Rights activists, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has written the Anti-corruption Bureau to investigate former Merdef chief executive officer over dubious loans awards. In the letter, HRDC says it had received allegations that the CEO, Ms. Mervis Mangulenje, awarded a MK60 million loan to her close friend, David Banda, without following procedures. David Banda […]
When people are desperately in need of something, they usually refer to a statement which says that half a loaf is better than none. This statement is suitable for less important situations but not matters of the State. Running a country efficiently calls for total commitment, no half-measures and, above all, no sugar-coating of failure. […]
Malawi has put on hold plans to establish state owned Development Bank after cooperating partners, particularly those interested in financing, have suggested that instead the government should consider establishing a development fund, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe said on Friday. Gondwe made the disclosure in parliament when he was delivering the country’s financial plan for 2015/16 […]
Globally, the population is ageing and Malawi is no exception. The 2008 Population and Housing Census showed that four percent of the Malawi population comprised people aged over 65 years old. Although in percentage terms this may seem small, in reality it means over 530 000 older people out of the 13.1 million people counted. […]
Malawi’s new administration of Arthur Peter Mutharika has suspended the loan facility introduced by his predecessor Joyce Banda because of the numerous legal and financial problems discovered in the programme. The Farm Input Loan Programme (FILP) which was run parallel to the national Farm Inputs Subsidy Program (FISP) attracted criticism as to who the loan […]
Malawi government has established the Malawi Enterprise Development Fund Limited (MEDF) which will now be handling all product portfolios and operations of Malawi Rural Development Fund (Mardef), Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) and Farm Input Loan Programme (FILP). MEDF, with a new seal and logo, was registered on February 5 2014 under the Companies Act […]
President Joyce Banda has appointed Board of Directors for the Malawi Rural Development Fund (MARDEF) and the National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens. According to a statement issued by the Chief Secretary to the Government, Hawa Ndilowe, the Board Chairperson of the National Herbarium and Botanic Gardens is Dr. Ibrahim Makoka Phiri and his vice Dr. […]
Malawi government has been urged “to be decisive” in curtailing the Malawi Rural Development Fund (Mardef) and its sister project, Youth Development Fund (Yedef). In a an editorial comment, Malawi’s flagship daily, The Nation said the two projects should go to save the country’s meager resources and ensure all those who mishandled the projects account […]
Out of over one million Malawians that were lined up to benefit from the highly publicized Malawi Rural Development fund (Mardef), only a quarter have done so since the project was launched seven years ago, a report by The Business Times has revealed. In the report, the midweek publication found out that only 248,000 people have benefited […]