Malawi slips on MDGS: Poverty remains plaguing

Over half of Malawi’s 17 million population is still hovering just over the poverty line, with limited access to basic necessities as the country grapples with failure to find the right mix of financing to create wealth.

Poor country and failed state, road into Blantyre
Poor country and failed state, road into Blantyre

Secretary to treasury Ronald Mangani has attributed to Malawi’s slip on Malawi Development Growth Strategy to donor dry taps.

He said Malawi could have done better if the aid flow continued but assured the nation that the government is doing all it can to ensure that it survives within its limits.

Mangani said this is why the government has reduced the budget by K23 billion to ensure it works within its limits in the wake of aid drought.

“This trend will continue. Every year we will be reducing the budget to ensure that we spend within the limits and to the best of Malawians,” he said.

Opposition legislators have bashed the Peter Mutharika administration for reducing the budget from an initial K930 billion to K906 billion accusing the government of being insensitive to the current food shortage, saying the reduction of relief maize budget from K15 billion to K8 billion was a mockery.

Nkhata Bay north east MP Ephraim Chiume pressed on the government to release K30 billion it owes the private sector. he said the arrears to the private sector are choking the private sector, deemed the engine of the economy.

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brits
brits
8 years ago

Aid makes people LAZY! If we started dealing with our own problems (paying school fees for our children and paying for HEALTH Care as well) this would have KNOCKED SOME SENSE in THESE PEOPLE!!! Malawi is poor because its citizen are under the assumption that this world is PARADISE were you have a right to beg and have a litter of children, who should be someone responsibility! FOOLISH BEGGARS

Bololo Sakondamadzi
Bololo Sakondamadzi
8 years ago

Well thought and well articulated Mr Analyst. Wakumva wamva osamva bvuto lake limenelo. Now the crunch is that all malawians are suffering. But one thing is sure. Donors will not move an inch unless government changes its priorities which are upside down. Meanwhile malawians will continue to wallow in abject poverty. Politicians are killing this country.

The Analyst
The Analyst
8 years ago

O………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….O To attribute Malawi’s poverty to donor-aid freeze is a clear display of one’s strict narrowness of mind hence an embarrassment to one’s reasoning ability and a pure misrepresentation of facts; and therefore regrettable to have come from such a seemingly intelligent man as Mangani. Indeed “Power corrupts the best” and you Mangani are now wearing a contaminated mind. . . . How does one ignore the cause and blame the the effect? Donors froze aid because our leaders are habitual thieves; thus, without an aorta of shame; take all donor money into their pockets. Now, because they are thieves,… Read more »

mwina nyungwe
mwina nyungwe
8 years ago

I do not agree with the fact of pushing the blame on donors pull out no that is not true. OK this government is collecting alot of money in taxes from business pipo and even a person who is Poor and earned very little yet those in leadership position in government enjoy more tax free benefits should we say they are patriotic? No. Let it start with the President and all those in big positions in government then the pipo and the world at large will know that you Are SERIOUS stop blaming donors put in place good policies for… Read more »

Little Bwana
Little Bwana
8 years ago

Putting aside the complicated world of donors, government (mis)management of finances and resources, and our struggling private sector, discussions of “poverty lines” are difficult to digest. A rough estimate from our beloved donors is that each person needs about MK30,000 invested in them every month to maintain their basic needs. Of course part of this 30k figure is made up intangible/non-cash things that individuals don’t directly invest in like decent health centres staffed with decent nurses, so it’s not like handing people 30k cash elevates them above Mangani’s poverty line. But why set the bar so low? The analogy of… Read more »

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