Malawi president scoops UN award

Malawi’s president Bingu Wa Mutharika has won a United Nations (UN) Global Creative Leadership Award for consistently addressing national issues with a goal of developing actionable solutions and new partnerships, The Daily Times has reported.

Mutharika who also scooped another award the first ever Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Network (Fanrpan) food security policy leadership award for reviving the country’s fertilizer subsidy programme recently, received the UN award in New York.

The Malawi president who is attending the UN General Assembly said the award would act as a motivation for the Southern African country to double its efforts in serving its people.

“My deep gratitude and appreciation goes to my fellow Malawians for giving me the opportunity and privilege to serve and lead them as their President for the past four years,” said Mutharika adding that the ultimate beneficiaries of the award were the people in his country.

Other recipients of the Global Creative Leadership Award at the function included Sir Paul Nurse, a scientist, who is also a Nobel Laureate; Professor Peter Sellars, a renowned art director, and Craig Barrett, a leading advocate for improving education in the US and around the world.

The paper quoted Mutharika as saying that Malawi has risen from a failing nation to a nation on the rise, and that of achievers.

Mutharika also observed that the Africa continent was rich in resources and that with fine leadership and policies it can move out of poverty.

“Africa possesses 30 percent of the world’s mineral resources but the continent’s share of the world trade remains 1 percent of the total world trade,” he said.

According to the paper, Louise Blouin McBain is the founder and chairperson of the foundation that aims at encouraging leaders to address challenged and opportunities of globalization.

McBain and the UN office coordinate the event.