The UK government has indicated that Malawi government is yet to meet all the necessary conditions needed in order for the UK to resume its general budget support (GBS) to the the southern African country. The UK says ‘progress against a range of partnership needs to be assessed’ first. It has pointed out that some of the […]
Development partners under the Common Approach to Budgetary Support (CABS) on Monday faulted the previous government’s Zero Deficit Budget (ZDB) for the country’s economic downturn. Speaking at the first CABS review meeting in Lilongwe, Norwegian Ambassador Asbjorn Eidhammer, who is CABS co- Chair blamed the previous administration for the difficulty times that Malawians were going […]
Progressive developments over the past couple of months speak much of insecurity of donor aid in Malawi despite the implementation of deliberate appeasement policies to coax the masters. The media has been flooded with disturbing breaking news concerning donor aid, which despite lacking considerable evidence, complement well with the fact that some donors have actually […]
Out of seven key donors who provide budgetary support to Malawi, only two have so far released their aid totalling K22.9 billion (US$90 million) from the required K124.08 billion needed for the 2012/2013 financial year. Business Times reported on Wednesday that the two donors that so far have unfrozen their aid to Malawi are the […]
The African Development Bank (AFBD) has on Friday given Malawi a budget support grant of US$40 million (MK11 billion) which will promote accountability in the public finance management systems, enhance social protection and restore fiscal stability. Signing the agreement with the Bank on behalf of the Malawi Government, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ken Lipenga said […]
Malawi’s Deputy Clerk of Parliament Henry Njolomole has come to the rescue of government and certify the Bills passed during the budget meeting of Parliament which his boss Matilda Katopola currently on forced leave refused to sign for. Nyasa Times understands that that the Bills which include the K408 billion (about $1.6 billion) Appropriation (Budget) […]
Malawi Parliament adjourned sine die on Friday after unanimously approving the K408 billion (about $1.6 billion) 2012/2013 budget with emotional winding speech from Leader of the House, Henry Phoya. Phoya took time to roast the ghost of late president Bingu wa Mutharika that lawmakers have not been doing praise singing in their contributions as was […]
Malawi Parliament on Wednesday passed the government’s 2012/13 financial plan totalling K408 billion (about $1.6 billion). The budget was approved after a Committee of Supply that took exactly three days to complete scfrutunising -on fast-track – the budgetary allocation. But despite days of tense, protracted wrangling with the former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) over […]
Leader of opposition and president of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) John Tembo has described as a “useless exercise” the grilling of finance minister Ken Lipenga by opposition legislators in the current 2012/2013 budget deliberations, arguing that the new administration of President Joyce Banda should not be answerable to the “mess” of the former DPP regime […]
Finance Minister Ken Lipenga was on Monday at pains to explain to fellow members of parliament of unexplained increase in budget allocation to vote on state residences. The 2012/2013 budget debate has now entered committee of supply where allocations to various government ministries and departments are scrutinised vote by vote. According to budget documents, state […]
The opposing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavy from Section 65 ruling restraint bitterness, plans to foil the winding up speech by Finance Minister Dr. Ken Lipenga through a court injunction later this week. A high profile DPP team over the weekend hatched the plans to obtain a stay on an earlier injunction by youthful legislator […]
Malawi Government will give least paid civil servants a salary increment of over 40 percent, from July 2012, while highest paid civil servants will get just 11 percent. Deputy Minister of Finance, Ralph Jooma, told official Malawi News Agency (Mana) that the 21 percent which Finance Minister Ken Lipenga announced in parliament was an average […]
Malawi’s Member of Parliament yesterday labelled the former ruling DPP cabinet as incompetent after he said they allowed themselves to be lied to by the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) officials, who are currently at the centre of the commercial banks borrowing saga along Finance Minister Ken Lipenga. In his contribution to the 2012/2013 budget, the […]
A former DPP member and now a deputy minister in the Joyce Banda administration Sosten Gwengwe has said former President late Bingu wa Mutharika failed to understand his own zero-deficit budget concept by confusing it with a concept where a country is able to locally fund its other recurrent transactions (ORT). “Zero-deficit budget is not the […]
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) parliamentary spokesperson on finance Joseph Njobvuyalema has asked donors to give Malawi a bailout package to help mitigate the effects of 48 percent devaluation of the local currency – Kwacha – against the dollar. On May 7, Malawi’s President Joyce Banda made a decision to devalue the Kwacha from K168 to K250 to the dollar. Njobvuyalema told Parliament […]
Malawi Congress Party (MCP), financial spokesperson Joseph Njovuyalema has gone against the undertaking by his party president John Tembo not oppose current government when he accused President Joyce Banda of travelling too much at the expense of tax payers . MP for Lilongwe-Mapuyu South, who also tore apart government’s financial plan for 2012/13 unveiled last Friday, […]
The 2012/13 national budget is a calling to everyone, especially those in government to speak and walk the austerity talk, and realize that time for hyper-expenditure is beneath the country, the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and the Centre for Development of People (CEDEP) have said. The two organizations also asked the PP […]
The Civil Servants Trade Union (CSTU), which has been pressing for a 46-percent salary hike, reacted with ease an announcement but Finance Minister Ken Lipenga that civil servants will receive an average 21-percent pay increase. In presenting the country’s $1-billion (820-million euro) budget in Parliament, Lipenga said:”Wages and salaries for civil servants are pegged at […]