Malawi is supplying 250,000 HIV positive citizens with free anti-retrovirals (ARVs) and plans to start producing anti-AIDS drugs locally, President Bingu wa Mutharika said Sunday.
"Some 250,000 Malawians are receiving ARVs. We are doing well because many of these could have died by now," Mutharika said at an AIDS candlelight memorial on the outskirts of the commercial capital Blantyre.
Describing the drugs roll-out as a "success story", Mutharika said Malawi would establish a local company to "produce ARVs locally and export extra drugs to neighbouring countries".
"We will try to get the company going this year," he added.
The impoverished landlocked southern African country -- where around 14 percent of 13 million people are HIV positive according to official figures -- launched a free ARV programme five years ago with 5,000 initial beneficiaries.
UNAIDS resident coordinator Desmond Johns warned however that Malawi must do more to prevent new cases in the face of 90,000 new annual infections.
"Malawi has 300 new cases every day, largely among young people and females," he said. "Our priority has to be about 88 percent of Malawians who are free of HIV ... how best to assist and support them to remain negative.
"Fighting AIDS is arguably the single consistent threat in overall development for Malawi," he added.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Kenya has a lot to learn from Malawi
MALAWI conducted a general election recently.
Among the most significant outcomes of that election was the win by Mbingu wa Mutharika who retained his presidential seat despite stiff opposition.
Mr Mutharika had fallen ut with his former colleagues, including former president Bakili Muluzi after he decided to be his own man.
He implemented policies that he believed would improve the lot of his people.
Today, Malawi is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, registering a GDP growth of over seven per cent for the past three or so years. From a country that had been a net importer of maize, Malawi is today a net exporter of the crop to, among other countries, Kenya.
The lesson for Kenya from this scenario is that if the NARC administration had capitalised on the goodwill exhibited by the electorate after the December 2002 elections, maintained a united front and focused on sustaining the growth rate realised during the early years of the administration, the team would virtually have been re-elected unopposed in 2007.
And the chaos experienced after that year’s elections would never have come to pass.
Among the most significant outcomes of that election was the win by Mbingu wa Mutharika who retained his presidential seat despite stiff opposition.
Mr Mutharika had fallen ut with his former colleagues, including former president Bakili Muluzi after he decided to be his own man.
He implemented policies that he believed would improve the lot of his people.
Today, Malawi is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, registering a GDP growth of over seven per cent for the past three or so years. From a country that had been a net importer of maize, Malawi is today a net exporter of the crop to, among other countries, Kenya.
The lesson for Kenya from this scenario is that if the NARC administration had capitalised on the goodwill exhibited by the electorate after the December 2002 elections, maintained a united front and focused on sustaining the growth rate realised during the early years of the administration, the team would virtually have been re-elected unopposed in 2007.
And the chaos experienced after that year’s elections would never have come to pass.
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