Recovering from a free-fall since September 2014 when tobacco sales closed, the Malawi kwacha has extended its gains of against the US dollar buoyed by minor export proceeds from some of the country’s commodities. Kwacha is now trading at around K470 against the dollar, according to the central banl, but is trading between K480 and […]
The year of Our Lord 2014, which has just gone by, will go down in our national collective memory as one when some ruthless and evil-minded Malawians connived and decided to screw us all of our hard-earned tax in a conspiracy and plunder dubbed the Cashgate. The year will also remembered in our history books […]
A Catholic priest Fr. Piergiorgio Gamba said Malawi has been gripped with a sombre economic atmosphere making it a subdued nation with no celebratory mood during Christmas and as it welcomes new year. Fr. Gamba, a Monfort missionary, said cash-strapped Malawians had to kick off preparations for critical New Year expenses at the expense of […]
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) lawmakers have accused President Peter Mutharika government of being “clueless” on coming out of economic turmoil, saying the country is on auto pilot. The country is currently facing many industrial action over demands for salary increase due to weakening Kwacha and rising costs of living. MCP chief whip in Parliament, Lobin […]
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) initially ruled this country between 2004 and 2012 under the autocratic stewardship of the late Bingu wa Mutharika. The DPP resurfaced in May 2014 as a governing party following polls, whose results were disputed by other political parties. Ironically, the new Head of State is another Mutharika, Professor Arthur Peter, […]
Economists in Malawi say the country is likely to continue facing financial challenges in 2015 unless the government can regain the confidence of donors, who are still withholding 40 percent of budgetary support due to the corruption scandal known as Cashgate. More than K20 billion ($30 million) were looted from government coffers in the scandal, […]
“Fatalism comforts, for it raises no questions. There’s not need to examine just how events fit in.” ~ James Hillman Malawi can be a very painful place to live, especially for those who really care about the country and how things are run. Fortunately, I suppose, the majority of Malawians are those who either choose […]
The failure of rain to come on time in most parts of the central region and the general economic hardship the country is experiencing have impacted hard on the people in the region with the capital Lilongwe experiencing very slow economic activity compared to other past years during the same Christmas period. The sentiments were […]
Malawi President Arthur Peter Mutharika has said he will not be distracted as he focus on improving people’s lives by hitting the reset button of governance to improve the economic situation. The country has been on economic downward spiral which the President conceded in his year-end State-of-the-Nation feed from Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe that was beamed on […]
President Peter Mutharika has finally commented on the spate of withdraw of labour in public service over demand for higher perks, saying his government is dealing with the matters through wage harmonization under civil service reforms. The President has since declared that the huge and haphazard salary demands by the strikers will not be granted. […]
Fellow Malawians, Ladies and Gentlemen, Our country, Malawi, remains one of the world’s poorest, ranking 170th out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index (HDI 2013), a position it has been stuck on since 2010. As you all know, the HDI measures long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development, namely: a long […]
The International Monetray Fund (IMF) says it will consider to resume extended credit facility (ECF) to Malawi in the 6th scheme after the end of mission to Malawi. Addressing a news conference in Lilongwe on Thursday, 18 December, 2014, the IMF representative in the country ,Oral Williams who was accompanied by the Minister of Finance, […]
Minister of Labour and Manpower Development, Henry Mussa says Government designated the labour sector as a strategic and priority area to champion job creation and skills development. Mussa said government decided to embark on the initiative considering that a skilled labour force contributes to economic growth and improved living standards of the whole nation. “The […]
Malawi’s consumer inflation edged up to 23.7 percent year-on-year in November, from 23.3 percent in October, the statistics office said on Thursday. The National Statistical Office said an increase in non-food inflation had emanated from mainly alcoholic drinks, housing and household, as well as transportation prices. The November figure saw a decline in food inflation, […]
A recent Mail & Guardian Africa article reporting on a new survey findings by a US-based pollster, Gallup, which hinted that even though the traditional economic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), household income and unemployment stats are ‘the most heavily relied on by policy-makers, these measures underplay the importance of people’s happiness. Looking […]
Special adviser to Malawi President Peter Mutharika, Ben Phiri has responded to the calls from various sections of the society asking the Head of State to come out of the cocoon and address Malawians on labyrinth of social and economic dire straits the country in going through. Malawians are asking Mutharika to intervene in various […]
Malawi President Peter Mutharika once appealed to citizens not to write or talk bad about the country which would scare investers. Fair enough. However, what must be said is that Malawi as a country is capable of telling its own story based on the way it is being run. At the moment Malawi is going […]
Malawi doctors and nurses are planning to go on a nationwide strike demanding government ton increase their allowances and higher pay, a situation that will put further strain on the country’s crumbling public healthcare facilities. The medical personnel are complaining that their salaries have been steadily eroded by the country’s galloping inflation rate and weakening buying power of […]