Mutharika, 78, died in April, 2012 at state house after a heart attack as he was being briefed by one of the legislators from his party. Mutharika had a history of heart problems and had suffered a minor attack in 2009.

Registrar for the Medical Council Abel Kawonga said investigations into how Dr Dan Namarika handled the emergency have completed and await government funding for the disciplinary committee to sit.

“Dr Namarika is aware that he is supposed to appear before the committee. He will be called for the committee to hear his side of the story,” said Kawonga

The Commission of Inquiry into the death of Mutharika released last week revealed that Dr Namarika had forgotten his emergency medical kit at his home at the time he was called to attend to the President immediately after he collapsed.

The Inquiry also revealed that Dr Namarika resorted to mouth-to-mouth resuscitation of the President because he did not have any medical equipment.

The release of the damning inquiry report has also led to the arrest of brother to late Mutharika, Peter and current economic planning minister Goodall Gondwe.

The two were among the eleven arrested on Monday this week for allegedly playing a role in a plot to block then Vice President Joyce Banda from taking over the reins of power as per the constitution.

The eleven are expected to be granted bail today, after spending two nights in custody.

If the fingers go in too deeply, the girl is not a virgin.

The daughter did not keep her vagina clean and fresh so she will no longer be perceived as clean and fresh. She will be described with adjectives like spoiled and used. Her vagina has been used. Throw it away. Throw her away.

In a society where a woman is worth the condition of her vagina, women and girls start to believe it—that their vagina counts. Boys and men believe it. Public officials and religious leaders believe it. The society begins to promote a sort of consecration of the vagina.

If a father finds out that his daughter’s vagina has been spoiled he could remove her from the homestead. Or perhaps, the father is “progressive” and will pretend he does not know that his daughter is spoiled until her belly begins to grow and her movements become lethargic. Then, he cannot ignore it. Then, his desire to kick her out, damn her, maim her, kill her or marry her to the town drunkard is justified.

In such societies, men write books with titles like “The Good Woman,” “The Holy Wife,” “A Woman of Destiny,” “A Woman Under The Covering of Her Husband,” “How To Be A Virtuous Woman,” “The Fulfillment of Womanhood.”

Girls and women read these books and they want others to know that they are reading those books.

An adolescent girl was raped by her two older brothers one day. When her parents found out, they agreed to kill their little daughter to cleanse the family of shame. They planned the assassination. The scheme was for the sons and father to leave the house. The mother would take care of everything.

Mother took her daughter to a bed in the house – perhaps rubbing the girl’s soft black hair along the way – and she laid her olive-skinned daughter down. She lifted two pillows into the air and then pressed them down over her daughter’s face. The girl kicked and jerked all over the place. Mother used her hands and the pillows to shove the life of her daughter out of her neck. The girl died by asphyxiation.

This true incident happened in Iran. A Persian university professor of mine chronicled the details to the class. The dead girl had been her neighbor in a country where “honor killings” are a part of life. A Google search of the phrase honor killings will yield more than 35 million results and the practice does exist in Nigeria.

Nigeria is a society where men jail vaginas. They control them with glee and tickle them until they become moist. Too moist means she is not a virgin because the excessive moisture is evidence of her enjoyment of the tickle. Moist enough means she is a good girl. You treat her carefully so you will not “mess her up.”

In fact, an entire community, or at least the designated decision makers, can have a stake in girls’ vaginas. That’s why elders can charge a higher bride price if the girl is “unspoiled.” The unspoken message conveyed is that the woman does not control her own body. It is for society to monitor and suppress, praise and scorn.

Pastors can refuse to wed a female church member who is having sex with a man she loves. Even the suspicion of sexual involvement can prevent a Christian woman from getting married in the church she attends. Let her stay outside and commit sin because that is what Jesus would have done, they suppose.

A prevailing rule mandating that only virgins can be married in the church really means that the lady must be a virgin. The man, who really cares? It’s the vagina that counts.

Some seldom call upon The Virgin Mary without including the word, “virgin” before “Mary.” Would she even be in the Bible if she were not believed to have been a virgin? The mother of God’s son should be “clean” so we have made her so by depicting her as an unspoiled woman, who had a baby. She would not have been worth anything as a childless wife. We do not talk much about Mary’s life after Jesus because it does not matter much. It was her virginity that captures approval. It’s the vagina that counts and the Virgin Mary once had a holy one.

There are Nigerian women who cringe at the suggestion of wearing a light gold wedding gown, or a champagne-tinted wedding gown because she wants to show the world that her vagina is “pure white,” wrapped in swaths of lace and satin, chained to God and to her future husband. She walks down the aisle in a pure white gown. At the reception, she dances the night away in pure white. Not ivory, pure white. The world must know that she is a fresh one to marvel at. The man beside her at the wedding altar whom she will call husband from then on, he is wearing the blackest of black suits. His bowtie is gray. His shoes are black. His socks are black, too.

In the Nigeria that I live in, men want fresh girls, just as they like fresh fish, but the girl must be fresher than what is in the soup. She has to be fresh as a baby. So children become brides, plucked from age 13, expected to spawn children at age 14, scorned if she dies in labor. Men want virgins on earth and virgins in heaven – or paradise – so they line up to bomb, kill and commit themselves to a god reckoned to enjoy the scent of spilled blood and the sound of an unfolding massacre as long as the dead are infidels. Some men want virgins in hell, but they will never find any there. All virgins go to heaven.

Nigerian men sit in stuffy airplanes for hours, coming from Belgium, London, Australia and New York, coming home to Nigeria. And in those planes, one imagines the freshness of the unspoiled village lady who will become his wife. He has never met her face-to-face, only in photographs did he see her and in fleeting phone conversations, he heard her homely voice. The Nigerian ladies abroad have all gone wild, so Nigerian men go to their home towns for a dewy-faced, high school graduate who cooks the best vegetable soup in town. Best of all, she is unspoiled. The joy of wedding an unspoiled woman can only be experienced. So the guy’s friends request vacation time from their jobs and venture to Nigeria to experience it, too.

The 2002 protest of Muslim youth who opposed the holding of the Miss World pageant in Nigeria did exactly what those youth likely wanted it to do: take those worldly girls out of Nigeria. Perhaps the presence of so many perceived spoiled women would have brought a curse on the land and everyone’s cows would have fallen over and died of an incurable plague. (In some instances, cows are more valuable than females.) That incident, which left more than 100 people dead according to the BBC, revealed a sick truth about Nigeria and the males who were offended over a ThisDay newspaper editorial that made reference to the Prophet Mohammed in regards to the Miss World contestants.

Violence against women has increased worldwide. The stories of 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai of Pakistan, Anene Booysen of South Africa, the 23-year-old woman who was raped on a bus in India are just a handful of the millions of women around the world with a similar experience. Women equality is a cause that Malawi President Joyce Banda and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stand for.

“…Where violence and abuse keep women out of the workforce and drag down communities for generations, fostering women’s economic participation grows national GDPs and personal incomes,” Clinton commented.

Female circumcision, domestic violence, honor killings, acid burnings, dowry deaths…all the violence comes down to the vagina, and the control of it. Who knew that two plump lips of skin could wreck so much havoc and hysteria? No wonder historically, it was kept under a lock and key in the form of chastity belts in some societies.

The vagina has traits. It looks like flower petals, yet smells like a servant. In societies where the vagina counts, a female is a servant to the males around her. In the home, at the workplace, at events, the female is expected to serve people and to be aware of that expectation. At anytime, a guy can turn to a woman in a particular setting and ask for a drink. She is supposed to go fetch him a drink.

In societies where the vagina counts, no matter how well a female is packaged with luxurious clothing and jewelry, a sound education or a philanthropic spirit, the condition of the vagina is still considered.  So let’s consult the Vagina Oracle to see what it will tell us. Which lady deserves to be wedded and which one may as well be left to fornicate in a den of sin? Which one can be killed? Beaten? Raped?

In societies where the vagina counts, the rise of a Condoleeza Rice, a Michelle Obama or a Margaret Thatcher seldom happens. In such societies, a wife is as good as her husband. That is why the relevance of the life of Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of Pakistan, cannot be underestimated.

In societies where little boys eat before their little sisters, get a larger portion of meat and go to school when their little sisters go to the market, those little boys imagine vaginas and what they want to do with them. Control is in his hands. That little boy will cultivate an uncanny fascination with the thing between girls’ legs and then assert his position over it, knowing that the society has given him the right to do so. That little boy may become a pastor where he can stand on the pulpit and say, “I will not wed a spoiled woman.”

Or he may become a husband who forces his wife to do what he wants her to do at a time when she does not want to do it because he paid her bride price.

Vaginas count. That’s why some readers will count the number of times the word ‘vagina’ in used in this piece. And others will fortify their position that the condition of a woman’s vagina is a reliable assessment of her worth.

In elementary schools in the United States, many children are taught a song with lyrics that go like this:
My body’s nobody’s body but mine
You rule your own body,
let me rule mine

But in societies where the vagina counts, that song is a lie. Girls and women do not rule their bodies, especially not their vaginas.

And being called “spoiled” means she is as good as dead.

By Chika Oduah |  Published in BellaNaija on Wednesday March 6, 2013

Malawian President Joyce Banda. — Photo by Reuters

LILONGWE: Malawian police arrested four former cabinet ministers on Monday on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government after the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika in April last year, police said.

The four, who included the late Mutharika’s younger brother, Peter, were found by an official inquiry to have tried to prevent then vice-president Joyce Banda from taking power, as stipulated in the constitution.

“In total, four former ministers have been arrested for questioning in connection with the investigations into the death of the President as revealed in the inquiry report,” police spokeswoman Rhoda Majolo said.

Banda took charge of the impoverished southern African nation after the unexpected death of Mutharika, who spent his last years in office cracking down on opponents and battling with diplomats.

The United States and other key western donors suspended aid in 2011 after police shot and killed at least 20 protesters demonstrating against Mutharika’s rule.

Banda, who had also fallen out of favour with Mutharika by the time of his death, set up an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the incident after conflicting reports about when he died.

Its findings, revealed last week, showed Mutharika died of a heart attack on his way to hospital in Lilongwe on April 5, and not on April 7 in South Africa, as originally claimed by the government and Mutharika’s family.

The report also revealed that Peter Mutharika, who was then foreign minister, and former finance minister Goodall Gondwe attempted to convince the army to take over and stop Banda from ascending to power.

Peter: Accused of plotting to stop Pres.Banda from ascending to power

A commission of inquiry into the death of President Mutharika revealed shocking details of how the two, including Bright Msaka, the chief secretary to the office of the president and cabinet, tried to block then Vice President Joyce Banda from ascending to power circumventing the Constitution.

The inquiry also revealed that Mutharika died on April 5, 2012 on his way to the hospital in the capital Lilongwe and not in South Africa as claimed by government and the late President’s family last year.

The damning report showcased how the three officials flipped flop in their statements made before the Commission when they were asked to explain why the Vice President was kept in the dark about the death of Mutharika.

Gondwe is still in cabinet serving President Joyce Banda as Minister of Economic Planning and Peter Mutharika took over from his late brother as President of the Democratic Progressive Party, now an infleuntial opposition force in parliament.

Msaka still heads of the public service. Many expect the trio to resign because of the damning evidence in the report against them.

According to the Commission of Inquiry Report, when doctors pronounced President Mutharika dead at Kamuzu Central Hospital—a public hospital in the capital Lilongwe— Peter Muntharika called Msaka aside and asked him if the Malawi Defence Force would take over. Here is an extract of Chapter 3 of the report which details what happened

CHAPTER 3
EVIDENCE TAKEN REGARDING ISSUES OF TRANSITION OF STATE
POWER

3.1 EVENTS ON 5th APRIL, 2012

3.1.1 Discussions at Kamuzu Central Hospital

The illness of the President, his admission at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) and his eventual death, created panic among Cabinet Ministers, Government officials and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) functionaries. Discussions regarding the issue of succession started right at the hospital in the afternoon of 5th April 2012.

Late Mutharika. His death almost led to a coup

Calista pays her last respects in April this year.

“He died on the way to the hospital and that was within minutes of his collapse before the ambulance reached hospital. The ambulance arrived at the hospital at about 11:25 am and the President was brought in dead,” said Justice Elton Singini, Chairman of the commission of inquiry.

Singini, who presented the findings to President Joyce Banda, also disclosed that the 78-year-old leader had a history of heart problems and had suffered a minor attack in 2009.

He explained that medical personnel at Kamuzu Central Hospital – one of the biggest and ill equipped public hospitals where he was rushed to – made attempts to resuscitate him but that was already too late.

“At around 2:30 pm doctors at the hospital pronounced him dead and informed the authorities of that fact… The cause of death of President Bingu wa Mutharika was irregular beating of his heart at that moment of his collapse, called cardiac arrhythmia, which resulted in him suffering a cardiac arrest,” he said.

His death was celebrated by many Malawians who blamed Mutharika personally for the economic woes, which stemmed ultimately from a diplomatic spat with former colonial power Britain a year ago.

Prominent women’s rights campaigner Joyce Banda was sworn in as Malawi’s president a few days later in a peaceful transition, becoming southern Africa’s first female head of state and raising hopes for a fresh start.

Aid-dependent Malawi had slid into economic crisis as Mutharika squabbled with major western donors who then froze millions of dollars of assistance.

But since Banda took over, all the major donors have unlocked funds and the IMF programme is back on track. However, her attempts to the right the economy by devaluing the local currency against major currencies has worsened the standard of living and made life unbearable for many.

Hon. Ephraim Chiume, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malawi (2nd left), signs the Joint Letter of Application seeking mediation of the Lake Nyasa border dispute with Tanzania, while the Malawi Attorney General Anthony Kamanga (2nd right) witnessing the occasion, together with two Legal Service Officers from the Malawi Government. (December 2012 Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Blog)

Malawian women sought divine intervention last week on the lake dispute, while online commentators claimed that the mediation of the dispute has been compromised. The stand-off between Malawi and Tanzania on Lake Malawi’s (or Lake Nyasa) boundaries is currently being discussed by the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Forum of Former African Heads of State and Government, which is chaired by Mozambique’s former president Joaquim Chissano.

The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that the Malawian government is unhappy about the Tanzanian national, Professor John Tesha, who is the Executive Secretary of the Forum, stating that he may compromise the resolution process.

Foreign Affairs minister Ephraim Mganda Chiume explained to the press on Saturday that

We expressed the same to the forum. We were also concerned about the security of our submissions considering that the executive secretary is Tanzanian. As to whether he should remain executive secretary or recuse himself, is a matter for the forum to decide.

We have expressed those concerns to the chairperson of the forum. Even when I was submitting our position as Malawi to former Mozambican president Joachim Chissano, we actually expressed those concerns and even looking at the security of our submissions considering that Tanzania had not made theirs.

So we were concerned about the security of the submission considering that the executive secretary of the forum is Tanzanian.

Chiume also noted that no further exclusive prospecting licences will be given to companies interested in prospecting for oil in the lake while the dispute remains unresolved. Currently, two companies, Surestream Petroleum and SacOil, have been issued licences by the Malawian government for three out of the six zones.

If the Forum is unable to settle on a mutually-acceptable resolution, Chiume said the case would be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, Tanzania is not a signatory of the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction clause so it is not bound by its decisions.

Meanwhile, Malawi’s president Joyce Banda has expressed optimism about the potential foreign exchange earnings from the mining sector.

Malawi’s government set up a taskforce in 2010 to pave the way for Malawi to sign up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). It is also one of the guidelines in Malawi’s National Export Strategy, launched December 2012.

Last week, The Nation published an interview with the Executive Director of Citizens For Justice (CFJ), one of the main Non-Governmental Organisations involved in lobbying for the country to sign up to the EITI.

Reinford Mwangonde, the Executive Director for CFJ, explained that the future looks bright for Malawi’s mining sector, but that the EITI is an important component of ensuring transparency in the sector. Part of the interview between Mwangonde and Edwin Nyirongo, a journalist with The Nation, is replicated below. For the full interview, see “Malawi’s Mining Future Looks Bright“.

Why do you think it is necessary for Malawi to be a compliant country?

Malawi is now home to a number of local and multinational corporations with interest in extractive industries. Like many countries in Africa, Malawi is optimistic that mining ventures will translate into socio-economic development of the country. This, however, can only be possible if the country does not fall into the trap of the resource curse driven by poor governance. Secondly, the Government of Malawi has listed mineral development among its top five goals under the Malawi Growth Development Strategy II. Furthermore, mining is listed under the Economic Recovery Plan-(ERP) as one of the pillars to strengthen the country’s economy. It is, therefore, imperative that the country ought to establish mechanisms that will foster proper management and governance of natural resources wealth.

Are there other benefits?

EITI will improve Malawi’s transparency index at the international level, and that has a number of benefits for this country, which is at the bottom of the governance index.  Up and above, the transparent collection, usage and auditing of resource revenues will increase Malawi’s economic growth, which may in turn help reduce poverty in a country dependent on agriculture.

Why do you think some countries still resist joining EITI?

There is a myth about EITI and some countries such as South Africa have not shown much interest in it. EITI is seen as another donor imposition, but that is not true because membership to this organisation is voluntary; any country can choose to join or not. Secondly, EITI is seen as a double standard tool against poor African countries, but this is illogical because the initiative has shown to benefit more African countries where resource curses have been rampart than in western countries.

What is Malawi Government’s response to the matter?

The Government of Malawi has been exploring whether it can adopt EITI as a tool to enhance its collection, tracking and governance of revenue from extractive industries. The first national workshop on EITI took place in 2010 and a task-force comprising of government departments, civil society organisations and private companies was established to drive the exploratory processes. In essence, we have made strides as a country to show ample interest in EITI and there seems to be strong indicators from the President that she is serious about transparency.

Are you satisfied with the way the mining sector in run in Malawi?

The country has a number of challenges at institutional level, policy/ legal frameworks and human capacity. The three factors combined have a huge factor in whether Malawi will benefit from its minerals. Government departments that govern the industry are under-funded and under-staffed. The policy and legal framework regulating the sector needs to be updated and officials in the Ministry of Mines need further capacity building.

President Dr joyce Banda has promised to build a heroes acre a place where all heroes will be buried in respect for there couragous in sacrificing there lives fighting for freedom.

Banda made the promise during this years Matyrs day remembrance memorial service held in Nkhata-bay under the theme”with God is possible to develop malawi”.

The head of state said that she had already set a committe to look at the bulding of the acre and trance some freedom fighters who are still alive.

During her speech madam president accused the former ruling Democratic progressive party officials for stealing money from the state house during the death of Bingu wa mutharika.

“l recelved report from one of the state house police officers that the door on which the money was keept was broked,”said Banda.

On the food security Banda plea to malawians that they should not sale this years farm produce outside malawi inorder to eradicate hunger in malawi.

On her remarks Banda asked security officers to make sure that farm produce are not exported outside malawi.

The martys day was set as a public holiday in Malawi to comemorate the death of over 20 people who were short to death on 3 rd march 1959 as they were domostrating aganist the government over the arrest of some prominient Malawian nationalists, over 1300 were detained and many were wounded during what was called state of emergercy.

28 February 2013, Lilongwe. Malawi and the United Arab Emirates meet to discuss mining. Sheikh Said Bin Saqirbin Muhammed Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Rasai of the UAE met with Malawi’s President Joyce Banda (Credit: Mana Online)

Yesterday, Joyce Banda, Malawi’s president, met with mining investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe. His Highness Sheikh Saidi Bin Saqirbin Muhammed Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Rasai of the UAE, led the foreign delegation.

Malawi’s Minister of Mining, John Bande, who has recently been embroiled in a land dispute with an orphanage, addressed the press,

United Arab Emirates is a country which is very advanced in the sector of mining, their mission is to help us in building up capacity in the mining sector so that we as a country also benefit from the industry.

As I have already said, our friends are more advanced when it comes to mining, Malawi as a country which is just venturing into the industry needs to partner with such countries so that we can learn a lot from them and help us address the gaps that exist in our mining industry.

We wonder if they are interested in acquiring a zone to explore for hydrocarbons in Lake Malawi. Three zones remain although the boundaries of Lake Malawi are currently under dispute.

It is our hope that assistance in this sector will be in the form of enhancing skills along the mining value chain. The Malawian government would be well advised to get on board with the African Mineral Skills Initiative (AMSI) launched by AngloGold Ashanti and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Investing in human resources is important because the skills shortage is one of the current challenges cited by AMSI as a barrier “to using Africa’s mineral reserves as a catalyst for growth”.

To learn more about this initiative, read an article written earlier this month, “On the dismissed University Bill and enhancing skills in Malawi’s mining sector“. Let us know what you think.

Surestream Petroleum and SacOil awarded exclusive prospecting licences by the Malawian government for 3 zones in Lake Malawi. This decision has seen Tanzania renew claims that 50% of the lake is within its territory. (Credit: Malawi2014)

The boundaries of Lake Malawi are contested. Tanzania claims 50% of the lake they call Lake Nyasa belongs within its own territory, while Malawi claims full ownership, based on an 1890 colonial agreement (Heligoland) made between the colonial administrations at the time, Germany and Britain, that was since upheld by the African Union. The Malawian and Tanzanian governments were unable to settle the dispute last year. Consequently, the case is currently being discussed by the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Forum of Former African Heads of State and Government, which is chaired by Mozambique’s former president Joaquim Chissano.

This dispute is not new, however, it resurfaced following the Malawian government’s issuance of exclusive prospecting licence to two companies, Surestream Petroleum and SacOil, for three zones in the lake. The companies will explore for oil.

Yesterday was a busy day for the online discussion of Lake Malawi with deep concerns that Malawi will lose part of the lake now that the decision lies with the Forum, or with the International Court of Justice should the Forum be unable to make a decision. Calls have been made for Malawi to pull out of the mediation process.

Two opinion pieces were published online by Nyasa Times (“Lake Malawi Now More Likely To Be Divided“ by Dr. Cedrick Ngalande and “Special Editorial: Malawi – Stand up for what is yours, Lake Malawi“) as well as an open letter to Malawi’s president Joyce Banda with the subject “Serious Alert on Tanzanian Resolve and Strategem to Seize Lake Malawi” written by Z Allan Ntata and available on the Malawi Breaking News and Vacancies page on Facebook.

Ngalande notes in the beginning of his piece “Lake Malawi Now More Likely To Be Divided” that he is disturbed because “we find ourselves today trying to defend a lake that has always been known to be ours”. He believes that the faltering leadership in the country will mean that the lake will be divided. He writes

When the Tanzanians started talking of part ownership of the lake, government should have told them off, and should have advised them to take the issue to international justice systems if they wished to do so.

Ngalande is concerned about the choice of mediator for the dispute and argues that an international justice system would have been a better platform for determining a resolution, since

Anybody with the slightest knowledge of liberation movements in this region knows that Chissano is buddies with most high-ranking people in Tanzania. Tanzania is Chissano’s second home. Malawi does not have much sympathy from former freedom fighters in this region because of our support for the failed RENAMO and close relationship with the then apartheid South Africa. Arbitrations by leaders in this region between Malawi and any SADC country are therefore likely to be highly skewed against us.

The author of the “Special Editorial: Malawi – Stand up for what is yours, Lake Malawi” also believes that the mediation is compromised because

Reports are rife that Tanzania has co-opted corrupt but powerful and well-funded fiends with interests in the lake. This is to say the least, unfair, in bad faith, given that the African elders are yet to determine the ownership.[...]

Tanzania’s envoys are, as we speak, all over the world, palm-oiling decision makers to make sure that the outcome of the Lake Malawi mediation is decided in Tanzania’s favour.

To be specific, big oil conglomerates are in Dar es Salaam negotiating for oil deals to do with our part of the lake, a development t which is a slap in our faces given that Tanzania never wanted us to even prospect for oil.

Once again, the leadership of Malawi takes a hit for its poor performance to date on the lake dispute

For once, our leadership must steer clear of the bad habit of focussing on the mundane when danger is lurking.  The type of leadership that Malawi needs now is not the ostrich type because by the time we lift our heads out of the sand, we will have nothing with which to quench our thirst – our lake having been seized.

Finally, the author agrees with Ngalande that the dispute should be resolved internationally and not regionally,

The first thing is to immediately withdraw from the now compromised mediation effort. The second thing is to gather intelligence on what Tanzania has been up to behind the scenes. And the third thing is to go to the Hague for a settlement under international law.

In his open letter to the president, Ntata suggests that the Tanzanian is ensuring the “deck is stacked against Malawi” through intelligence he claims to have seen that reveals

[...] the conspiracy that is being orchestrated by the most powerful and well-funded parties who have an interest in the lake, not, of course, in favour of the interests of Malawi. As we speak, the undercover apparatus of foreign governments is picking up and processing intelligence cables about Malawi whose details and motives your government and the people of Malawi are probably not privy to [...].

I am betraying my patriotism if I do not mention to you that as I write this letter, madam, big oil companies are in Dar es Salaam negotiating for oil deals to do with our part of the lake, a development that am certain is flying in the face of your government because of the docility in our approach to this matter.

Ntata, like the authors of the other articles, deems Malawi’s handling of the dispute as inadequate

Meanwhile, Your Excellency, the people that you have appointed and entrusted with the critical responsibility of dealing with these matters, including protecting our country with intelligence gathering, are comfortable with doing nothing out of either their ignorance or their belief that all is well, while their counterparts are travelling all over the world palm-oiling decision makers to make sure that the outcome of the Lake Malawi mediation is decided in Tanzania’s favour. [...]

I must humbly urge you, Your Excellency, to still apply your thoughts and undivided attention to the storm brewing over Lake Malawi, for if unchecked, it will tarnish whatever legacy you hope to leave for Malawi.

Lastly, singing the same tune, Ntata advises that Malawi should withdraw from the mediation and hints at ensuring the military is in place

I urge Your Excellency to pull out of the mediation effort immediately and only address this matter when enough intelligence is available of what Tanzania is doing and a clear Malawian strategy for dealing with the Tanzanian threat is formulated. In the meantime, it would be wise to deploy the defence forces to closely guard and monitor the lake and ensure that our possession of it remains certain.

Meanwhile, lakeshore fishing communities are worried about the likely costs of the decision about the boundaries and oil exploration, and Likoma Island’s residents are struggling as the main ferry, the Ilala, is currently out of service.

Update 4 March 2013: The Daily News, Tanzania’s leading online news edition, responded to the article Nyasa Times published on the 28 February 2013 ”Special Editorial: Malawi – Stand up for what is yours, Lake Malawi“. Munyaga described the article has having

made sweeping, reckless, and careless accusations against Tanzania as regards the border dispute between the two countries on Lake Nyasa.

Furthermore, he argues that the media should have upheld “civilized conduct” while the SADC Forum goes through the case.

In any case, trial by the media is unacceptable. With due respect, journalists would make the worst jurists, as the case of the Nyasa Times special editorial shows, they are often prone to making unsubstantiated claims, which in jurisprudence would amount to nothing but a travesty of justice.

It is worth noting that the article points out Tanzania is not a signatory of the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction clause so it is not bound by its decisions. If the Forum is unable to resolve the case and the ICJ hears the case, Tanzania may not abide by a final ruling.

Update 13 March 2013: Chiume, Malawi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, has also come under attack with commentators asserting that he is conspiring against Malawi’s interests.

“Joyce and Chrissie were best friends growing up together in rural Malawi. Joyce was smart, but Chrissie was the best student in primary school. And yet, when it was time to make the step up to secondary school, Chrissie’s family couldn’t afford the $6 fee. While Joyce continued her education, Chrissie married early, had many children and never left the village.”

Today, Joyce has grown and flourished as a gender activist, role model and political leader. She is President Hon. Joyce Banda of the republic of Malawi. She is the second female head of state in Africa and an uncompromising advocate of girls’ education.

Click here to read about her vision on Girl Effect! A vision that wishes for intelligence, creativity and joy for all women and girls in Malawi. We here at Tilimbikile envision this reality and hope for a future for all girls marked with education, equality and opportunity.

Prophet Ernest Scaver

The Lilongwe based Prophet Ernest Scaver of Mount Sermon Ministries says currently people are not giving any chance to the party in question to take the leadership.

“I am seeing a certain party not anticipated by people to take the government,” prophesized the man of God.

Prophet Scaver then called for Malawians to stand united in prayers as the nation braces for the first tripartite elections in just under 12 months.

At the moment, indications are that the governing Peoples Party (PP) will face a daunting challenge from mainly two former ruling parties of Atupele Muluzi (United Democratic Front-UDF) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whose interim leader is Peter Mutharika.

Prophet Scaver said God had told him to tell the Malawi Government to do three things so that He can manifest His hand of mercy.

The Prophet said, among what he was told, was that government must confess that God was speaking through His prophets in Malawi and people must respect his prophetic words.

The government, said the prophet, must also organise a special day for national prayers and announce it as a public holiday with only his prophets being invited to lead the gathering.

At the gathering, Prophet Scaver said the Malawi leader shall stand and confess that “Jesus was indeed Lord over Malawi.”
“Lastly Her Excellency President Joyce Banda has to confess that indeed she turned away from God by tolerating evil things to happen in her administration by accepting bad advices and repent so that she can live and be like before when she was evangelizing the Gospel.

Let her improve her spiritual life,” explained the prophet.

“Then put this day to be remembered as a public holiday. Everyone should gather every year with all government leaders for national prayers.”

In June 2012, Prophet Scaver also prophesied about the death of mutiny leader in Madagascar and the alliance of political parties against the former government both of which came to pass. @ Nyasatimes

Under fire: Joyce Banda for her decision to attend the South America-Africa Summit yesterday in Equatorial Guinea despite the ongoing nationwide civil service strikes that were resolved last night (Credit: The Maravi Post)

Amid week-long nationwide strikes, Joyce Banda, Malawi’s president, left the country yesterday in a jet provided by the president of Equatorial Guinea. Banda is attending the 3rd Summit of the Forum on Africa and South America held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to improve South-South cooperation. Mining is evidently on the agenda, along with energy, infrastructure, trade, investment, security, transportation, tourism, and science and technology.

Back home, an estimated 120,000 civil servants, including teachers, nurses and doctors, were on strike demanding wage increases. National airports were closed yesterday and the day before, leading to the cancellation of all international flights. Rumours suggest that the president was able to fly out of Malawi with the assistance of the defense force which took over operations at the airport while the usual staff were striking.

Trade Unions, led by the Civil Service Trade Union (CSTU), have been demanding a 65% increase in salaries necessitated, they argue, by the rapidly escalating living costs. However, according to Malawi’s Minister of Trade, Ken Lipenga, the country is unable to meet the demands

Currently our wage bill is 97 billion kwacha ($277 million), and if we agree to their demands, this will almost triple to 276 billion kwacha, which is equivalent to the whole national budget.

One opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party, released a press statement that suggested the figure Lipenga quoted was a “deliberate miscalculation” and far higher than the demands of civil servant. It is not clear whether or not Lipenga included other demands (increased allowances) in the MWK 276 billion figure (approximately USD 788 million).

Other opposition parties also chimed in. Friday Jumbe, president of the New Labour Party, criticised Banda’s move to attend the summit during the “crisis”, and these sentiments were echoed by Ken Ndanga, spokesperson of the United Democratic Front.

Primary school kids protest in Blantyre against President Joyce Banda as their teachers go on strike (Credit: The Maravi Post)

Outcries over the ill-timing of Banda’s trip were accompanied by images of protesting primary school children in downtown Blantyre, Malawi’s commercial capital. The children protesting against Joyce Banda, evidently angry about the ongoing teachers strike, were met by police dressed in full riot gear who blocked students from Sanjika Palace and stoning Joyce Banda Foundation School buildings. Tear gas is also reported to have been used to disperse school children in Lilongwe . One journalist tweeted:

President Joyce Banda flies out of the country as primary school kids in Blantyre take to the streets in protest. #Malawi

— Suzgo Khunga (@suzgokhunga) February 21, 2013

As the president was leaving the country yesterday afternoon from Chileka International Airport, Blantyre, she announced that she had put in place an agreement to increase the salary of civil servants. She said

Let me stress here that as I am leaving I have left some offer that whatever the case, civil servants should get salary increment. Looking at the way life is now, civil servants’ pay is supposed to be hiked by any means. I cannot say much, everybody knows what our country is going through.

Last night, the CSTU president, Elia Kamphinda Banda, the Teachers Union of Malawi general secretary, Dennis Kalekeni, and the Government Negotiating Team met in Lilongwe, the country’s capital, and agreed on a reviewed civil servants’ salary structure. The lowest paid civil servants will receive a 61 percent increment (basic salary increase from MWK 18,000 to MWK 29,000 (approximately, USD 50 increased to USD 80)) and the highest paid civil servants will receive a 5 percent increase to be paid in arrears from January 2013.  This is to be financed by massive budgetary allocation cuts to some ministries and government departments.

The agreement has brought an end to the strike. However, Henry Kachaje, the well-known economic commentator of Business Consult Africa, pointed out that the increase in salary is not likely to be effective in the face of increasing inflation

Government has to raise money to foot the bill: It may raise taxes to businesses, who also raise prices of food and other essentials including transport costs; this leads to a further depreciation of the Kwacha, then the landlords raise house rentals, at the end of the spiral…. the real buying power value gained from the salary hike may be some 10% – 20%!

The economic reforms instituted by Banda, who became president following the sudden death of Bingu wa Mutharika in April 2012, have been backed by the International Monetary Fund and donors. Commentators in Malawi note that while Banda may be hailed a golden girl by the donors and abroad, the situation on the ground is more painful.

Joyce Banda continues to be hailed internationally, amid criticism in Malawi that she is kowtowing to the IMF and other donors’ demands which are leading to rising living costs.  (Credit: Lip Smile)

Banda’s has struck a mutually beneficial deal with the the civil servants; the civil servants are temporarily happy over the increase in salary and Banda must be happy that civil servants are returning to their jobs. We hope that any agreements made at the summit she is currently attending will be as mutually beneficial. The government has high hopes that the summit will reinvigorate the working relationship between South American countries and Malawi as well as other African countries represented.

We will be discussing any developments related to the mining sector.

Update 25 February 2013: No information was provided on discussions or any agreements made in the mining sector, however, Malawi has agreed on a “veggies export deal” to start exporting fresh and dry vegetables to Equatorial Guinea. Very little other information related to Malawi is available following the summit.

Among those making noise are Dr. Joyce Mtila Banda (62), the current president of Malawi, who is running on People’s Party (PP) ticket. President Banda, who founded of PP, will want to ensure she gets a full term to prove to her critics she can make a difference. Banda has faced heavy criticism under what she calls “emergency leadership” due to her devaluation and flotation of the Malawi currency, which has affected the country’s economy in the last few months.

Second is Atupele Austin Muluzi (34), son to former president Bakili Muluzi. He champions the Agenda for Change on the United Democratic Front (UDF). He ditched the PP government after some bigwigs in PP hurled insulting comments about his political career. Young Muluzi seems to win the support of young and middle class voters. However, others are of the view that his father is behind his political motivation.

Democratic Progessive (DPP) and Malawi Congress (MCP) parties are yet to choose their presidential candidates at their forth coming conventions.

But until such a time, Arthur Peter Mutharika (72), has been wooing support for candidacy in DPP. Mutharika has just returned from his US trip which was rumored to be an invitation from White House incumbent Barak Obama. The younger Mutharika has a great challenge to convince the local masses that he is pro Malawian if he wants to be successful in the polls.

From MCP, John Z. U. Tembo (80), recently shocked the nation when he announced that he will contest for MCP candidacy at the convention. People have questioned his seriousness as he earlier said he was considering to step down from active politics to allow new blood to take over. There is a great outcry asking Tembo to step down and pave way for new leadership.

There are many more hopefuls eyeing the Malawi presidency and I hope to share their views in my subsequent posts. I hope you will enjoy as we see how these events unfold for the Warm Heart of Africa.

NzN

Kayelekera: view over plant from camp (Credit: Paladin Energy)

In January, at the launch of the Government of Malawi, World Bank and European Union Malawi Mining Growth and Governance Support Project, Malawi’s president Joyce Banda hailed Paladin’s contribution to Malawi’s economy and expressed that

I am praying so hard that the prices [of uranium] will go up as it is the first mining project so we need it to succeed.

Paladin Energy has been hit by the low uranium prices. It reported an impairment charge of USD 96 million at its Kayelekera uranium mine in Malawi. Paladin Energy’s subisidiary Paladin Africa operates Malawi’s largest mine in Karonga, northern Malawi.

Paladin Energy also announced a half year net loss of USD 193.5 million even though production levels were up at both the mine in Malawi and the Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia.

Simon Tonkin, Patersons Securities, said that Paladin has been tracking well with notable effective efforts to cut costs and increase output. Tonkin confirmed the content of Banda’s prayer; he explained that

A positive turn in uranium prices would move Paladin into profitability.

An increase in uranium prices is likely with the restarting of Japan’s nuclear reactors, set for July this year.

On Wednesday last week, John Bande, Malawi’s Minister of Mining gave a presentation to an audience attending the world’s largest mining investment conference, Investing in African Mining Indaba, that took place in Cape Town, South Africa.

On Thursday, Chris Bishop of ABN met with Bande to discuss how Malawi plans to position itself as one of the premier  mining destinations for investors. It was broadcast on CNBC Africa and can be viewed online. We have produced a transcript of the 5-minute interview that you can read below.

Please also see our Editor’s Note at the bottom of the page.

Transcript

Bande: Malawi would like now to look differently at issues. We’ve always relied on agriculture, but this time with the new president in place, Mrs Joyce Banda decided that why don’t we also improve on mining. Currently, mining only contributes 10% of the GDP, but we’d love to see it in the medium- to long-term contributing 20%. So that she has done by coming up with a Ministry that stands alone – we’re calling it Ministry of Mining – separated from Energy Ministry.

Interviewer: Now your main mining activities are uranium. Could you give us an idea of the sort scale that you’ve reached with that already? And what your export markets are?

Bande: Uranium, yes, currently is a big export earner in billions of our money, but it’s not all we have in Malawi. We have very large deposits of coal, bauxite and other industrial minerals like iron ore, graphite. So, at the moment, we can talk of uranium, yes, but it’s not all. And at the moment also we still feel that because of the accident in Japan the price of uranium has been affected and we feel it has also affected our revenues, yes, but now we have seen that there’s a trend going up, by 2 dollars at the moment, which is okay. As far as that trend continues we believe that uranium will still continue to be our revenue earner.

Interviewer: What other areas of mining are you trying to open up? You mention there bauxite and coal. Are there any other commodities you have in the ground?

Bande: Yes, we have so much in our area in Malawi. We have got gold, we have diamonds. but what we want to do as a country is, we’ve got a project going by the World Bank and the EU and the French Government. This will mean us coming up with geodata. It will be a collection of data by flying the aircrafts that will be airborne geodata collecting and that will bring us a list of all the mineral that we have in our country. That project will help us also to attract investors to our country because now we will have high-level digital information on what exactly we have in our country.

Interviewer: One of the problems you have got is that you are a landlocked country, you don’t have any ports, particularly with coal you’ve got to move vast amounts to make it pay, what are you going to do then?

Bande: Malawi does not work in isolation. We are in SADC and COMESA. At the moment, we are working with the Mozambique Government to ensure that the Vale project that starts from Mozambique to mine coal also stretches to Malawi. So much so that we through our leader Mrs Joyce Banda convinced Vale that they should pass through Malawi. So the rail line that Vale’s building from Mozambique will pass through Malawi to connect to another part of Mozambique. And Malawi shall also use that one to transport its minerals, agricultural produce and its people. So we shall benefit from the Vale project that is now happening.

Interviewer: And you will be exporting then through Mozambique?

Bande: Yes, through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean.

Interviewer: In years to come, how much more significant do you think Malawi will be at an event like the Mining Indaba?

Bande: We believe that Malawi cannot just be an unfortunate country. We have seen Mozambique doing well, we have seen Zambia doing well, we have seen Tanzania. We are all in the Rift Valley and we believe that Malawi, though we have old geodata and that information has told us that there’s so much that we have in our country. The new information that will come through this project by the World Bank will really bring a lot of information that will attract more investment. We cannot just be the ones unfortunate and our lake also has shown very big, serious deposits of oil.

***

Editor’s Note: Bande’s statement that “Mrs Joyce Banda convinced Vale that they should pass through Malawi” is misleading. In fact, in 2010, Vale approached the Malawian government, under Bingu wa Mutharika, through the Ministry of Transport and Public Infrastructure with a proposal for constructing and rehabilitating a rail line between Vale’s Moatize coal mine in Tete, Mozambique, to the port of Nacala that will run through Malawi as part of the logistical solution for the export of about 18 million tonnes of coal annually. The deal was signed in 2011. Joyce Banda broke the ground for the project in December 2012, two years after the government was approached about the deal.

Nyasa Times has since covered the story, “Minister Bande lies about JB allowing Brazil’s Vale to Malawi” (12 February 2012).

So our president is now Dr Joyce Banda! Well, I guess congratulations are in order. I am always happy for every Malawian who gets some international recognition and the fact that a university in South Korea — we are told a top-10 institution in that country — has singled out my President for special recognition is something that I am very gratified with. Sincerely, I must emphasise.

Of course, you have to admire the irony of it all or, if you like, the university’s sense of humour. The one thing that is making President Banda’s presidency uncomfortable is the economy and it is difficult to fathom why anyone should pick that as an issue to honour her on. Everybody knows that the election fight next year will become difficult for her on account of the state of the economy.

That is why she will resist any calls to stay put at Kamuzu Palace or Sanjika Palace. By being seen in public dolling out bags of maize and flour she hopes people are going to forget about the ever-rising prices of commodities and consider her in the ballot booth because of “that bag”. It is not rocket science to figure it out and understand what others have termed as arrogance.

You see, the President has done a few things for which an honorary degree could have been justified. Safe Motherhood, for example, is one area where no one would have argued had any university decided to honour her for it. Conferring on her such a distinguished accolade on an area in which her performance is most contentious appears a really sick and ill-timed joke in my view.

More nauseating is the fact that the President has decided to embrace the honour. Government stationery and portraits are going to be changed to accommodate the development. For me it is enough effrontery to accept an honour that many consider to be an insult but to buttress that pertness by spending our scarce resources on touting the joke of recognition is taking people’s patience for granted.

I have heard arguments that only new requests of portraits will be affected but I have not arrived in Malawi yesterday. What will happen is that portraits that are already hanging will be quietly removed to be replaced with new ones. Those offices that will retain old portraits will face polite queries on what message they are trying to send by sticking to the discarded ones. Within a few months you will no longer see the old portraits.

All this only goes to emphasise what I have said many times before that instead of progressing, our politics is retrogressing. It is like someone cast a spell on our otherwise beautiful nation because it is a continuation of the retarded politics that was started by the UDF in 1995. Somehow the party felt their leader was falling short having replaced a man of sound education and thought there would be some parity by getting a similar title for new head of state.

It has now reached a point where our politicians ridiculously think one cannot become a fully-fledged president of the Republic of Malawi unless they have the title Dr affixed to their name. This vanity needs to come to an end because, as I said elsewhere within the past week, it is perfectly legal to be president of this country without that title and one does not start thinking like a doctor just because they are addressed as such.

I am not sure whether it was in jest or not but a foreign friend of mine argued that it was alright for people to make noise about the title because it would inspire young girls. What he failed to explain to me was what would inspire any girl if they knew they could become doctors without getting into a classroom. For me, it is those that resist the temptation to massage their egos in such manner that would inspire anyone.

I know the President thinks the media, especially those of us in print, have an agenda against her and she made sure she alluded to that point when she spoke at the National Anti-Corruption Day commemoration activities in Mangochi when she talked of people suffering in silence because of unfair media coverage, but if only she took what we write for what it really is she would have realised that she has her best friends in the media.

With civil society having hibernated and making a token appearance only a few days ago by saying very little of substance, the media is the only section of society that has attempted to ensure that this government stays on course. With some exceptions of course, the media has kept its eyes on the ball while our one-time vocal activists have been blinded by government’s apparent listening nature or have been waiting on the wings for possible public sector appointments.

What our esteemed NGO leaders have failed to appreciate is that it is in the interest of every government to have a quiet civil society. What differs is the method of achieving that. They can use threats as was the case in the previous regime or they can use the charm of appearing to be listening even where they do nothing about what they hear. It has taken our activists 10 months to wake up and, even then, not so impressively.

But, in a bit of serendipity, The New York Times featured a blog post just yesterday highlighting another piece of the Initiative: efforts to engage powerful chiefs to lead many of the community mobilization components of the Initiative.  The Times piece highlights some encouraging signs that this effort, which aims to engage a broad spectrum of community members in efforts to encourage women to seek antenatal care and skilled care at delivery will be  successful – unlike previous national policies, which were enacted without this sort of attention to community engagement.

The Times is not alone in singling out President Banda for her attention to addressing Malawi’s dire maternal health situation. In fact, just last week, her commitment was also highlighted in a recent Comment on progress toward the MDGs in The Lancet by President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and Jens Stoltenburg, Prime Minister of Norway. The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Smart Global Health website also published this interview with President Banda in January, where she articulated a vision of bold, ambitious change, driven by efforts to keep girls in school longer, ensure access to family planning and improve maternal health. Hopefully, these efforts – and the urgency President Banda brings to them – will not only continue to draw this sort of attention, but will have a real impact on women’s lives in Malawi.

Source: Maternal Health Task Force

She gave the speech at the opening of the 44th session of parliament in Lilongwe, Malawi.

As Banda discussed achievements during the first half of the 2012-2013 financial year, she highlighted the restoration and establishment of diplomatic relations and indicated, with certainty, that the dispute with Tanzania over Lake Malawi will be resolved peacefully.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Honourable Members, with regard to the dispute on the Lake Malawi boundary between the Republic of Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania, I wish to report that the two Governments agreed to amicably resolve the issue through peaceful and diplomatic means. On the 31st January 2013, Malawi submitted its Opening Statement which articulates our position to the Africa Forum for Former Heads of State and Government from the Southern African Development Community Region which has been invited to mediate on the dispute. This submission avows our support of the Forum and the mediation role that the Forum has taken on and our respect for the experience and wisdom of the members of the Forum: President Joaquim Chissano, President Quett Masire, President Kenneth Kaunda and President Thabo Mbeki.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Let me inform the Honourable House that if a mutually acceptable solution cannot be reached through the efforts of the Forum the matter must go, as Malawi and Tanzania have already agreed, to the International Court of Justice. A solution respectful of the rule of law is the only responsible way forward.

Joyce Banda (Credit: Christine Butler)

Banda, who was recently recognised with an honorary Doctorate in Economics by a South Korean university, Jeonju University, for her efforts to improve Malawi’s economy, addressed the nation under the heading of “Unity of Purpose Towards Economic Recovery”, alluding often to the 18-month Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) that she unveiled mid last year. This plan, her efforts and the honorary doctorate have all come under fire over the last few weeks.

Point of Order, Ralph Mawera, The Nation (2013)

In spite of her critics, in the State of the Nation Address, she declared that this year will be,

A year that demands of us to draw on the energy and ingenuity of the nation to give birth to something that will surely be new, good and beautiful, and that is a new Malawi.

A Malawi sustained by a growing economy capable of extending sustainable and equitable benefits to all our people.

A Malawi that is food secure with a modernised, commercialised and industrialized agriculture where farming is managed as a business. A Malawi that has expanded irrigation agriculture of two growing seasons a year.

A Malawi generating enough power to support both domestic and industrial needs.

A Malawi that is a world class destination for tourism with a vibrant culture and thriving art industry.

A Malawi that has a developed mining industry where its citizens are primary beneficiaries of the resources.

A Malawi where roads and rail criss-cross the length and breadth of the country; where its airports are a hub for the regional and international transportation networks.

A Malawi that has a healthy population, well-trained and skilled workforce.

She went on to emphasise the importance of improving the legal and institutional framework, enhancing mining and oil exploration activities and promoting foreign and local investors along with small-scale artisanal miners. Improvements in infrastructure (such as roads and railway connections) as well as in the energy sector will also have a positive impact on mining.

Mining

Mr. Speaker, Sir, mining is one of the five priority sectors of the ERP because of its potential to generate foreign exchange. It is for this reason that I have created a full Ministry of Mining. As one of my Government’s priority sector, mining was being overshadowed by other equally important sectors namely energy and environmental affairs. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this split will make the Ministry of Mining more visible, focused and effective

The Ministry of Mining has prioritised the following projects:

Establishment of legal and institutional framework

Mr. Speaker, Sir, my Government is committed to promotion of a conducive, transparent and accountable mining regime in this country. In this regard, Government is reviewing Mines and Minerals Act, Petroleum Policy and Petroleum Act. My Government will ensure that the mineral resources benefit Malawians.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government launched the Mining Growth and Governance Support Project on 22nd January, 2013, which is being funded by the French Government, World Bank and the European Union. The project will facilitate the development of infrastructure for generation and distribution of reliable geological information and the development of policy instruments to steer good governance and growth of the mining sector.

Enhancement of mining and oil exploration activities

In the past few months, the mining sector continued to conduct bankable feasibility studies and exploration over Kanyika Niobium deposits in Mzimba, and rare earth minerals and bauxite in Phalombe and Mulanje, respectively.

Promotion of local and foreign investors in the mining industry

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Government has put in place mechanisms to promote participation of local and foreign investors in the mining industry as a means of generating income and creating employment for poverty reduction. My Government is assisting small scale miners by mobilising mining artisans into cooperatives and building their capacity in mining so that they add value to their mineral products.

Her address touched on many other relevant areas and can be read in full online.

The dialogue was hosted by the World YWCA, UN Women, Girls Not Brides, Femme Afrique Solidariate, UNFPA, and the David & Lucile Packard Foundation. The discussions at the intergenerational dialogue centered on Leadership, Education, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, Economic Empowerment, Peace and Security and Violence against Women.

Reblogged from Bitter Eternal Kangaroo:

• 

Oil search fuels Lake Malawi tension

David Livingstone's Map of Lake Malawi, Africa by National Library of Scotland
License (according to Flickr): No known copyright restrictions

Excerpt:

"In a country the size of Malawi-- it is not a large country, it does not have a large GDP-- the income that could be generated for Malawi financially would be very, very significant," he adds.

Read more… 743 more words

UN International Anti-Corruption Day, 9 December, 2012, Theme: Act Against Corruption Today

Today marked Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Day, just less than two months after the International Anti-Corruption Day, which is commemorated every year on 9 December.

At this year’s national event, Malawi’s president, Joyce Banda, declared that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) will not spare any person, company or organisation from investigation if they are thought to be engaged in corrupt practices. Apparently, there is to “be no sacred cows; no protected species and no special ones” in the fight against corruption.

The Nation, 6 February 2013 (Vol. 20, No. 27)

We blogged about the procedure and importance of making sure allegations of corruption are taken to the ACB.

In December 2012, in Malawi’s National Assembly, the Member of Parliament for Thyolo Thava, Lifred Nawena, claimed that a top government official’s child had received MWK 40m (approx. USD 121,500) from the managers of Paladin Africa Ltd., a few days earlier. Paladin responded to the accusations and said they were unfounded and that bribery is a breach of company policy. Nawena did not take this accusations to the ACB, even though this should be standard procedure.

In a turn of events, as we blogged on the 31 January 2013, Paladin approached the ACB instead of the MP over concerns about the allegations made by Nawena. Paladin Africa’s International Affairs General Manager, Greg Walker, commented on the matter

I requested the ACB to investigate the allegations made against Paladin by MP Lifred Nawena, who defamed Paladin and Company executives by claiming in the National Assembly to have evidence of wrong-doing by the Company, yet has not made a formal complaint against the Company nor presented his “evidence” to the ACB.

This year’s 5th of February Anti-Corruption Day focussed on “Media: A Partner in Fighting Corruption”. Perhaps, next time an allegation is made about corruption, the media will be instrumental in not only reporting about the allegation to the public but also in tracking down evidence and reporting the allegation to the ACB.

JB had this to say about the media’s role “in fighting corruption”,

The media has the power to reach out to all Malawians and inform them on the evils of corruption and how everyone should take part in the fight against corruption.

In the fight against corruption, the role of the media is to support Government in disseminating messages on evils of corruption, foster the support of public in the fight against corruption and expose corrupt practices in different sectors of our society for the law to take its course. This is why my Government values, supports and upholds press freedom.

The role of the media is neither to frustrate government in its efforts to develop the nation nor to confuse the public, but to partner with Malawians in advancing anti-corruption drive for sustainable development of our nation.

While my Government values and supports media freedom, I wish to appeal to all media houses to act with maturity and responsibility as you reach out to the people. The media should be a force to build our nation, not to destroy it through publications or airing of malicious fabricated stories for personal benefit.

Government is pleased however, that most media houses are supporting our anti-corruption efforts as demonstrated by your presence today. I wish to commend you for your support to my Government.

One Malawian writer, Jimmy Kainja, tweeted in response to Joyce Banda’s speech

There’s no freedom of info in #Malawi &no source protection clauses yet journos are made to believe they’re key in fighting corruption?

— Jimmy Kainja (@jkainja) February 5, 2013

 

What is the role of the media in light of today’s commemoration of Anti-Corruption Day?