Opposition Aford’s Karonga-Nyungwe MP, Khwauli Msiska, on Tuesday told parliment that Malawi should take International Monetary Fund (IMF) advice to devalue the local currency Kwacha before the end of the year. “We are treading on a dangerous path if we don’t want to be truthful. Not long ago, it was almost obscene to relate the […]
Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI) has appealed to government to provide the private sector with a better business environment. MCCCI said a better business environment will enable private to produce more for exports and rescue Malawi from the foreign exchange unavailability. But Industry and Trade Minister John Bande assured the industry […]
Malawi’s leader of opposition in Parliament John Tembo has accused government for illegally withdrawing K6.5 billion from Fuel Stabilization Fund account. Tembo made the revelations in reaction to President Bingu wa Mutharika’s speech in Parliament last week, arguing government has to come in open to disclose how the money was spent. “They have illegally withdrawn […]
Two ministers and critical members of President Bingu wa Mutharika’s economic team fled from attending a national meeting to strategise on how to diversify the economy and broaden the country’s forex base on Saturday in Blantyre. The aim of the consultative workshop was to solicit views, contributions and input from all stakeholders in Malawi on how best […]
Let’s not sugarcoat this, Malawi is broken. Her back has snapped under the dual weight of poor governance and economic mismanagement. Her recovery will be slow, difficult and painful; and shows no signs of starting. The economy is sputtering to a halt and the elixir that could revitalize it, a concoction of donor inputs, better […]
Experience has shown that, after some political reconciliation talks, the concluding remarks usually include a statement which says, “ Let us forget the past.” Honestly speaking, this is just a mere unifying cliché which does not make much sense on serious issues. It can be said without any contradiction that Malawians are suffering now because […]
Several visits to Game Stores in Lilongwe and Blantyre this week by Nyasa Times revealed that the once well stocked shops are now stuck with depleted shelves some that have been empty for more than three days now. This comes just three weeks after Game issued a statement disputing Nyasa Times story that their warehouses […]
Hundreds of shoppers who regularly patronize the magnificent Blantyre Shoprite stores at Chichiri Shopping Mall in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre, were Friday taken by surprise with the shop’s unannounced closure. Since morning shoppers have been frustratingly bouncing at the shop’s main entrance after finding the electronic doors appropriately locked. During week days, Shoprite opens at […]
Monday 16th January would go downas any other holiday for most ordinary Malawians, but to theatre academicians, pundits and enthusiasts it was another exciting moment when they, in enlightened spirits, unpackaged the bombshell, Semo, a play written by Thlupego Chisiza and the slained university student Robert Chasowa. The mid-day drizzles could not dampen the spirits […]
Of late, the Malawian President His Excellency Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika has made some very out of the ordinary remarks on the podium that have had listeners in stitches. Mutharika made Malawians, and many citizens of other nationalities living in the country, end the year 2011 ridiculing and parodying him just as they did […]
Any Malawian asked to name the one thing that, whatever the case, should always be available, would name food. And in Malawi, food is synonymous with nsima to get which, one must have maize. We could encourage our people to diversify eating habits, or to experiment with this and that, or we could even bring […]
Malawi should devalue the official exchange rate further to between 230 – 250 against the dollar to address a foreign exchange shortage and stem a thriving black market, the International Monetary Fund said. Malawi devalued the kwacha by 10 percent in August, but at 166 kwacha to the dollar, the official rate is not as […]
Defiant Malawian leader Bingu wa Mutharika has maintained his stand that the year 2011 was economically successful and described his critics who think to the contrary as having sick minds. Taking advantage of the launch of the 2011-2012 National Tree Plating Season which he officiated at Sekwele Primary School in Zomba on Wednesday, Mutharika said […]
Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika has told his critics and the country’s citizens to stop “crying” needlessly because of the current social and economic crisis facing the country. Mutharika, speaking in Zomba where he presided over the 2011-2012 National Tree Planting Season, said Malawi was not a nation of chickens which just cry pointlessly whenever […]
Revered Anglican Bishop the Right Reverend Dr. James Tengatenga has challenged Malawians to be vigilant in safeguarding their hard won democracy and also check their morals including that of others particularly political leaders. Bluntly telling his flock in Blantyre, the Anglican Bishop said Malawians must ensure that leaders stop nurturing bad behaviours “otherwise failing to […]
There is an adage which says that, ‘if all else fails lower your standards’. The majority of Malawians have applied this adage in order to survive under the Mutharika regime. People have lowered their living standards to the bare minimum and can do no more. Imagine due to fuel shortage, people with cars have resorted […]
As President Bingu wa Mutharika struggles to push the blames of Malawi’s economic woes to satan and the opposition, some industrial professionals say government must first localise service provisions to Malawian companies as a major way to save forex. The industrialists say government is major culprit in forex wastage as it always prefers foreign based […]
The Malawi leadership first needs to understand its own current trade and investment strategy and how its policies are affecting the strategy. Both domestic and foreign investors make decisions on the basis of prevailing policies and the policies have to convince them that they will make a profit. For foreign investors, policies also have to […]