Claps of contentment flew from both sides of Parliament on Friday when Finance Minister Felix Mlusu revealed that Constituency Development Fund (CDF) has been increased from K30 to K40 million. CDF is the money government gives to MPs to facilitate small development projects in their constituency. Making the announcement, Mlusu said the increased in the […]
Minister of Finance Felix Mlusu has told Parliament in Lilongwe when he unveiled the Tonse Alliance government’s maiden budget that indoor netball court project and Mzuzu Youth Centre will commence during the 2020/21 financial year. The new fiscal plan–will cover the period between November 1 2020 and June 30 2021— builds upon the K722 billion four-month […]
The Center for Social Concern (CfSC) has called upon members of Parliament (MPs) to critically scrutinize the loans the new government intends to bring before the National Assembly and ensure they are directed towards improving productive sectors. The call comes follows the announcement from the Speaker of the National Assembly, Catherine Gotani Hara, that parliament […]
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has urged President Lazarus Chakwera to take advantage of his government’s first national budget as a jumpstart towards delivering the campaign promises the Tonse Alliance made in the run-up to the fresh presidential election on June 23 2020. The CDEDI executive director Sylvester Namiwa said while his organization […]
The National Planning Commission (NPC) director general Thomas Chataghalala Munthali, has said the commission’s involvement in the national budget consultations should be at planning stage for public sector long-term investment programmes to achieve maximum impact. The Ministry of Finance is from July 13 to 17 start soliciting fresh submissions into the 2020-2021 national budget set […]
New Minister of Finance, Felix Mlusu has announced that 3.5 million smallholder farmers will benefit from the new government subsidised fertilizer programme in the 2020 to 2021 financial year. During campaign, President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima, promised to reduce fertiliser prices to K4 495 per 50 kilogramme bag. At times the energetic Chilima […]
The Tonse Alliance led government has increased the tax free band from 45 000 to K100 000. This was revealed by Finance Minister Felix Mlusu on Tuesday while presenting the four month provisional budget. Mlusu says the increased is a deliberate move by government to ensure that Malawians have enough money in their pockets to […]
Finance Minister Felix Mlusu made his debut in Parliament on Wednesday when he presented a four month provisional budget pegged at K722 billion. The amount will form part of the 2020/21 National Budget to be prepared and presented later within the four month period. The provisional budget comes following the change of government from Democratic […]
Newly appointed Finance Minister Felix Mlusu has disclosed that he will accommodate advices from former Treasury chiefs in a bid to improve the welfare of Malawians. Mlusu, a former insurance company director, was named Malawi’s new finance minister on Monday, a day after President Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in following last week’s re-run election in […]
Newly appointed Minister of Finance, Felix Mlusu, will present the provisional budget in Parliament this Tuesday, newly appointed Leader of the House, Richard Chimwendo Banda confirmed. Mlusu will present to the House a provisional budget to cater for government business in the interim as the new administration of President Lazarus Chakwera works on a full […]
The K2 trillion 2020/21 National Budget which is before Parliament may be withdrawn and allow a new Finance Minister to be appointed by incoming president Lazarus Chakwera who may be declared Malawi’s sixth president, to table its fiscal plan to factor in its development plans. The current Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph […]
Centre for Social Concern (CfSC) has asked members of Parliament (MPs) to seriously consider revising the minimum wage upwards, warning that maintaining it at the current amount of K35, 000 will push many Malawians into the poverty bracket. But CfSC executive director, Father James Ngahy, argues that the current minimum wage is far below the adequate […]
The Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara has announced that parliament will not reconvene on Monday June 22 2020 to continue discussing the 2020-2021 national budget as earlier planned. Hara said this is aimed at giving Members of Parliament (MPs) a chance of exercising their constitutional right to vote in […]
Malawi Parliament says it will break next week to allow members of parliament go to their respective areas to vote in the June 23 presidential election. Parliament’s spokesperson Ian Mwenye said the Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara is expected to make the announcement on Monday when the legislators reconvenes after budget cluster […]
Malawi’s rising public debt –combination of domestic and foreign–has been described by Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph Mwanamvekha as worrisome. The debt stock, according to Annual Debt Report by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, jumped to K3.7 trillion or 65 percent of GDP during the 2018/19 financial year from K3.1 […]
The 2020/21 National Budget has allocated the health sector K195.3 billion, representing 9.7 percent of the total budget, second to education, with Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Joseph Mwanamvekha disclosing that construction of a military hospital may start later this year. Malawi government plan to construct a modern military hospital for Malawi Defence […]
The Malawi government has drawn anger from youth-led organizations, which are accusing it of neglecting priorities of young people in the formulation of the 2020/21 national budget. Six youth-led organizations argue that the K15 billion that the government has proposed to allocate to the economic empowerment of the youth and women is too meagre to meet […]
Perhaps Finance Minister Joseph Mwanamveka should have had a word with Friday Anderson Jumbe, Malawi’s purse keeper between 2002 and 2004. In presenting the 2003/04 National Budget, with the 2004 general elections in mind, Jumbe admitted being a stressful man. “There is nothing difficult than developing a national budget and, even worse, presenting to the […]