Goodall says Kwacha’s decline close to end: Pegs Malawi economic growth at 4%
Malawi’s Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe has expressed confidence in government efforts to stabilise the weakening Kwacha currency which has fallen more than 300 percent, to 715 to the dollar from around 160 since 2014 when President Peter Mutharika took power.
Combined with a poor maize harvest, the teetering kwacha has pushed inflation to 25 percent from 18 percent in March last year, as the cost of living has gone up with accelerating food prices heaping misery on lower-income households.
The Finance Minister Gondwe said black market rates – often a useful exchange rate gauge in poor, developing economies – indicated the kwacha’s decline was nearing its end.
“We think the kwacha will stabilise this week or next week,” Gondwe said. “If you go to the black market area you will find that the difference between the black market rate and the official rate is not much. Which means that it has reached its equilibrium.”
The kwacha has been laid low by a loss of donor funds, falling export revenue from the key crop, tobacco, and a general loss of faith in African currencies as commodity prices fall.
Gondwe has also said Malawi should see economic growth pick up to more than 4 percent in 2016 from about 3 percent last year as the country recovers from a drought caused by the El Niño weather pattern.
Agriculture accounts for almost a third of Malawi’s economy and provides the livelihood of 80 percent of the population. Last year, the country suffered floods, then a drought that has hit production of the maize crop across southern Africa.
“We don’t think the weather will be as bad this year as last. Growth could be higher than 4 percent in 2016,” Gondwe said.
Malawi’s central bank in September was forecasting growth of 5.4 percent in 2015 and 6.5 percent in 2016 after a 6.0 percent expansion in 2014, but the weather has cast doubt on those forecasts. The International Monetary Fund said in September 2015 growth would slow to 3 percent.—Additional reporting by Ed Stoddard, Reuters
Mwachekula imwe. vilekeni waka ivi va chuma kwa ana wadokowadoko!
kaya…..watelse can we sae??
kikikikiki koma mkulu ameneyu manyazi alibe…..sunday south african Rand inali pa 40 lero iripa 47,nde mkumati next week kwacha itani????
the 0.25% limit set by Reserve bank for minus or appreciation of kwacha limit is wrong that is causing depreciation, reserve bank should change that to complete free floating then the kwacha can go back to 600 to a dollar, at the momnet it can only appreciate 0.25% per day so with this policy kwacha will never stabilise it will only lose more value
Mbalame iwweee ukutimvetsa kuwawa
Its only M alawi on earth WHERE BLACK MARKER IS ALLOWED. ………..MINISTER UNDER……………PRESIDE
NT.
Munganya iwe don’t make us insult you. Just go home and rest. Everytime you are the Finance Minister the country is always on fire. The Kwacha stabilising at K750? Are the wages you give us also stabilising? I think Malawi can do without The Department of Economic Planning.What do we benefit from this department as the department always plan to weaken the Kwacha
stupid u don’t have vyantonda vocabulary in your mouth
Kungolandira tindalama taku China basi mwati muyambe matukutuku… Tikuonani agalu inu… Mwatizunza kokwana anyaphaphi…
the reason for black market and official rate close to equating is that there is no much demand of the dollar on the black market since the demand for goods on the domestic market has also slowed due to inflation.