November, 2013

Malawi’s new Finance Minister Maxwell Mkwezalamba travels to Brussels, Belgium, next week on an assignment that has been described as both a “challenge” and “an opportunity” as he will negotiate a €560 million funding for Malawi for the next seven years.

“It is a challenging assignment but at…

Richard Mussa: Did rapid smallholder-led agricultural growth fail to reduce rural poverty? Making sense of Malawi’s poverty puzzle Karl Pauw: The economywide impacts and risks of Malawi’s farm input subsidy program

Inclusive Growth Conference: Measurement, Causes, and Consequences

The UNU-WIDER development conference in September 2013 focused on the performance, prospects, and policies for promoting more inclusive growth throughout Africa, including North Africa.

More about the conference: http://www1.wider.unu.edu/inclusivegrowth/ More about UNU-WIDER: http://www.wider.unu.edu

Meet the 80,000 children working like slaves on Malawi’s tobacco plantations For downloads and more information visit: thousand Malawian children are enslaved by a worldwide addiction. Despite serious health risks and missing out on an education, the exploitation continues without effective government or industry action.”Without the kids the tobacco would rot”, says Josepha, whose son Shepherd works on her tobacco field.

Enticed by promises of high incomes and fertiliser loans, peasants are being encouraged to switch from corn to tobacco. In an ironic twist, the little money made from growing tobacco is being spent on corn. Handling tobacco with bare hands equals…

Africa editor for the Financial Times Javier Blas speaks to Joyce Banda, president of Malawi, about a corruption scandal involving the loss of millions of dollars of public funds, and the economic impact of suspended aid payments on one of Africa’s poorest countries.

President Dr Joyce Banda during…

Malawi music industry had a sigh of relief when a locally produced music video was shown on the world’s biggest American television station, Music Television Base (MTVBase). The video, ‘Awake’ by Theo Thomson was premiered on Monday becoming the first ever Malawian video to be televised on the station.

Commenting on the development, the singer said he is happy to put Malawi music on the international map. “I’ve managed to get my foot in the door. Help me knock the door off its hinges and get Malawian music into international scene again,” he said. Thomson further…

The Malawi Government and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Development on Tuesday signed a financing agreement in form of concessional loan for the construction of the much-awaited Lirangwe-Chingale-Machinga Road . The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the 3rd Africa-Arab Summit, which opened on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 , in Kuwait . The State President Dr. Joyce Banda witnessed the signing of the US$10.2 million agreement. The agreement was signed, on behalf of the two parties, by Malawi’s Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cornelius Mwalwanda and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Development , Director General, Abdulwahab Al-Bader…

President of Malawi Joyce Banda and Kuwait-based non-profit organization Direct Aid signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Monday to establish a university in the African country as well as implementing a number of charity projects.

Banda, who signed the MoU with Direct Aid Board Chairman Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Muhailan, expressed content that the agreement would pave way for the establishment of a university in her country which “enable the Direct Aid to work in Malawi as an international organization in order to fully benefit from its programs.” She noted that Direct Aid, a non-governmental organization (NGO), was active in more than 30…

Despite its benefits, conducting cross-border transactions remains expensive for small traders in Malawi and Zambia, costing them 62 percent more in border costs than large formal traders. While there are systems in place to facilitate cross-border trade such as the current Simplified Trade Regime (STR) which eases several customs processes, there are a host of registration and other requirements that remain in place which increase traders’ costs.

Small traders from the two countries held a joint workshop to discuss  a concrete action plan for trade policy reform for…

Former Orlando Pirates’ star Joseph Kamwendo has landed in TP Mazembe camp as he takes final steps towards finalising his transfer from Mozambican side Liga Muculmana to the Democratic Republic of Congo football giants.

Sources told supersport.com on Tuesday that the former Orlando Pirates midfielder arrived in Lubumbashi on Sunday for a medical which turned out to be a success on Tuesday.

The deposed Malawi captain is now expected to finalise personal terms, paving the way for his move to the former Africa champions. Kamwendo may start playing for Mazembe in the next January transfer window.

Mazembe, who also have Malawian…

Malawians should learn to honour their parents regardless of status, President Dr. Joyce Banda advised on Sunday

She described the introduction of Gray Mtila Gospel Music Trophy as one way of respecting her late father, who loved music.

President Banda said this at Zomba State Lodge when she presided over the presentation of awards and trophies to winners of 2013 Gray Mtila Gospel Music Competition of choirs from Machinga, Mulanje and Zomba from…