Japan hails Bingu

BY JONAH PANKUKU

Japanese Ambassador to Malawi, Motoyoshi Noro, on
Friday hailed President Bingu wa Mutharika for sound leadership, which
he said, had contributed to strong international relations between
Malawi and Japan.



Noro was speaking in Lilongwe on Friday at a certificate awarding
ceremony to Japanese volunteers that completed their work of supporting
Malawians in different fields.



He said Japan was delighted to be associated with Malawi, whose leader
had a vision to uplift the lives of people in the country.



He said Japan would continue rendering its support to the country for it to achieve its developmental goals.



"The state president has proved to be visionary and development
oriented. This is true with the two awards that he has received.



“I've never seen such a great leader in Africa. He is even recognised world wide for his vision to develop Malawi," said Noro.



The ambassador praised the Malawi Government for being the first in
Africa to recognise the important role that the Japanese volunteers
were doing.



He revealed that Malawi was the largest recipient of Japanese volunteers in the world.



Noro attributed this to peace and tranquillity existing in the country,
saying they would not be free to render their help to a war torn
country.



"Though politicians quarrel, they don't shoot one another. It's only
verbal wars and I can say there is political stability in the country,"
he said.



In his remarks, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Henri Mumba said the
presentation of the certificates symbolised deep gratitude and
appreciation to the government and people of Japan for the partnership
that existed between the two countries.



"Through these dedicated individuals, there has been effective transfer
of technology, lasting friendships between the volunteers and people of
Malawi and strong cultural and traditional bonds have been formed,"
said Mumba.



He thanked Japan for its continued support to Malawi in areas such as
social-economic development sectors of health, education, agriculture,
balance of payment and infrastructure.



One of the volunteers said she hoped Malawians would benefit a lot from knowledge they had imparted on them.



Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) sends volunteers in
developing countries to accord opportunities to qualified young
Japanese nationals to share their technical expertise.



In Malawi, the programme began in July 1971 following the signing of a Technical Cooperation Agreement between Japan and Malawi.

Malawi food management strategy ready October

By Charles Mkula

Lilongwe. — The strategic plan to guide the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) so as to effectively and efficiently manage the country's grain reserves in an effort to reduce food insecurity will rollout next month.

NFRA, Malawi's grain stock holder's chief executive officer Edward Sawerengera said the strategic framework to improve the country's grain storage and disaster preparedness is now ready for implementation after undergoing scrupulous consultations with farmers, NGOs and government agencies involved in food management.

"The strategy charts our way and guides our operations. We know where we are and we know where we want to be in terms of food storage and we are sure this document will guide us there," said Sawerengera.

The Ministry of Agriclture has welcomed the development saying it is in line with government's effort to restructure the agriculture sector.

Controller of Agricultural Services in the Ministry of Agriculture Dr Jeffrey Luhanga said the ministry would like to see NFRA keep enough maize for a longer period of time.

"We believe this plan will ensure good delivery," he said.

Luhanga, however, advised the grain stocker to consider starting a programme to monitor how maize harvest and seeds are kept at household level. 

"This we believe would avert food shortage by saving over 40 percent of the maize harvested every year," said Luhanga.

"NFRA should monitor the situation of domestic storage and advise government on how to combat wasteful practices because the silos will end up with bad maize if the grain is not stored well in the village. Malawi is investing so much in food production and wants to see an end to this wastefulness," he said.

The strategy comes in the wake of rising food prices and scarcity of the grain due to hoarding by traders. It is expected that about 1.5 million people face food shortage due to the unavailability of the grain on the market.

The NFRA has grain storage silos in Lilongwe, in the central region, and in Mangochi, southern region. 

It intends to open others in the northern region city of Mzuzu and Luchenza in the south by January next year

Food Crisis Threatening World Stability - Malawian President

Excerpt from report by state-owned Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) radio on 25 September

[Presenter] His Excellency the president, Dr Bingu wa Mutharika, has
said the current food crisis that has rocked the world poses a new
threat to the stability of social framework and economic prosperity of
all countries in the world, especially the small nations.

President Mutharika was addressing the on-going United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a speech, which he titled The Global Food Crisis: a Collective
Challenge to the United Nations, Dr Mutharika said during the past 20
years, the food production in many countries has been affected by
severe climate changes such as cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, floods,
droughts, rising sea levels and desertification.

The president
said high dependency on rain-fed agriculture has also caused a great
challenge especially in countries in the sub- Saharan region. He said
agriculture and food production had been given low priority by the
international development institutions in their allocation of resources
and investment funds.

Dr Mutharika said this has been
compounded by low national budgetary allocation to food production in
many countries, especially in Africa.

The president therefore said the food crisis resulted from failure
of all nations to increase performance in the production of staple food
crops such as wheat, rice and maize. He also said there was general
concern in Africa that multi-lateral and bi-lateral institutions
continued to oppose subsidies to agriculture and food production,
especially in sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia and Latin America.
[Passage omitted]

The Malawi government sees the attainment of
global food security as a collective challenge. This must be premised
on the ability to produce sufficient food and to move such food from
surplus areas anywhere on the globe to food deficit areas.

In
order to alleviate the global food crisis Malawi proposes that a
contract should be reached that countries that can produce sufficient
food surpluses should be empowered to share with others in the world
wherever they may be through a fair international trading system. This
would ensure that the entire humanity has enough food.

Second,
Malawi proposes that the United nations should urge industrialized
countries to make significant increases in resource allocation into
agriculture, especially food production. Special attention should be
given to improve infrastructure, machinery and equipment and capacity
building for farmers, especially small- holder farmers. The private
sector in industrialized countries should be persuaded to increase
investment in food production, paying special attention to the
application of science and technology to agriculture, research on
climate change and on the measures to protect food producing countries
from the vagaries of the climate.

Third, Malawi believes that
a global food crisis could be mitigated if the United Nations, the
World Bank and other multi- lateral and donor agencies would seriously
consider granting subsidies for agriculture and food production as an
integral part of their global development policy and aid packages to
developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

It
will also be useful if the international community could acknowledge
Africa's potential and capacity to contribute significantly to the
solution of the global food shortage. The United Nations should fully
support the alliance for an African Green Revolution chaired by the
former secretary general of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan.

To this specifically Malawi appeals to the G-8 countries to support us
to create a Green Belt around our lakes and along our rivers to
irrigate land up to 20 kilometres from the shores. The Malawi
government plans to grow a lot of rice, wheat, maize, millet, cassava,
potatoes, beans and [words indistinct] for the local and international
market. [Passage omitted]

Originally published by MBC radio, Blantyre, in English 1600 25 Sep 08.

(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Africa. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Source: BBC Monitoring Africa

Muluzi’s treason fate on Sept 29

By THERESA KASAWALA - 23 September 2008 - 15:28:54

The High Court in Blantyre will on September 29 decide whether or not
former president and opposition UDF national chairman Bakili Muluzi
should be released unconditionally or his conditions varied following
state’s failure to charge him on treason allegations, three months
after his arrest.



Muluzi made an application through his lawyers Fahad Assani and Jai
Banda, asking the court to release him unconditionally or vary bail
conditions under Section 118 (3) of the criminal procedure and evidence
code.



The applicant was arrested on May 25 after landing at Kamuzu
International Airport from the UK on allegations of plotting to
overthrow the government.



Assani told the court sitting in Justice Anaclet Chipeta’s chamber that
the police have failed to charge their client despite being asked to do
so.



He observed that over three months have lapsed and no formal charges had been made against the applicant.



“After 48 hours, the applicant was not taken to court where he could
have been charged or informed of the reasons for his arrest,” he said.



“We need unconditional release of our client because Section 42(2)(b)
of the Constitution stipulates that every person arrested for, or
accused of, has the right to be brought before an independent and
impartial court of law and to be charged or be informed of the reason
for his further detention not later that 48 hours, failing which he or
she shall be released,” says part of the section quoted by the defense
counsel.



Assani said the section refers not only to the arrested persons but also the accused.



“The accused person, the situation the applicant is in, is required by
the Constitution ‘to be brought before an independent and impartial
court of law and to be charged.’ This has not been done and the
Constitution has prescribed the outcome of such position, failing which
he or she shall be released,” the defense argued.



On variation of bail conditions, the defence said as an alternative in
an event that the court wants to keep the applicant under the bondage
of bail, though not charged with any offence, they were asking for the
variation of bail conditions.



“Section 118(3) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Code stipulates
that the High Court may, either of its own motion or upon application,
direct that any person be released on bail or that the amount of, or
any condition attached to, any bail required by a subordinate court or
police officer be reduced or varied,” Assani explained.



He said in the absence of any charge the conduct of the state to arrest
him restricts his liberty through a bail bond, adding that was
tantamount to denying the applicant his right to freedom and security
of person.



The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Wezi Kayira told the court
the state was not yet ready to charge Muluzi because the issue was
still under investigations.



Muluzi’s bail conditions include that he informs police when going
outside Blantyre and the High Court if traveling outside the country
and reporting to police once every month, conditions the defence wants
to be varied and scrapped all together.



In a related development, the same court Monday also reserved its
ruling to October 2 on the application by the state, asking the court
to order that the case of two retired Malawi Defense Force (MDF)
brigadiers Cosgrove Mituka and Juvenalis Mtende be referred to the
Industrial Relations Court (IRC).



The state wants the court to order that the case should not go under
judicial review but be referred to the IRC, arguing that the issue was
to do with employment.



A lawyer representing the brigadiers, Ralph Kasambara argued in court
that the case could not be referred to the IRC because MDF and the
police were not covered in the public law.



He argued that Labour Relations Act does not cover issues to do with
MDF and police hence the need for the case to go under judicial review.




A lawyer from the Attorney General’s chamber Mphatso Kachule told the
court that issues to do with employment could be heard in the IRC.



“There is no specific phrase in the Labour Relations Act that
stipulates that labour issues to do with MDF cannot be heard in the
Industrial Relations Court,” said Kachule in Justice Healey Potani’s
chamber.



He argued that the case could be referred to the IRC because MDF was not a separate branch of government.



“The affected officers also did not sign any form as required for the
Army commander’s assessment and recommendations after noting that their
contracts had expired,” Kachule said, adding that the commander could
not make an assessment in the absence of signing the form.



The state also asked the court to lift the injunctions obtained by the
defence restraining government and MDF from firing the two brigadiers.



Kasambara made an application asking the court to imprison Army
Commander General Mark Chiziko and two principal secretaries for
failure to comply with a court order to re-instate the brigadiers until
the matter was heard.



The two army officers wanted the three arrested on grounds that they
did not formally respond to the injunction that was served on MDF
except for a telephone call officials from MDF made enquiring on the
matter.



The court ordered that the brigadiers should be re-instated until the
matter was heard, but reports indicate that the two have not yet been
re-called for duties.



Mtende and Mituka were fired following treason allegations that were
leveled against them and Muluzi as an alleged beneficiary of the coup
plot.



It was alleged that government terminated their contracts because they did not express interest to have them renewed.



But the two claimed that they applied through Chiziko’s office to have their contracts renewed.

Malawi president honoured with creative leadership award

NEW YORK—At the September 21 gala reception and dinner for its third annual Global Creative Leadership Summit, the Louise Blouin Foundation presented its 2008 global creative leadership awards to Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation; Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi; Paul Nurse, president of Rockefeller University; and theater and opera director Peter Sellars.



“We are thrilled to honor these four visionary individuals,” said Louise Blouin MacBain,
founder and chairman of the Louise Blouin Foundation. “Craig Barrett,
Sir Paul Nurse, Peter Sellars, and President Bingu Wa Mutharika have
not just reached the pinnacle of excellence in their respective fields,
they have also committed their lives and careers to improving the lives
of others across borders.”  



Past award winners include President Bill Clinton, Eli Broad, Jeff Koons, Richard Meier, Renée Fleming, Richard Axel, Sir Clive Gillinson, Eric Kandel, and Jimmy Wales.



The Summit has also announced two important projects. The first, the LINK Project
“seeks to create a search engine and online network to connect
philanthropic institutions, NGOs, and other non-for-profits globally
working across the areas of development, aid, education, health, and
poverty alleviation,” according to a press release. The project, which
is being developed with the help of engineers at Google and in
collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnership, is meant
to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the NGO community.



The second initiative is the Fund for the Cultural Preservation of Tibet and the Promotion of Chinese Culture.
The mission of the fund, according to a press release, is “to strictly
complement the already existing cultural preservation efforts in the
Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) by the Chinese Government. This
platform, administered by the Louise Blouin Foundation, seeks to obtain
money from countries, foundations, artists, corporations and private
donors to further support domestic cultural preservation efforts; to
organize a series of international exhibitions on Tibetan and Chinese
culture; and to create a series of online promotional tools for Tibetan
and Chinese culture.”



The first project associated with the fund is an exhibition of new works by the Chinese contemporary artist Wang Guangyi, at the Louise Blouin Institute in London, from October 17, 2008, to March 1, 2009. Additionally, the Institute and Pace Beijing gallery will present an exhibition of works by another contemporary Chinese artist, Yue Minjun,
in the spring of 2009. Pace Beijing will make a substantial
contribution to the Fund for the Cultural Preservation of Tibet and the
Promotion of Chinese Culture as part of the partnership.

Bakili Muluzi should quit now to avoid embarrassment

It will be a day of celebration for some and a day for sorrow for others. May 15th will be the day Bakili Muluzi will be put in his rightful place, away from tax payer's and donor money and away from the most powerful seat in the country. Oh what a great day it will be, when the Malawian people once and for all stand up against the foolery of Muluzi and company.We shall celebrate with pomp and ceremony. I get great strength from the words of Barack Obama when he says, YES,WE CAN and Malawians YES WE WILL. Next year parliament will be singing a new tune. We shall be able to move away from the petty politics that have characterized parliament for four years now. Most of all, we will move away from turning our beloved country into Bakili Muluzi's play ground. We shall bring back values we have lost over the years like believing in working hard honestly to be rewarded.

Freedom Day will indeed bare a stronger meaning after we are done away with Bakili Muluzi next year. We will know on that day that neither Malawi nor the presidency belongs to a single individual.We shall celebrate a government of the people by the people and for the people. Hopefully it will also mark the beginning of a prosperous future for our children and grand children. Already Malawi for the past 4 years has performed remarkably by all measures with a new philosophy of managing courtesy of the current administration. I certainly hope this is the calibre of the next generation of politicians we are seeing today, people like Goodall Gondwe. They should be commended for the job they are doing. The President too should be commended for allowing Goodall Gondwe to carry out his duties without any interference as it was in the Muluzi administration.

All I can do now is encourage my whole village to go to the polls on May 14th to be part of history when we will tell Mr Muluzi once and for all in a single tick that Malawi needs serious leadership and can actually survive without him, something he obviously still has not come to terms with.

After all is said and done, Muluzi should ask himself this question as we near the elections, is it worth it? For all the false hopes given to his supporters, for all the travelling (whistle stops?), all the fees for the battalion of lawyers he has hired to get into office through the back door and for all the time and resources wasted on rallies. Is it really worth it? I figured I should poise this question now so he starts thinking about it before he faces reality on May 14th. I am no psychologist but I understand it is a good coping mechanism to prepare one self for the worst case scenario.

Next year will surely be an eventful year. I am also keen to witness the loyalty from Muluzi's new found friends in Mr Chakuamba, Mr Kasambara and gang.

I have renewed faith in the Malawian people and know Freedom, justice and prosperity will carry the day on May 14th. This is a new Malawi and definitely a new and consious generation. No amount of foolery will fool Malawians. Not this time.

Emmanuel K
Lilongwe

Malawi withdraws recognition of Western Sahara govt: report

RABAT (AFP) — Malawi has withdrawn its recognition of the Sahrawi
Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), proclaimed by the Polisario Front in
the disputed territory of Western Sahara, the MAP agency reported on
Wednesday.

"In light of recent developments on the issue of
Sahara at the United Nations", Malawi has decided "to withdraw its
recognition of the SADR and to break all relations with it," Malawian
Foreign Affairs Minister Joyce Banda said Tuesday in Rabat, according
to MAP.

Malawi wants to encourage the UN-supported negotiations currently underway over Western Sahara, said Banda.

Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony annexed in 1975 by Morocco.

SADR
was declared in 1976 by the Polisario Front -- a rebel movement that
wants independence for Western Sahara -- which fought a guerilla war
against Rabat's forces before a ceasefire in 1991.

Since the ceasefire, the UN has sponsored talks on four occasions between Rabat and the rebels.

The
Polisario Front said in August it wanted to engage in direct talks with
Morocco, but requested that the UN replace its special envoy to the
Western Sahara.

Spanish daily El Pais reported this month the UN
would soon appoint American diplomat Christopher Ross as its new
special envoy, to replace Peter van Walsum, whose mandate was not
renewed after it expired August 21.

Walsum was accused of favouring Morocco after stating that independence for Western Sahara was "an unrealistic option."

"Malawi continues to demonstrate strong economic performance" - IMF Country Manager

International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Malawi
continues to demonstrate strong economic performance, citing an
increase in its exports.



IMF country manager to Malawi Maitland MacFarlan said Tuesday that in
the past four years, Malawi’s export trends have been particularly
favourable, hitting a record US$1 billion (K140 billion) last year.

MacFarlan told the press in Lilongwe that the country was expected to enjoy an economic growth projected at 8.7 per cent.



Economic growth is estimated to have been 8.6 per cent in 2007-owing to
a strength in the agricultural sector and growing contributions from
construction, manufacturing and service industries.



“Export trends have been particularly favourable. Exports have roughly
doubled over the last four years and will receive a further boost from
2009 on as uranium production comes on stream.



“While inflation has been rising over recent months, this largely reflects the upward move in international oil prices.



With support from moderation of oil prices, adequate domestic food
supplies, and ongoing monetary restraint, inflation is expected to
return to the 7 to 8 percent range,” McFarlan said.



He said an IMF mission which was in the country for the last weeks led
by Andrew Berg, fully supported government’s intentions to adhere to
the fiscal framework underlying the 2008/09 budget.



He said the IMF further supported government’s intention to further reduce public domestic debt.



The reduction in public debt, both domestic and external, since 2005
had generated savings of around four per cent of GDP in debt service
costs—releasing these funds for

poverty reduction and other high priority spending activities, according to McFarlan.



The IMF resident representative also said the mission discussed with
authorities the implications of the recent sharp increases in
fertilizer prices on the fertilizer subsidy programme.



“The IMF team agreed with the government’s intention of meeting any
spending increases on the fertilizer program though a combination of
increased support from donors,

improvements in domestic revenue performance and spending g restraint elsewhere in the budget,” he said.



MacFarlan said the immediate objectives of the government’s new program
would be to maintain macroeconomic and financial stability over the
coming year, especially in view of the pressures created on the fiscal
position and the balance of payments by recent commodity price shocks.



He said cutting domestic debt would require, among other things,
maintaining progress in reducing domestic debt to support a steady
build up in Malawi’s international reserves.



According to MacFarlan, Malawi’s international reserves remained
relatively low in comparison with most other countries in the region.



IMF, a few months ago increased Malawi’s financial assistance under
Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement programme by
US$16.9 million to US$ 79 million to help meet a larger balance of
payments need brought about by higher fuel and fertilizer prices.



IMF said the decision to increase the financial assistance came after
the IMF executive board completed the sixth and final review of
Malawi's economic performance under a three-year Poverty Reduction and
Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement.



The board also waived the non-observance of the end-December 2007
performance criterion on central government domestic borrowing,
according to a press

release on IMF website.



The three-year PRGF arrangement for Malawi was approved on August 5,
2005, originally for a total amount of US$ 62.1 million to support the
government's economic programme

for 2005-2007.

Malawi needs to strengthen public financial management

Malawi's economic growth is expected to maintain average level in the coming year, despite shocks experienced as a result of oil and commodities high prices. However, the southern African state has been advised to pay special attention in reducing its domestic debt in order to support and steadily build-up its international reserves.

According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Malawi will immediately need to maintain macroeconomic and financial stability over coming year, especially in view of pressures created on the fiscal position and balance of payments by recent price shocks.

IMF has further observed that Malawi has relatively low reserves in comparison with most its peers in the region, saying it was also important that ongoing structural reforms, notably public financial management and monetary and financial system, should be strengthened.

"Malawi continues to demonstrate strong economic performance. Growth is estimated to have been 8.6 percent in 2007 - supported by ongoing strength in agricultural sector and growing contributions from construction, manufacturing, and services - and is projected to be 8.7 percent in 2008," said IMF at end of its mission today which was aimed at discussing a new arrangement between government of Malawi and IMF.

The IMF mission also noted that while government was this year planning to meet its people half way in food production, especially with increased fertiliser prices, it was also prudent that improvements are made in domestic revenue performance, and exercising spending restraint elsewhere in budget.

"The mission fully supports government's intentions to adhere to fiscal framework underlying 2008/09 budget recently passed by National Assembly and to further reduce domestic public debt. Reduction in public debt, both domestic and external, since 2005 has generated savings of around 4 percent of GDP in debt service costs-releasing these funds for poverty reduction and other high priority spending activities," observed IMF mission.

IMF further observed improved and favourable export trends in Malawi, saying exports have almost doubled over the last 4 years and are expected to receive a further boost from 2009 on as uranium production comes on stream. "While inflation has been rising over recent months, this largely reflects the upward move in international oil prices. With support from moderation of oil prices, adequate domestic food supplies, and ongoing monetary restraint, inflation is expected to return to the 7 to 8 percent range," concluded IMF mission, which also expressed optimism of signing of a new arrangement by October during the annual IMF-World Bank meetings in Washington.

During their almost two weeks visit to Malawi, IMF mission headed by Mr Andrew Berg, held extensive discussions with Minister of Finance, Governor of Reserve Bank, and senior government officials. The team also met with representatives from donor community, civil society, and private sector. Malawi has recently successfully completed three-year arrangement under Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) of IMF.

Loopholes in UDF, NRP alliance

The Nation

New Republican Party (NRP) president Gwanda Chakuamba has fielded candidates in some constituencies in Blantyre before his party and its alliance partner United democratic Front (UDF) have reached an agreement on fielding of candidates.

Chakuamba’s move has also shocked UDF national chairman and presidential candidate who said on Wednesday that his party will have to discuss with NRP to get a solution.

"As a party, we shall be looking into those issues," said Muluzi in an interview, sounding surprised at the development.

The NRP president confirmed that he has candidates who are aspiring to be members of Parliament in some constituents in Blantyre. He said he cannot stop them because they are only exercising their rights.

"Some people are aspiring to be candidates. They have aspirations. I cannot stop them. It is their right," Chakuamba said from his Shire Valley home.

UDF director of research Humphrey Mvula said that UDF was aware that Chakuamba has fielded candidates in Blantyre Central and Ndirande Malabada constituencies.

But he said the agreement between the two parties is that each has the priority to field a candidate where it won a seat in the 2004 elections.

Said Mvula: "Where both parties claim to have strong players, we shall both agree to disagree to field our own candidates."

The NRP president, according to our findings, wants to field candidates in the entire Shire Valley but UDF says it also wants to have candidates in constituencies where it had MPs.

One member of the party said UDF is not comfortable with NRP fielding candidates in the Lower Shire because there are fears that some constituencies will be lost.

"UDF feels NRP will lose some seats if left alone to field its own candidates. UDF is assured of victory in constituencies which it has won before," he said.

Chakuamba has been holding meetings in different parts of Chikwawa and Nsanje telling his supporters that the two parties have agreed to regard UDF national chairman Bakili Muluzi as presidential candidate but to field parliamentary candidates from NRP.

Mvula said in July that the two parties were yet to agree on a final modality to be followed in fielding parliamentary candidates. The first part of the agreement between UDF and NRP was to field one presidential candidate who is Muluzi.

He was quoted: "There are constituencies won by UDF in 2004. Those are still largely UDF constituencies. There are also Republican Party constituencies transformed to NRP. We shall deal with the matter at an appropriate time after researching on the ground pertaining to who has performed better and who is likely to win the contest next year."

"That is also when we shall decide to either hold primaries in all constituencies or let sitting MPs through unopposed. If one party turns out to be more popular than the other in a constituency, we shall let it carry the day and we will all respect that. Again if one party fails to field a candidate at all, then the other has to rise to the occasion," said Mvula.

Technorati Tags: UDF, NRR, general elections

Malawi president seeks international backing for 'green belt'

BLANTYRE (AFP) — Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika said Thursday
he will seek international investment for his ambitious "green belt"
irrigation project to boost food production and combat hunger.

"I
want the world to help in establishing the green belt through
investment for Malawi to have food all the time," Mutharika told
reporters before leaving for the UN General Assembly.

Mutharika
last month announced that his impoverished nation was to begin
irrigation farming using water from Lake Malawi and the country's
rivers to boost food production.

The green belt would be established along Lake Malawi, which straddles a third of the country.

Mutharika
gave no figures for the required investment, but in remarks broadcast
on state radio, he said international firms had expressed interest in
the project.

Despite the huge fresh-water supply from Lake
Malawi, Africa's third-largest, agricultural experts say only two
percent of land is irrigated and most farming is small scale and
dependent on rain.

Sixty percent of Malawi's 13 million citizens
live below the poverty line. The country met its food needs for the
first time in seven years in 2006 with a harvest of 2.2 million tonnes
of maize, the country's staple.

Famine threatened up to five
million people in 2005 following drought, forcing the Mutharika
administration to spend more than 100 million dollars (71.7 million
euros) to import over 400,000 tonnes of food.

Should Malawi sell its maize surplus to neighbours experiencing food shortages or should we just donate it

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.

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.

BBCNEWS

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 roar up in Group Twelve

by BBCNEWS

Malawi moved to joint-top of Group 12 of the 2010 World Cup and
Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers thanks to their 3-0 win over Djibouti
on Friday.

Goals from Chiukepo Msowoya, Moses Chavula and Nyondo secured the impressive win for visitors.

The victory at the Gouled Stadium in Djibouti City took the Flames to
nine points, same as Egypt and DR Congo who meet in Kinshasa on Sunday.

Djibouti are already out of contention for a place in the
second phase of the qualifiers as they have no points after five
matches.

They have so far conceded 26 goals and found the net only two times.

Malawi will host DR Congo in the next round of matches in October

Malawi President, Bingu Wa Mutharika awarded for food security

President Bingu wa Mutharika was Thursday in
Lilongwe provided the first ever Food, Agriculture and Natural
Resources Policy Network (Fanrpan) food security policy leadership
award for reviving the fertiliser subsidy programme.



Fanrpan is a regional policy network promoting food security in
southern Africa comprising farmers, private sector, governments and
researchers to coordinate food and agriculture policy processes in the
12 Sadc countries.



The award was presented at the on-going Fanrpan conference but
Mutharika was not present to receive his prize due to an engagement he
could not postpone.



According to AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture Rhoda
Tumusiime, the award was in recognition for the exceptional leadership
provided by Mutharika, especially in the agricultural input subsidy
programme.



“By taking charge of the critical Ministry of Agriculture and risking
international donor support by restoring subsidies to promote
productivity, he has set a lasting example for the southern Africa
region,” she said.



Accepting it on behalf of Mutharika, his deputy in the Ministry of
Agriculture Frank Mwenifumbo said the award was owed to the smallholder
farmers who welcomed the fertiliser subsidy programme and implemented
it according to the wishes of government.



He thanked partners in the agriculture subsidy programme such as seed
suppliers, agro-dealers, fertiliser suppliers for the assistance they
rendered to government in the programme.



He said under Mutharika’s leadership, the country had seen an increase
in food production and was now able to export maize and other crops
when it was not possible about four years ago.



Components of the prize include exchange programmes, which Corplife
International had pledged to sponsor a Malawian individual to travel to
New York and London in outreach programme; provision of agricultural
inputs and computer software and hardware.



Mutharika has been awarded for his efforts in the past four years in
increasing food productivity, market development, storage and creating
favourable pricing for cash crops.



Mwenifumbo said government had plans underway to launch a greenbelt
initiative, which would incorporate other crops such as rice, tobacco
and cotton not just maize.



He said without the policy support from Fanrpan, Malawi would not have
managed to implement its fertiliser subsidy programmes and also helped
Malawi formulate best practices for other countries to follow.



Presenting the award, Fanrpan board chair Sindiso Ngwenya said the
recognition was launched to promote policy development and
implementation that promote food security in the region.



Ngwenya said Fanrpan was convinced that southern Africa was neither
poor nor incapable of feeding itself but that it lacked fresh
initiatives, which empowered and encouraged efforts promoting food
security and policy development.



He said Mutharika deserved the award because the results, which the
country had achieved under his leadership spoke for themselves.



Ngwenya said countries in southern and east Africa were working hard to
emulate the example of Malawi to prevent themselves from bringing out
begging bowls each year.



“Fanrpan believes that more can be achieved if visionary individuals
and organisations in Africa thrive under an enabling policy
environment,” he said.

Southern African country seeks private transport support

By: Marcel Chimwala

The Malawi government is seeking private-sector companies to operate
water, air and railway transport services in the Southern African
country.

In the water transport sector, the government is seeking a
concessionaire to operate the State-owned Malawi Lake Services (MLS),
the biggest firm that manages water transport services on Lake Malawi.

President Bingu wa Mutharika's
government wants a new private partner in MLS because it has severed a
20-year-old concession with Glens Waterways, which has only managed MLS
for six years, owing to "unsatisfactory performance".

"Over the
six-year period, a number of challenges were experienced, both on the
part of the government of Malawi and on the part of the operator. The
government of Malawi and Glens Waterways have reached a mutual
agreement to hand over the concession.

"We are now working to
identify a replacement for the concessionaire. The government's marine
department is taking charge of MLS while we wait for the identification
of the new operator," says Malawi Privatisation Commission information,
education and communication officer Chimwemwe Matonga.

The Malawi government is seeking investors into the air transport sector, with Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe saying that government has intensified its efforts to identify a strategic partner for the national flag carrier, Air Malawi.

"We
feel that the airline could be re-established [in such a way that]
government retains a 51% shareholding and a strategic investor holds
the remaining 49%. Government will, thus, have a majority on the board
of the airline. In pursuing this deal, we are looking at what other
countries, such as Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and Ghana, have done," says
Gondwe.

Gondwe says the Malawi government feels introducing a
strategic partner in Air Malawi will help turn-around the fortunes of
the airline, which is failing to deliver reliable services and has
often failed to procure basic operational materials such as fuel
without government's support.

The Malawi government previously
tried to privatise Air Malawi and invited local and foreign companies
to bidders to acquire a controlling shareholding in the firm.

The
privatisation process, however, flopped because prospective bidders
found the airline unviable, which forced the government to continue
investing in the airline while pursuing the sale process in passive
mode.

"We now feel it is time to re-establish the airline as one
that provides the public with an efficient and reliable service
throughout the country and one that is not a burden on public
finances," says Gondwe.

In the railway sector, Gondwe says
government is seeking partners in the operation and rehabilitation of
the country's rail network.

He says government is engaged in
negotiations with the World Bank and the European Union (EU) to finance
the rehabilitation of some stretches of the rail network.

Gondwe
declines to reveal the actual cost of the rehabilitation excercise,
which is estimated to cost several millions of dollars.

"What I
can say from our discussions with the World Bank and the EU is that the
prospects that we will be funded are so good that the work to bring
rail transport in Malawi to normal operational standards can start next
year," says Gondwe.

The Malawi government is also carrying out a major road rehabilitation programme.

Notable
projects that are under way include the construction of the
Thyolo–Makwasa–Muona–Makhanga road, at an estimated cost of
$46,5-million, and the $40-million rehabilitation of the
Bangula–Nsanje–Marka, road in the southern region.

The Malawi
government is also carrying out the $59-million construction of the
Zomba-Jali-Phalombe road in the southern region and the construction of
the Karonga-Chitipa road in the northern region at a cost of
$45-million.

The rehabilitation and upgrading of the Masauko
Chipembere highway, in Blantyre, has also started, with funding from
the Japanese government to the tune of $15-million.

The major
road projects that Malawi's Ministry of Transport and Public Works has
lined up this year and are expected to cost millions of dollars include
the construction of the Mzimba–Kafukule–Njakwa and the
Jenda–Edingeni–Ewuthini–Rumphi roads in the northern region, and the
Lumbazi–Dowa–Chezi and Lilongwe Old Airport–Kasiya–Santhe roads, in the
central region.