Malawi ultra-poverty levels down by 4% —Survey
Malawi has reduced extreme poverty levels by at least 4 percent between the years 2011 and 2017, a recent report by the National Statistics Office (NSO) has said.
NSO released the latest Integrated Household Survey (IHS4) report Tuesday at Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe.
According to the new report, the most significant decline in ultra-poverty levels was registered in the country’s rural areas compared to the urban.
“Rural areas indicate a decline from 28.1 percent in the year 2010/2011 to 23.8 percent in the year 2016/2017,” reads part of the report.
“Urban Malawi shows a slight decline from 4.3 percent to 4.1 percent, indicating an overall national decline from 24.5 percent to 20.1 percent.”
Integrated Household Surveys aim at providing updated information on various aspects of welfare and economic status of Malawians, which is very critical in the formulation and implementation of appropriate policies.
“The poverty numbers enable government to design and target relevant policies for various segments of society in line with the country’s medium development framework,” said Peter Simbani, acting chief director in the Department of Economic Planning and Development.
He further said the number also help government to respond to various shocks such as droughts and floods, which often lead to macroeconomic instability.
Simbani cited the drought and floods that hit the country in 2010 and 2016 respectively as some of the emerging challenges affecting the economy and people’s livelihoods.
“These shocks had a direct impact on agricultural production, which is the main contributor to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). As a result, the economy grew at a slower pace from 6.2 percent in 2014, 3.3 in 2015, to 2.7 in 2017. So, it is important to understand the poverty numbers within that context,” he said.
NSO’s Assistant Commissioner of Statistics, who was also Survey Coordinator during the ISH 4, Lizzie Chikoti said the decline in poverty levels among the rural masses was due to government’s social protection programs.
Said Chikoti: ” Preliminary analysis suggests that some of government’s social protection programs and the post-2016 food security responses have reduced the adverse effects of drought on welfare among eligible extremely poor households.”
The first Integrated Household Survey (IHS1) was conducted in 1997/1998, the second in 2004/2005, the third in 2010/2011 the fourth in 2016/2017 with a five-year gap in between.
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This report is aimed at vote rigging in 2019, these are always soft strategies and its a shame that NSO is in forefront of doing this.
When I was a kid in the late 1980s there were taps in my village. Anthu amatotunga madzi pa pompe.Atabwela Atcheya basi ati mijigo.Koma lero anthu atotunga mazi mzithapsi.That’s Malawi for you.Agogo akale amauza ana kuti timamwa mazi apampope nthawi ya Kamuzu kkkk.Regression.
“The Africa Facts Review” of 2018 shows that the following countries in order of poverty:
1.Burundi-GDP-USD285.73-Owing to the continued war-we do understand why.
2.Malawi-GDP-USD300.79-Owing to looting, laziness, cryonism and patronage
3.Niger-GDP-363.23-Owing to invasion by some Islamists that the government is fighting together with Nigeria
4.Mocambique-GDP-382.07-Owing to Renamo.
Ndiye uzikatinamiza that poverty has reduced by 4%. Why do you chose to cook the data for political reasons?
NOTE THAT MALAWIS GDP PER CAPITA IN 2008 WAS USD 372.84.You could ascribe the reduction owing to population growth but the same factor is a serious contributor to poverty.
Mmmmmm! Bodza!
So, Panganani, you want Malawi to remain poor because you believe we will never develop? SHAME ON PEOPLE LIKE YOU.
He is just being a realistic. Not a FONG KONG. Why cook up fake figures and paint a cosy picture that is not a true reflection of the real situation on the ground? Ukakwera pa msana wa njobvu usamati kunja kulibe mame! Ma graduate akuvutika, once viable business entities are closing, junior staff with nowhere to go are being laid off, a MRA ndi awa ali paliponse milking a ‘thin cow’ Then you produce this crap of a report? Of course 90% of DPP cronies have had their poverty alleviated by 90%, not the bullshit statistics you are talking about… Read more »