tested for HIV.
"This implies that the majority of Malawians do not know that they are carrying the virus because they have not gone for a test, a situation that poses a great threat to prevention effort," said the health ministry in a statement, according to the South African Press Association.
More than 1 million Malawians have already died from Aids, leaving more than 900,000 children orphaned. The disease has strained the country's basic health services and badly affected agriculture, the country's economic mainstay.
Malawian health officials are struggling to establish a grassroots HIV-prevention campaign, especially in rural areas where HIV infection rates are still rising, in contrast to the declines seen in cities.
Nearly 30,000 newborn infants are infected with HIV every year because the government has not been able to provide the drugs that can greatly reduce mother-to-child transmission.
A small fraction of those with HIV are on the life-saving anti-retroviral drugs, according to officials.
More accurate statistics of the prevalence of HIV could help the Malawian government raise international funds for its programmes.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 80% of people with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa do not know they have the virus.
In May the World Health Organisation issued new guidelines, saying that in countries where HIV is prevalent health officials should test all those seeking medical treatment, unless they specifically chose against the test.
However, WHO said that no test should be done against a person's wishes or without their knowledge.
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