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.
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Malawi says Aug inflation eases to 7.2 pct year-on-year
Malawi's headline inflation eased to 7.2 percent year-on-year in August, compared to 7.4 percent in the previous month, largely due to lower food prices, its National Statistical Office said on Tuesday.
Food inflation, which accounts for 58.1 of the impoverished impoverished southern African nation's Consumer Price Index (CPI), dipped to 6.6 percent from 6.7 percent in July, the NSO said.
Malawi has had a bumper maize crop this year, helping to lower the cost of the key staple. The country had a surplus of 1.3 million metric tonnes of maize in the 2006/2007 growing season, more than three times the surplus in the previous year.
Economic analysts, however, expressed concerns that rising fuel prices could force Malawians to dig deeper into their pockets to cover higher transport and farming costs, reversing the gains made on the inflation front.
Malawi, a landlocked nation with no oil refineries, is a net importer of fuel. The government announced last week a sharp increase in the price of petrol, blaming the move on the rising price of oil on international markets.
"The fuel hike will hit farmers because it is peak time for agriculture when inputs need to be transported to farms and produce to markets to fetch money for buying the inputs," Andrew Kumbatira, an economic analyst in Malawi, said.
The Reserve Bank of Malawi has eased the pinch with a more accommodative monetary policy. Last month the central bank cut its bank rate to 17.5 percent from 20 percent, citing the improved outlook for inflation and other economic fundamentals.
Food inflation, which accounts for 58.1 of the impoverished impoverished southern African nation's Consumer Price Index (CPI), dipped to 6.6 percent from 6.7 percent in July, the NSO said.
Malawi has had a bumper maize crop this year, helping to lower the cost of the key staple. The country had a surplus of 1.3 million metric tonnes of maize in the 2006/2007 growing season, more than three times the surplus in the previous year.
Economic analysts, however, expressed concerns that rising fuel prices could force Malawians to dig deeper into their pockets to cover higher transport and farming costs, reversing the gains made on the inflation front.
Malawi, a landlocked nation with no oil refineries, is a net importer of fuel. The government announced last week a sharp increase in the price of petrol, blaming the move on the rising price of oil on international markets.
"The fuel hike will hit farmers because it is peak time for agriculture when inputs need to be transported to farms and produce to markets to fetch money for buying the inputs," Andrew Kumbatira, an economic analyst in Malawi, said.
The Reserve Bank of Malawi has eased the pinch with a more accommodative monetary policy. Last month the central bank cut its bank rate to 17.5 percent from 20 percent, citing the improved outlook for inflation and other economic fundamentals.
Who is up for Africa's $5m prize?
The BBC's Mark Doyle looks at which former African leaders are in the running to win the $5m leadership prize.
Joaquim Chissano votes Mozambique's Mr Chissano has strong credentials as a democrat
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is next month due to award over $5m to the former African head of state adjudged to have demonstrated exemplary leadership.
The presidential prize is aimed at encouraging best practice.
The lucky recipient of what the organisers call "the world's biggest prize" will be named on 22 October.
The winner will then be paid the $5m in tranches over a period of 10 years, with a further $200,000 for life thereafter.
The international panel of judges includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Irish President Mary Robinson and the respected ex-Finance Minister of Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
All 13 African heads of state or government who left office between 2004 and 2006 are eligible for the cash prize - including, perhaps surprisingly, the former transitional president of war-torn Somalia.
Others in the running include the former presidents of:
* Benin - Mathieu Kerekou
* Mozambique - Joaquim Chissano
* Tanzania - Benjamin Mkapa
* Seychelles - France-Albert Rene
These candidates could advance a claim to have behaved well.
Mr Kerekou, for example, was the first mainland African head of state to have allowed free multiparty elections - and to have then stood down when he lost.
Mr Chissano played a key role in ending the war in Mozambique.
Mr Mkapa kept Tanzania on a relatively stable political course despite unrest in neighbouring countries.
And Mr Rene also looks a strong contender, with Seychelles ranked as one of Africa's best governed states.
Tempation
Curiously, the late military strongman of Togo, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who died in office, is also on the list of possible recipients.
The prize might persuade Bakili Muluzi to relinquish further ambitions.
A spokesman for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation stressed that the list was a "long list" of all the former heads of state or government and not a "shortlist" chosen by the prize committee.
One of the men named in the "long list", former President Bakili Muluzi of Malawi, told me through a trusted contact that he did not think he qualified for the prize because he does not want to be an "ex-president".
Mr Muluzi intends to stand for office again - and is currently engaged in a controversial political and legal battle to do so.
A senior diplomat posted to Malawi told me Mr Maluzi's new bid for power had caused "political deadlock".
He speculated that the prize raises the fascinating possibility that it could end that deadlock by tempting Mr Muluzi into retirement with a handsome pension.
Joaquim Chissano votes Mozambique's Mr Chissano has strong credentials as a democrat
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is next month due to award over $5m to the former African head of state adjudged to have demonstrated exemplary leadership.
The presidential prize is aimed at encouraging best practice.
The lucky recipient of what the organisers call "the world's biggest prize" will be named on 22 October.
The winner will then be paid the $5m in tranches over a period of 10 years, with a further $200,000 for life thereafter.
The international panel of judges includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Irish President Mary Robinson and the respected ex-Finance Minister of Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
All 13 African heads of state or government who left office between 2004 and 2006 are eligible for the cash prize - including, perhaps surprisingly, the former transitional president of war-torn Somalia.
Others in the running include the former presidents of:
* Benin - Mathieu Kerekou
* Mozambique - Joaquim Chissano
* Tanzania - Benjamin Mkapa
* Seychelles - France-Albert Rene
These candidates could advance a claim to have behaved well.
Mr Kerekou, for example, was the first mainland African head of state to have allowed free multiparty elections - and to have then stood down when he lost.
Mr Chissano played a key role in ending the war in Mozambique.
Mr Mkapa kept Tanzania on a relatively stable political course despite unrest in neighbouring countries.
And Mr Rene also looks a strong contender, with Seychelles ranked as one of Africa's best governed states.
Tempation
Curiously, the late military strongman of Togo, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who died in office, is also on the list of possible recipients.
The prize might persuade Bakili Muluzi to relinquish further ambitions.
A spokesman for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation stressed that the list was a "long list" of all the former heads of state or government and not a "shortlist" chosen by the prize committee.
One of the men named in the "long list", former President Bakili Muluzi of Malawi, told me through a trusted contact that he did not think he qualified for the prize because he does not want to be an "ex-president".
Mr Muluzi intends to stand for office again - and is currently engaged in a controversial political and legal battle to do so.
A senior diplomat posted to Malawi told me Mr Maluzi's new bid for power had caused "political deadlock".
He speculated that the prize raises the fascinating possibility that it could end that deadlock by tempting Mr Muluzi into retirement with a handsome pension.
Jobs Await Teachers Abroad
Kenya has intensified its efforts to clinch bi-lateral deals, which could see it send thousands of teachers to neighbouring countries.
The ministry of education says it has overstretched its budget to deploy the pool of qualified tutors now estimated at 40,000. It says the solution lies in securing jobs for teachers in countries in the region where a biting shortage persists.
Education Secretary George Godia reckons consideration will be given to the six countries attending a World Bank sponsored teacher conference in Nairobi. These include Zambia, Eritrea, Uganda, Malawi, Zanzibar and Lesotho. "Local teachers are highly skilled, informed by the upgrading courses they are undertaking, and were therefore competitive in the regional market, where there is a huge shortfall", said Prof Godia.
Already, close to 2,000 teachers are expected to leave for Southern Sudan next March. This would open job opportunities for 1,500 primary and 200 secondary school teachers.
The ministry of education says it has overstretched its budget to deploy the pool of qualified tutors now estimated at 40,000. It says the solution lies in securing jobs for teachers in countries in the region where a biting shortage persists.
Education Secretary George Godia reckons consideration will be given to the six countries attending a World Bank sponsored teacher conference in Nairobi. These include Zambia, Eritrea, Uganda, Malawi, Zanzibar and Lesotho. "Local teachers are highly skilled, informed by the upgrading courses they are undertaking, and were therefore competitive in the regional market, where there is a huge shortfall", said Prof Godia.
Already, close to 2,000 teachers are expected to leave for Southern Sudan next March. This would open job opportunities for 1,500 primary and 200 secondary school teachers.
Hickory woman to work with Peace Corps in Malawi
When Sondra Kimberlin, 61, retired from teaching at Catawba Valley Community College in December, she thought she would take a few months to decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. It didn't take her long to realize she wasnt happy sitting at home, not doing anything.
"I was vegetating, and was in a state of discontent," Kimberlin said. "I went down to Asheville to hear a presentation on the Peace Corps, just to listen. My specialty in teaching was speech, so I didn't think I could be of use to them. But they told me they would teach me what I needed to know to teach others in another country. I've always wanted to live in a different environment and learn a new language. So I thought I'd apply."
However, applying for the Peace Corps is not as simple as it sounds. Only about a third of the people who apply for the Peace Corps actually get in because the application process is so stringent.
Kimberlin first had to get a medical application. This includes an eye exam that was within the last six months. Then, she had to go to the dentist and have a chart written about everything that was ever done to each tooth. She had to have a complete physical, which included getting booster shots of all of her childhood immunizations.
"My doctor told me they'd never even done some of the tests they had to perform on me for the medical application," Kimberlin said. "And if one thing was out of whack on any of the tests, they'd have to do that test over again."
The application was completed with several letters of intent as to why she wanted to join. Kimberlin also had to meet with a recruiter in Greensboro who asked her multiple questions, including which country she wanted to live in. Although you sometimes don't get your first choice, Kimberlin was one of the lucky ones.
"I wanted to go to Africa because of the culture, the civil unrest, the status of women there is appalling. I've just always wanted to go there before I die," she said. "They offer you a country, and you have five days to turn an offer down. I'll be going to Malawi."
Kimberlin will fly to Africa on Sept. 25. She'll live with a Malawi family until December, while she learns the native language, Chichewa, as well as the culture. She's already been practicing the language with a tape she's received from the Peace Corps.
However, even though she's made the first cut and has been selected for the Peace Corps, there's no guarantee that she'll stay.
"Even though people are selected for the Peace Corps and go to the countries they're sent to, some people just can't adjust. Maybe they can't adjust to no electricity, or they can't get used to having corn porridge four times a week or community showers," Kimberlin said. "Whatever the reason, some people will go home."
Kimberlin, though plans to be one of the ones who will stick with it and remain in Malawi until December 2009. She is allowed to come back to the U.S. on vacation, but at her own expense.
While teaching in Malawi, Kimberlin must wear dresses that fall below her knee and wear close-toed shoes. Kimberlin said she was told the Malawi people dress conservatively not for themselves, but to respect other people.
"When was the last time you heard that in the United States? This is a society where respect is mandated. In the U.S., it's not even expected. I wanted to find out what these people have found out that made life so enjoyable. There are things to learn from these people," she said.
Kimberlin may be trading in French fries, vacuum cleaners and TV, but it's nothing to what she'll be getting in return.
"I want to experience from these people a culture that will change me. I'm willing to share my talents as a teacher and share hard work, but I want to be changed," she said.
"I was vegetating, and was in a state of discontent," Kimberlin said. "I went down to Asheville to hear a presentation on the Peace Corps, just to listen. My specialty in teaching was speech, so I didn't think I could be of use to them. But they told me they would teach me what I needed to know to teach others in another country. I've always wanted to live in a different environment and learn a new language. So I thought I'd apply."
However, applying for the Peace Corps is not as simple as it sounds. Only about a third of the people who apply for the Peace Corps actually get in because the application process is so stringent.
Kimberlin first had to get a medical application. This includes an eye exam that was within the last six months. Then, she had to go to the dentist and have a chart written about everything that was ever done to each tooth. She had to have a complete physical, which included getting booster shots of all of her childhood immunizations.
"My doctor told me they'd never even done some of the tests they had to perform on me for the medical application," Kimberlin said. "And if one thing was out of whack on any of the tests, they'd have to do that test over again."
The application was completed with several letters of intent as to why she wanted to join. Kimberlin also had to meet with a recruiter in Greensboro who asked her multiple questions, including which country she wanted to live in. Although you sometimes don't get your first choice, Kimberlin was one of the lucky ones.
"I wanted to go to Africa because of the culture, the civil unrest, the status of women there is appalling. I've just always wanted to go there before I die," she said. "They offer you a country, and you have five days to turn an offer down. I'll be going to Malawi."
Kimberlin will fly to Africa on Sept. 25. She'll live with a Malawi family until December, while she learns the native language, Chichewa, as well as the culture. She's already been practicing the language with a tape she's received from the Peace Corps.
However, even though she's made the first cut and has been selected for the Peace Corps, there's no guarantee that she'll stay.
"Even though people are selected for the Peace Corps and go to the countries they're sent to, some people just can't adjust. Maybe they can't adjust to no electricity, or they can't get used to having corn porridge four times a week or community showers," Kimberlin said. "Whatever the reason, some people will go home."
Kimberlin, though plans to be one of the ones who will stick with it and remain in Malawi until December 2009. She is allowed to come back to the U.S. on vacation, but at her own expense.
While teaching in Malawi, Kimberlin must wear dresses that fall below her knee and wear close-toed shoes. Kimberlin said she was told the Malawi people dress conservatively not for themselves, but to respect other people.
"When was the last time you heard that in the United States? This is a society where respect is mandated. In the U.S., it's not even expected. I wanted to find out what these people have found out that made life so enjoyable. There are things to learn from these people," she said.
Kimberlin may be trading in French fries, vacuum cleaners and TV, but it's nothing to what she'll be getting in return.
"I want to experience from these people a culture that will change me. I'm willing to share my talents as a teacher and share hard work, but I want to be changed," she said.
Lack of Running Water Puts Girls' Education At Risk
Rita Kalikokha of Dowa, a rural district in central Malawi, thinks about abandoning school every time she menstruates.
The hard-working, resolute 13-year-old attends a primary school that has no running water. All 350 pupils at Rita's school have only two pit-latrines to share, and there is no tap where they can wash their hands after using the toilet.
Rita says she and other adolescent girls find these poor sanitation conditions even more awkward when it is time for their monthly periods: "It's so difficult to concentrate in class when you know there is no water to clean up with at break time. I usually prefer staying home every time my menses come."
She says many girls in her school drop out as soon they reach adolescence as they cannot bear the inconvenience and embarrassment of having to do without water. Government statistics in Malawi show that that 10.5 percent of girls drop out of school each year as compared to 8.4 percent of boys. In addition to this, around 22 percent of primary school age girls do not attend school at all, while 60 percent of those enrolled do not attend regularly.
However, Rita's problems concerning water are not confined to the school environment. Her village has no access to safe water. As the only girl in a family of five children, she is bound by tradition to fetch water to satisfy the needs of all four of her brothers and both her parents.
"There is very little time for me to do my homework as most of my days are taken up by my trips to fetch water."
She walks a distance of four kilometers to and from the nearest well. Her family uses this water for cooking, washing household utensils and drinking. Rita also has to ensure that there is enough water for herself, her father and mother to bathe. Her four brothers usually use a nearby stream to bathe - the same stream used by villagers as a toilet.
Child mortality is particularly high in the Dowa area, where almost every fifth child does not reach the age of five, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
But the problems with water provision and sanitation are not confined to rural areas in Malawi. Slums in towns and cities face similar difficulties as residents have to wait in long queues to buy water from kiosks or from boreholes.
In Ntopwa, a squatter area in Malawi's commercial capital of Blantyre where most people eke out a living on less than a dollar per day, women resort to scooping out water from ditches of stagnant rain water. The troughs are their only water source, as they cannot afford to buy water from kiosks or boreholes. Waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, dysentery and cholera are therefore very common in this area.
Many girls in Blantyre have similar experiences to Rita and other rural girls because the Ministry of Education frequently fails to pay water bills for local primary schools.
In the first six months of the year, more than 124,000 pupils had to use bushes around their schools to relieve themselves because Blantyre's Water Board disconnected the water supply at 22 schools due to the government's failure to pay bills.
Permanent Education Secretary Anthony Livuza had to plead with the Water Board to reconnect the water supply to avert an outbreak of diseases in the schools. The water supply company eventually reconnected the water, but asked the ministry to speed up paying for the service.
The United Nations Development Programme's 2006 Human Development Report indicates that up to 33 percent of Malawi's 12 million inhabitants have no access to safe water, while only 27 percent of the people have access to improved sanitation.
The country's Minister of Water Development, Sidik Mia, says that having so many people without access to proper water and sanitation services jeopardises the socio-economic development of Malawi: "The effects of this go on to spread in the health, education and agriculture sectors."
He says government's new national sanitation policy will give priority to the requirements of schools and will serve the public better with an integrated water resources management policy.
Meanwhile UNICEF is assisting in Rita's Dowa region, where wells are being drilled for schools which currently have no water supply. The U.N. agency is in the process of installing hygienic latrines and washbasins in schools. It is also helping households in 30 communities to install hand washing facilities outside their pit latrines.
WaterAid, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that helps the world's poorest people gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education, is helping Malawians to influence government and other NGOs to allocate more resources to water, sanitation and hygiene.
A policy and advocacy manager for WaterAid in Malawi, Amos Chigwenembe, says the organisation aims to help 136,000 people have access to safe water and another 131,000 to gain access to sanitation every year by 2010.
The hard-working, resolute 13-year-old attends a primary school that has no running water. All 350 pupils at Rita's school have only two pit-latrines to share, and there is no tap where they can wash their hands after using the toilet.
Rita says she and other adolescent girls find these poor sanitation conditions even more awkward when it is time for their monthly periods: "It's so difficult to concentrate in class when you know there is no water to clean up with at break time. I usually prefer staying home every time my menses come."
She says many girls in her school drop out as soon they reach adolescence as they cannot bear the inconvenience and embarrassment of having to do without water. Government statistics in Malawi show that that 10.5 percent of girls drop out of school each year as compared to 8.4 percent of boys. In addition to this, around 22 percent of primary school age girls do not attend school at all, while 60 percent of those enrolled do not attend regularly.
However, Rita's problems concerning water are not confined to the school environment. Her village has no access to safe water. As the only girl in a family of five children, she is bound by tradition to fetch water to satisfy the needs of all four of her brothers and both her parents.
"There is very little time for me to do my homework as most of my days are taken up by my trips to fetch water."
She walks a distance of four kilometers to and from the nearest well. Her family uses this water for cooking, washing household utensils and drinking. Rita also has to ensure that there is enough water for herself, her father and mother to bathe. Her four brothers usually use a nearby stream to bathe - the same stream used by villagers as a toilet.
Child mortality is particularly high in the Dowa area, where almost every fifth child does not reach the age of five, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
But the problems with water provision and sanitation are not confined to rural areas in Malawi. Slums in towns and cities face similar difficulties as residents have to wait in long queues to buy water from kiosks or from boreholes.
In Ntopwa, a squatter area in Malawi's commercial capital of Blantyre where most people eke out a living on less than a dollar per day, women resort to scooping out water from ditches of stagnant rain water. The troughs are their only water source, as they cannot afford to buy water from kiosks or boreholes. Waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, dysentery and cholera are therefore very common in this area.
Many girls in Blantyre have similar experiences to Rita and other rural girls because the Ministry of Education frequently fails to pay water bills for local primary schools.
In the first six months of the year, more than 124,000 pupils had to use bushes around their schools to relieve themselves because Blantyre's Water Board disconnected the water supply at 22 schools due to the government's failure to pay bills.
Permanent Education Secretary Anthony Livuza had to plead with the Water Board to reconnect the water supply to avert an outbreak of diseases in the schools. The water supply company eventually reconnected the water, but asked the ministry to speed up paying for the service.
The United Nations Development Programme's 2006 Human Development Report indicates that up to 33 percent of Malawi's 12 million inhabitants have no access to safe water, while only 27 percent of the people have access to improved sanitation.
The country's Minister of Water Development, Sidik Mia, says that having so many people without access to proper water and sanitation services jeopardises the socio-economic development of Malawi: "The effects of this go on to spread in the health, education and agriculture sectors."
He says government's new national sanitation policy will give priority to the requirements of schools and will serve the public better with an integrated water resources management policy.
Meanwhile UNICEF is assisting in Rita's Dowa region, where wells are being drilled for schools which currently have no water supply. The U.N. agency is in the process of installing hygienic latrines and washbasins in schools. It is also helping households in 30 communities to install hand washing facilities outside their pit latrines.
WaterAid, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that helps the world's poorest people gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education, is helping Malawians to influence government and other NGOs to allocate more resources to water, sanitation and hygiene.
A policy and advocacy manager for WaterAid in Malawi, Amos Chigwenembe, says the organisation aims to help 136,000 people have access to safe water and another 131,000 to gain access to sanitation every year by 2010.
Dar deports 69 illegal immigrants from DR Congo, Malawi, Burundi
The Immigration department in Rukwa Region has arrested and deported 69 immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi and Burundi for illegally entering and staying in the country.
Rukwa regional Immigration officer Wilson Babaganya told PST that 44 of the culprits, all of them from the DRC, were arrested on September 16, this year, at Kirando in Nkasi District when they were in a vehicle on their way to Sumbawanga municipality via Namanyere Township.
He said when interrogated, the aliens admitted of not having legal travel documents and that they were on transit to Malawi and South Africa in search for greener pastures.
Elaborating, he said among the 44 DRC nationals, 19 were children aged between two and 15 years.
He said last Friday another 21 illegal immigrants were arrested at Katongoro area. They too claimed to have been on transit to South Africa.
``Four of them, all Burundians, were arrested in Sumbawanga municipality,`` he said, adding that so far the authorities had managed to deport 48 of them to their respective countries.
Rukwa regional Immigration officer Wilson Babaganya told PST that 44 of the culprits, all of them from the DRC, were arrested on September 16, this year, at Kirando in Nkasi District when they were in a vehicle on their way to Sumbawanga municipality via Namanyere Township.
He said when interrogated, the aliens admitted of not having legal travel documents and that they were on transit to Malawi and South Africa in search for greener pastures.
Elaborating, he said among the 44 DRC nationals, 19 were children aged between two and 15 years.
He said last Friday another 21 illegal immigrants were arrested at Katongoro area. They too claimed to have been on transit to South Africa.
``Four of them, all Burundians, were arrested in Sumbawanga municipality,`` he said, adding that so far the authorities had managed to deport 48 of them to their respective countries.
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