Malawi against EPAs

Malawi has stumped its foot down against signing Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) being engineered by the European Union, describing them as a perpetuation of the EU’s divide-and-rule tactics.
Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika vowed on Wednesday the country “will not sign the EPAs, even if it means being the only African country that will not sign”, because the new instrument stood to make Africa worse than it is now.
“These are the tactics of the West; these countries have never supported African solidarity and are reverting to their old tactics of divide and rule. These people were not happy with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) agreement and now want to divide us,” said Mutharika.
Mutharika said, now that the EU had started signing specific packages with some African countries, who also happen to belong to such regional groups as Ecowas, Comesa, SADC; a development he said would kill regional integration and African unity.
“I have asked them to give me one single benefit Malawi and Africa stands to benefit from the EPAs and they can’t give me one. I warn Africa to be careful,” he said.
He feared that EPAs would kill Africa’s growing economy,. And help spur new levels of poverty in a continent still struggling to improve the social-economic status of its people.