Malawi and Libya win out - LIVE

The latest round of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ qualifying on the mother continent began on Friday night. Malawi moved to joint-top of Group 12 with a 3-0 win over hosts Djibouti and Libya followed suit with a 1-0 win over Ghana to establish themselves at the top of Group Five.

Malawi opened up Friday's trio of games with an impressive 3-0 win over hosts Djibouti at the Gouled Stadium in Djibouti City. Goals from Chiukepo Msowoya, Moses Chavula and Nyondo saw the Flames roar into a three-way draw at the top of qualifying Group 12 with Egypt and DR Congo. The other two section toppers will meet Sunday in Kinshasa.

Djibouti have no points from their five games so far and are out of the running for a spot in either the 2010 CAF African Cup of Nations or the FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa after conceding 26 goals and scoring only two.

The Group Five contest between Ghana and Libya in Tripoli ended in a 1-0 win for the home side thanks to goal six minutes from time from Ahmed Osman. The result sees the Libyans move top of the section with 12 points from five matches, three better than the defeated Black Stars. Gabon are in third with six points, but are expected to make headway on Sunday when they take on pointless basement dwellers Lesotho.

Results
Djibouti 0-3 Malawi
Libya 1-0 Ghana

Other Friday qualifiers in Africa
Algeria-Senegal

Malawi president off to Swaziland for celebrations

Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika on Friday said that his trip to Swaziland would further strengthen the relationship and friendship existing between two SADC states.

Speaking during his departure at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe to Mbabane, Swaziland, to attend that country’s 40th Independence celebrations and King Mswati III’s 40th birthday, he said the two countries have had close ties for a long time since before the colonial era.

"Our relations started from a cultural background when the Ngoni ethnic group, mainly from Ntcheu (a district in central Malawi) arrived here from Swaziland and settled in Malawi," he said.

He added that Malawi’s ties with Swaziland also date back to the formation of the Common Market for East and Central Africa (COMESA) as its secretary general while King Mswati was the chair of the 20-member states grouping.

The president, who left COMESA in 1994 as its secretary general to join politics, returns home on Sunday.

Malawi, Djibouti clash Friday night in Djibouti City

Malawi’s football team, the Flames, will clash with Djibouti in the second leg of the joint 2010 FIFA World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at Gouled Stadium in the capital Djibouti City Friday night.

Before the match, Malawi coach Kinna Phiri advised his players to win the game if they want to sail through in the joint tournament.

"We need to win this game by scoring an early goal to unsettle the hosts, thereafter go on with future games," he said.

He said Malawians back home should expect victory from the players. “The players have a healthy appetite for the showdown in today’s game," he added.

In Group B, Malawi has 6 points while Egypt and DRC have 9 points each, with the hosts Djibouti having secured no points in the exercise.

Malawi president honoured with food security award

Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika has received the inaugural Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) Food Security Policy Leadership Award for his agricultural policy interventions which have transformed Malawi from a food deficit nation to a net maize exporter.

The prize was awarded on Thursday afternoon by FANRPAN, a regional multi-stakeholder network promoting effective food security policies in Southern Africa.

Speaking during the presentation ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Frank Mwenefumbo, said it was a great achievment for the country to receive such award.

\"As a nation, we feel proud of this achievement and it is a marvel to both developing countries and highly developed countries,\" he said.

He added that the trophy is a recognition to the president for his remarkable achievement which has come from his political will to increase food security within a short period of time.

FANRPAN Chief Executive Officer Lindiwe Majele Sibanda said the Award was established in 2008 to honour individuals or organisations that make effective evident contributions towards food security and poverty alleviation in Southern Africa.

In the backdrop of the global food crisis which has hit the whole world and affected the region, Malawi’s food policies are a demonstration that African countries have the capacity to be food secure if they apply the right policies, she said.

“President wa Mutharika has implemented an Agricultural Input Subsidy Programme in the face of international donor criticism and reluctance to support subsidies. Malawi’s success story is an inspiration to the region and President wa Mutharika is the most deserving winner of the inaugural FANRPAN Award,” she said.

Sibanda said African smallholder farmers are ill-resourced and they need support. Malawi has demonstrated that a conducive policy environment can unlock value in agricultural productivity. As a result of the AISP, Malawi’s grain production tripled from national production average of 1, 2 million metric tonnes in 2005 to 3.2 million metric tonnes in 2006 and 2007.

The challenge now is to ensure that researchers, private sector, parliamentarians, donors, farmers and government all work together to build on the success to ensure and strengthen the resolve of what the president has been telling the nation of making Malawi a hunger free nation.

The network was established in 1997 following a call by Ministers of Agriculture in East and Southern Africa for evidence to support policy development and the harmonisation of policy at regional level.

FANRPAN coordinates food and agricultural policy processes in 12 Southern African countries through its regional secretariat in South Africa.

Malawi hunts for Face of Africa

Malawian Girls hoping to feature in one of Africa`s top talent search show do not qualify according to media reports. The scouting session for the M-Net Face of Africa began on Wednesday but the contestants did not meet the specified minimum height of 1.72 metres and a maximum hip measurement of 96cm.

The judges for the sessions said they were looking for an X factor which most of the contestants in Malawi did not have. “The X factor is something you cannot describe but we know it when we see it,” said judge Andiswa Manxiwa.

By 12pm on Wednesday, about 50 girls had auditioned in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe but less than five had made it into the next round, a local newspaper Daily Times reported.

After the sessions, 24 finalists will be selected to participate in a Model Boot camp which is to be held in Zanzibar, Tanzania where the top 10 will then be selected. The finalists will then head into this year’s glittering Face of Africa finale set to be screened live on DStv in over 40 countries across Africa. It will take place on November 29.

Face of Africa is a pan-African talent search showcasing Africa’s beauty and style. The winner of the contest is expected to walk home with US$ 50,000 in cash. Apart from the cash, the winner is also expected to land herself a modeling contract with Oluchi’s O Model Africa Agency.

Some of the countries participating include Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana and Malawi.

Malawi has a new mobile phone

Malawi has become the latest african country to introduce mobile phone. Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) introduced a new mobile phone amidst plans to establish a fiber cable connecting all parts of the country.

According to reports from Lilongwe, the newly introduced CM121L portable phone is configured to a specific zone but users can reach out to people beyond the borders of their location all the time.

Unlike the conventional cell phone currently in use, the 63g gadget has a voicemail service so that users do not miss calls.

Elias imaa, the Head of Marketing for MTL said, “CM121L gives you the flexibility and freedom of being mobile while connecting to your valued ones and doing business at the lowest rates.”

On the fiber network that is meant to supplement landlines and the new mobile handset, Imaan said the country’s sole fixed phone provider is busy connecting all cities to the link before the project rolls out to the districts.

But the marketing manager decried the rising cases of vandalism targeting MTL landlines saying it sabotages the operations of the company and national development.

Glasgow aid team heads for Malawi

A 15-strong humanitarian team from Glasgow is setting out for Malawi in a bid to improve living conditions.

The 11 men and four women have been drawn from the city council and two of its partner organisations.

Four workers from Access IT will install computers in five schools, while eight City Building staff will construct a new prosthetics clinic.

A member of the council's environmental services will advise on measures to help improve refuse collection.

Derek Walker, 40, will focus on landfill techniques to help Malawai's capital, Lilongwe.

"The country has basic conditions. When they gather any rubbish up, they literally set a light to it," he said.

"I am looking to improve on that for environmental and health reasons. The current situation poses a real health risk as only 30% of domestic waste is collected."

Aids orphans

Two giant containers have already been taken to Malawi with all the building materials needed to construct the prosthetics clinic.

When the City Building staff complete the job, everything will be left behind to help the local community.

The Access IT team will install personal computers and other technology in the Stella Maris School, for Aids orphans, in Blantyre and at four primary schools in Lilongwe.

They will also carry out an audit of new technology they installed in four other educational institutions last year in Blantyre.

The two other members of the team are Brian Kelly, former director of Glasgow's environmental and protection services and the council's international officer, Gillian Walsh.

Malawi gives 5000 tonnes of maize to Swaziland

THE Malawian government has responded to the current food shortage and hunger situation in the country by donating over 5 000 metric tonnes of maize.

This consignment was officially handed over to government yesterday by the Malawian high commissioner to Swaziland, Dr. Martin Kansichi and received on behalf of government by the Minister of Regional Development and Youth Affairs Chief Sipho Shongwe at the National Maize Corporation yesterday.

Speaking during the occasion, Dr. Kansichi said upon hearing about the acute food shortage in some countries in Southern Africa including Swaziland, Malawi was seriously touched especially because that country had experienced similar problems for a long time as well. He said Malawi had ever been assisted by development partners as well as countries from within the SADC region whenever there were food shortage problems, hence the decision to reciprocate the favour. “Our President therefore saw it wise to assist our brothers and sisters as a sign of good neighbourliness and good will. We belong to SADC as a regional bloc and it will not be good for Malawi to sit down and watch when neighbours are suffering. It is our strong belief that as members of SADC, we should be able to assist one another in times of problems like food shortages first before asking those outside our region to help,” said Dr. Kansichi.

Meanwhile, the high commissioner said the food shortage problem slows down development because resources are quite often diverted to programmes aimed at mitigating the food deficit.

“If you are importing food the country loses the scarce foreign currency. You definitely can not avoid spending more than what has been budgeted for because every citizen has the right to food and needs social protection from government.

Making his remarks upon receiving the donation, Minister Chief Sipho Shongwe registered his concern with the fact that the prevalent hunger situation was seemingly here to stay in the country. He said there are clear indications that there shortfall of maize and food may continue if the dry spells and erratic rainfalls are anything to go by. He also lamented the recent storm winds and veld fires which devastated a number of homesteads.

Djibouti vs Malawi Live World Cup 2010 Qualifiers 5/9/2008

This live commentary and live online radio broadcast World Cup 2010 qualifier match between Djibouti and Malawi at Stade du Ville is the penultimate opportunity for Djibouti to get their first point. They have lost all their first four games so far but they play the next weakest team in the group in this live World Cup 2010 online streaming football game so it is their best hope for a point. But even then, their rivals in this live commentary and live online TV telecast World Cup 2010 qualifier match between Djibouti and Malawi at Stade du Ville are a good team and unlikely to give them any room to express themselves.

Malawi still has a slim possibility of progressing in this live commentary and live streaming radio broadcast World Cup 2010 qualifier match between Djibouti and Malawi at Stade du Ville but they need to do their part. They will have to win both this live World Cup 2010 online streaming soccer game and the last group game as well, which will give them a maximum of twelve points. They then need either Congo or Egypt to stumble after this live commentary and live streaming TV telecast World Cup 2010 qualifier match between Djibouti and Malawi at Stade du Ville which will leave the opening for them.