The United Nations World Food Programme said on Wednesday it had bought 35,926 tonnes of white maize for Zimbabwe from Malawi as part of over 80,000 tonnes of food it purchased from Malawi to feed five countries.
"Food commodities have been bought from Malawi by WFP for operations in Liberia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe," said Mathews Nyirenda Senior Communications Officer at WFP Country office in Lilongwe.
Nyirenda told Reuters that in total close to $11 million had been spent on food from Malawi.
"The Food commodities include maize, corn soy blend and pulses, including beans, peas totalling of 88,363 metric tonnes of different commodities," Nyirenda said.
He said WFP paid $6.2 million for the maize bought from Zimbabwe, and forked out $69,046 for 437 tonnes of white maize destined for Mozambique.
WFP has also bought 28,618 tonnes of maize valued at $4.6 million from Malawi, to feed an estimated 1 million people said to be facing hunger in Malawi itself, the official said.
Malawi is enjoying a second consecutive bumper harvest after a two-year period of good rains and a successful implementation of a fertiliser and seed subsidy programme.
But it still has an estimated 1 million people that need food aid. This week, WFP also announced a three-year special plan to feed about 1.2 million Malawians in disaster prone areas and those affected by HIV/Aids.
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
First Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC-1)
WASHINGTON, October 30, 2007 - The following projects were approved today by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:
IDA GRANT: US$20 million grant
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The First Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC-1) is the first in a series of three annual PRSCs to be provided to Malawi through the International Development Association (IDA). This first PRSC for Malawi will be a grant. It will support the Government of Malawi’s efforts to undertake the policy and institutional reforms necessary for the successful implementation of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS). These include efforts by the Government in the following areas: (i)improving the functioning of agricultural markets with a focus on the establishment of additional auction floors for agricultural products, and having in place a better targeted and more private sector inclusive system of providing fertilizers and seeds to farmers; (ii) improving the business environment through the establishment of a commercial court; (iii) economic governance with a focus on reforms that improve payroll management and external financial accountability of the GoM.
For more information please call Zeria Banda (202) 473 2907 or email: zbanda@worldbank.org
IDA GRANT: US$20 million grant
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The First Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC-1) is the first in a series of three annual PRSCs to be provided to Malawi through the International Development Association (IDA). This first PRSC for Malawi will be a grant. It will support the Government of Malawi’s efforts to undertake the policy and institutional reforms necessary for the successful implementation of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS). These include efforts by the Government in the following areas: (i)improving the functioning of agricultural markets with a focus on the establishment of additional auction floors for agricultural products, and having in place a better targeted and more private sector inclusive system of providing fertilizers and seeds to farmers; (ii) improving the business environment through the establishment of a commercial court; (iii) economic governance with a focus on reforms that improve payroll management and external financial accountability of the GoM.
For more information please call Zeria Banda (202) 473 2907 or email: zbanda@worldbank.org
Orphans stage photo display
WORK created by Malawian orphans is to go on show in Dorchester as part of a pioneering project.
Jessica Lousley spent two months working on the photography project in Malawi with teenagers from the orphan care charity Consol Homes.
Now their work is to go in display at an exhibition in Dorchester Arts Centre from Thursday.
advertisement
West Dorset-based Ms Lousley travelled to Malawi with cameras and film donated by Camera Corner in Weymouth and Cameras Etc in Bridport, where she encouraged the young people she met to record their every day lives.
She said: "Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than 40 per cent of people surviving on less than $1 - 50p - a day. With one in seven of the population HIV positive the average life expectancy has dropped from 45 to 39 and there are now around one million orphans in the country, with this number steadily growing.
"All too often it is bleak, faceless statistics like these that shape our perceptions at the expense of individual voices and experiences."
Their work Chitsanzo' has already been displayed in Malawi and now it is going on display in Dorchester.
The exhibition opens on Thursday from 6pm to 9pm at the Dorchester Arts Centre.
Entrance is free and reproductions of the images will be for sale with all proceeds from the exhibition to go to Consol Homes Orphan Care (Malawi) to fund the building of community childcare centres.
School and community group viewings can be arranged for the week following by contacting the exhibition organiser. For more information contact the exhibition's organiser Ms Lousley on 01305 269 681 or www.consolhomes.org/exhibition Copies of the work will be available to buy, with all proceeds going to Consol Homes.
Jessica Lousley spent two months working on the photography project in Malawi with teenagers from the orphan care charity Consol Homes.
Now their work is to go in display at an exhibition in Dorchester Arts Centre from Thursday.
advertisement
West Dorset-based Ms Lousley travelled to Malawi with cameras and film donated by Camera Corner in Weymouth and Cameras Etc in Bridport, where she encouraged the young people she met to record their every day lives.
She said: "Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than 40 per cent of people surviving on less than $1 - 50p - a day. With one in seven of the population HIV positive the average life expectancy has dropped from 45 to 39 and there are now around one million orphans in the country, with this number steadily growing.
"All too often it is bleak, faceless statistics like these that shape our perceptions at the expense of individual voices and experiences."
Their work Chitsanzo' has already been displayed in Malawi and now it is going on display in Dorchester.
The exhibition opens on Thursday from 6pm to 9pm at the Dorchester Arts Centre.
Entrance is free and reproductions of the images will be for sale with all proceeds from the exhibition to go to Consol Homes Orphan Care (Malawi) to fund the building of community childcare centres.
School and community group viewings can be arranged for the week following by contacting the exhibition organiser. For more information contact the exhibition's organiser Ms Lousley on 01305 269 681 or www.consolhomes.org/exhibition Copies of the work will be available to buy, with all proceeds going to Consol Homes.
Refugee Convoy Arrives In Dzaleka, Malawi's Last Refuge For Displaced Rwandans
Lilongwe, Malawi (AHN) - Nine trucks with 660 refugees and asylum seekers, 16 trucks of luggage, an ambulance, two pickup trucks and two United Nations vehicles arrived just before dark Monday in Dzaleka, the last of Malawi's refugee camps.
"As of today, Luwani Refugee Camp is officially closed," said Kelvin Sentala of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who was in charge of the convoy.
Dzaleka, near the capital Lilongwe, now holds 3,000 refugees fleeing civil war in Rwanda. UNHCR warns there is no land available for agriculture at Dzaleka - unlike in Luwani where an irrigation project is underway.
The newcomers will live in tents while they build new homes with UNHCR materials.
UNHCR provided food on the night of arrival, but the refugees will have to seek their own food from then on. The convoy included 120 goats, 45 pigs and 160 chickens.
Malawi bans local integration but few of the refugees want to go home. In 2006, 500 refugees were resettled with UNHCR assistance to Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden. So far this year, 44 people have been resettled in Australia.
Malawi is home to over 5,000 Rwandan refugees who are on the verge of being repatriated back home following the signing of a tripartite agreement between the governments of Malawi, Rwanda and the UNHCR, Rwanda News Agency reports.
Last year, Tanzania expelled up to 30,000 Rwandan refugees. Uganda denies it forcibly expelled about 3,200 Rwandans, saying more than 2,000 who remain will be moved into Rwanda.
"As of today, Luwani Refugee Camp is officially closed," said Kelvin Sentala of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who was in charge of the convoy.
Dzaleka, near the capital Lilongwe, now holds 3,000 refugees fleeing civil war in Rwanda. UNHCR warns there is no land available for agriculture at Dzaleka - unlike in Luwani where an irrigation project is underway.
The newcomers will live in tents while they build new homes with UNHCR materials.
UNHCR provided food on the night of arrival, but the refugees will have to seek their own food from then on. The convoy included 120 goats, 45 pigs and 160 chickens.
Malawi bans local integration but few of the refugees want to go home. In 2006, 500 refugees were resettled with UNHCR assistance to Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden. So far this year, 44 people have been resettled in Australia.
Malawi is home to over 5,000 Rwandan refugees who are on the verge of being repatriated back home following the signing of a tripartite agreement between the governments of Malawi, Rwanda and the UNHCR, Rwanda News Agency reports.
Last year, Tanzania expelled up to 30,000 Rwandan refugees. Uganda denies it forcibly expelled about 3,200 Rwandans, saying more than 2,000 who remain will be moved into Rwanda.
US$20 Million Budget Support Grant Approved
WASHINGTON, October 30, 2007 —The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved the First Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC-1) to the Republic of Malawi for US$20 million. This is the first in a series of three annual PRSCs to be provided to Malawi through the International Development Association (IDA). Although the PRSC is a family of credits, Malawi’s PRSC-1 will be a grant.
The PRSC program will be IDA’s instrument for the provision of budget support to the Government of Malawi within the Common Approach to Budget Support (CABS) framework. It will support the Government of Malawi’s efforts to undertake the policy and institutional reforms necessary for the successful implementation of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS). In particular, the grant has been provided in support of policy changes undertaken to improve the functioning of agricultural markets, create a conducive environment for the private sector, and improve payroll management and external financial accountability of the Government.
“The PRSC series is a central pillar of the Bank’s efforts to support implementation of the MGDS,” said Malawi Country Manager Timothy Gilbo. “And we are very pleased to have approved our first grant within the framework of the CABS, which is a step towards the goals outlined in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.” Historically, this is the first time the World Bank is giving a PRSC to Malawi.
The PRSC program is expected to have the following benefits:
(i)Contribute to the bridging of a financing gap in the implementation of the MGDS.
(ii)The policy and institutional reforms will help consolidate the macroeconomic gains that Malawi has registered over the last three years;
(iii)Contribute to improving aid effectiveness by being part of a harmonized approach to budget support;
(iv)The expected impact on agricultural incomes, employment generation in the private sector and public service delivery will contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
“This support is coming at the right time for us. Now that we have managed to create stable macroeconomic conditions, our focus is shifting to creating conditions for improved profitability in agriculture, removing bureaucratic constraints to doing business, and reducing our vulnerability to weather shocks,” said Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe. “We believe that improvements in these areas will ensure that improved macroeconomic conditions translate into sustained high growth rates and improved welfare of our people.”
In recent years Malawi has made significant progress in restoring macroeconomic stability. It has successfully concluded three reviews of the IMF supported Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) and is about to conclude the 4th and 5th reviews. Malawi also reached the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Completion Point in August 2006 and qualified for the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). Due to continuing strong fiscal management, domestic borrowing by the government has declined from 25 percent of GDP in 2004 to 12.4 percent of GDP as at end-June 2007. Inflation declined to 9.2 percent in January 2007, the first time single digit inflation has been registered in four years, and has further decreased to 7.1 percent in September 2007. Real GDP growth was 7.9 percent in 2006, and is projected at 7.5 percent in 2007. However, reforms to reduce the cost of doing business have been slow. As a result, Malawi dropped from 110th in 2006 to 127th in 2007 on the ease of doing business rankings.
The PRSC program will be IDA’s instrument for the provision of budget support to the Government of Malawi within the Common Approach to Budget Support (CABS) framework. It will support the Government of Malawi’s efforts to undertake the policy and institutional reforms necessary for the successful implementation of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS). In particular, the grant has been provided in support of policy changes undertaken to improve the functioning of agricultural markets, create a conducive environment for the private sector, and improve payroll management and external financial accountability of the Government.
“The PRSC series is a central pillar of the Bank’s efforts to support implementation of the MGDS,” said Malawi Country Manager Timothy Gilbo. “And we are very pleased to have approved our first grant within the framework of the CABS, which is a step towards the goals outlined in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.” Historically, this is the first time the World Bank is giving a PRSC to Malawi.
The PRSC program is expected to have the following benefits:
(i)Contribute to the bridging of a financing gap in the implementation of the MGDS.
(ii)The policy and institutional reforms will help consolidate the macroeconomic gains that Malawi has registered over the last three years;
(iii)Contribute to improving aid effectiveness by being part of a harmonized approach to budget support;
(iv)The expected impact on agricultural incomes, employment generation in the private sector and public service delivery will contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
“This support is coming at the right time for us. Now that we have managed to create stable macroeconomic conditions, our focus is shifting to creating conditions for improved profitability in agriculture, removing bureaucratic constraints to doing business, and reducing our vulnerability to weather shocks,” said Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe. “We believe that improvements in these areas will ensure that improved macroeconomic conditions translate into sustained high growth rates and improved welfare of our people.”
In recent years Malawi has made significant progress in restoring macroeconomic stability. It has successfully concluded three reviews of the IMF supported Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) and is about to conclude the 4th and 5th reviews. Malawi also reached the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Completion Point in August 2006 and qualified for the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). Due to continuing strong fiscal management, domestic borrowing by the government has declined from 25 percent of GDP in 2004 to 12.4 percent of GDP as at end-June 2007. Inflation declined to 9.2 percent in January 2007, the first time single digit inflation has been registered in four years, and has further decreased to 7.1 percent in September 2007. Real GDP growth was 7.9 percent in 2006, and is projected at 7.5 percent in 2007. However, reforms to reduce the cost of doing business have been slow. As a result, Malawi dropped from 110th in 2006 to 127th in 2007 on the ease of doing business rankings.
Netball: Ticket prices no deterrent for fans
A $500 asking price has not deterred Silver Ferns fans from clamouring for the three-day package required to witness the world netball championship climax in Auckland on November 17.
Tournament organisers have opted to sell tickets for the final, where defending champion New Zealand are expected to play Australia, as part of a three-day package which includes quarters, semis as well as playoffs for third through to 16th place.
Despite the price to secure a seat at 5500-capacity Waitakere Stadium, the first release of sold out within hours when they were released in June and allocations returned from teams have also been snapped up.
Opening night tickets on November 10, which cost $150 and include the opening ceremony and the match between the Silver Ferns and Malawi, are still available.
Passes for the pool play ($25) are reportedly selling strongly.
Tournament organisers have opted to sell tickets for the final, where defending champion New Zealand are expected to play Australia, as part of a three-day package which includes quarters, semis as well as playoffs for third through to 16th place.
Despite the price to secure a seat at 5500-capacity Waitakere Stadium, the first release of sold out within hours when they were released in June and allocations returned from teams have also been snapped up.
Opening night tickets on November 10, which cost $150 and include the opening ceremony and the match between the Silver Ferns and Malawi, are still available.
Passes for the pool play ($25) are reportedly selling strongly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
