Mike Nazombe Urges For Strategic Communication in Covid-19 Fight

●SERIOUS NEED FOR STRATEGIC ADVOCACY & BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION ( SBCC) PLAN FOR Covid 19 PREVENTION

I (Mike Nazombe) went home yesterday to see  maize harvest and to supervise some work. My mother told me some people in the village refuse to wash hands let alone use soap because they have heard from some political leaders, that  Convid 19 is fake.

I returned late around 10pm and found  most pubs open and  operating normally, people dancing closely, others tightly. Some pubs had no handwashing facilities. Even in some places  where the facilities were provided, I noted only one  person washing hands the 20 minutes I was there chatting with the owner of bar who happens to be my primary school classmate. I saw no  sanitizers around,  no posters.  When I  called and asked one patron about the  Covid 19. I was told bluntly  "Corona is  not our disease and is fake".I got to town ( Blantyre)  and noted that most  drinking places  were  open, and life was  as normal as there was no corona virus .

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CHALLEGES?
Politics (ndale), low economic status,  and some rooted negative  (risk) behavior are  the main challenges  in fighting  Corona virus in Malawi. The former  has seen some politicians demonstrating that Convid 19 is not a problem in Malawi and this has encouraged already existing negative behaviour in most of us in terms of  knowledge, thinking, attitude,  perception, practices as   influenced by economic and literacy levels, customary folkways, habits, conduct and the whole range of belief and value systems.

For example, some villagers cannot afford soap. To some people  it is childish to greet each other using elbows. Some of us touch face  unconsciously while  others it's religious habit. Some people cannot drink kachaso while some  meters away from their friends for fear of being  considered greedy. These are behaviur issues which we cannot change in a day and require formative research and strategic thinking.

WHAT IS THE WAY FORWARD?
Government, the opposition and development partners need to come together to support the Ministry of Health develop Advocacy and  SBCC strategy. The strategy should engage (1) ADVOCACY - use of leaders,  related policies and mandate (at  national,  district,  area devpt and health  committees (ADC), village health and  development committees (VDC)  and  family level) and
 (2) GROUNDED HUMAN / ANTHROPOLOGICAL  approaches through  interactive health promotion empowerment meetings and discussions. 

The strategy would target specific  groups,  consider their  behaviour change  barriers and specify appropriate communication approaches, media, channels theoretical framework, messages, key policies/by- laws, norms, key  communicators and implementing partners, time frame; expert advocates, development and SBCC strategists.

It is time we paused, made a stock of what we have done so far, identified  the main challenges and solution and strategized ways to save  Malawi from the scourge. Tithatu! 

(I will appreciate your feedback to this write up  including how we can move forward)

Poem: 'The Stories He Could Tell'

THE GIANT OF MAJETE: B29-- Picture courtesy of Majete Wildlife Reserve


Some 50 years ago or so
In a country ruled by the sun
A new sun with no rays but flames
There, in Malawi
-- land of the flames--
A tiny elephant grabbed the wings of life
And took to the skies-of-life

Some 50 years, or so, ago
A man known to neither you nor me
Poured on the elephant's back the green-paint-of-a-name
"B29", or something like that, he muttered
And the paint has, through the long ages, stuck to the elephant's 'hair'
There at Majete Wildlife Trust

Some 50 years, or so, down the long ages
B29 walks in the open
Where once a forest of tree-legs had been
B29 does not speak of the trees that have been felled
As he walks between trees long separated by the axe
B29 says nothing about his kins long slaughted for their tusks

Some 50 years, or so, under the tree-of-life
B29 is the mother-of-all-memories
Under the scorching flames of the Majete sun
And all Majete Wildlife Trust staff can say
--As the lonely figure of the once mighty B29 creates giant shadows round-about--
Is: "If in B29's 'mouth' lived a voice human
"Oh, the stories he could tell"!

Chrispine Sibande Opines On Unity in Malawi's Covid-19 Fight

■THINGS WE OUGHT TO HAVE DONE TOGETHER AS MALAWIANS TO FIGHT COVID 19 AS ONE UNITED COUNTRY AGAINST A DEADLY PANDEMIC.

The understanding is that the fight against Coronavirus calls for unity as a country against the Virus but also taking into account our local unique situation.

1. Top level meeting attended by His Excellency President Mutharika, Her Excellency Joyce Banda, Hon. Lazarous Chakwera, Hon. Saulosi Chilima, Hon. Khumbo Kachale, Hon. Atupele Muluzi, Hon. Cassim Chilumpha, Hon Justin Malewez, George Mnesa, Mark Katsonga Phiri, Enock Chihana and all leaders of political parties in one room. In that meeting Malawian Epidemiologists, Virologists, Bacteriologists, Public Health Experts, Researchers and Academicians ought to have made presentations on COVID 19, the likely impact in Malawi and options for Malawi. In that Meeting they could have called for united political will to fight the Virus. Many countries have done that based on their local contexts.

2. The Emergency Meeting of Members of Parliament. The first part of the meeting ought to have been that of Parliamentary Committees on Health, Legal Affairs, Women Caucus, Social and Community Affairs where Epidemiologists, Virologists, Bacteriologists, Public Health Experts needed to provide a picture of COVID 19 in Malawi and the options for Malawi. The second part could been the normal chamber meeting where the focus could have been the passing of relevant laws to help in the fight against COVID 19 including stimulus packages and the cautioning of the poor. USA, RSA, Kenya, Spain, U.K have been or are doing that.

3. The high level meetings of Bishops, Heads of Religious Bodies, Heads of Religious Institutions, Chiefs and Traditional Leaders. The meetings could have focused on presentations by experts. Those meetings could have focused on commitments by these bodies to fight the virus including commitment to suspend religious gatherings as part of social distancing. RSA and others countries have done that and we could have done that too.

4. Setting up of National Task Force of Experts on COVID 19 whose headquarters ought to have been at College of Medicine or Public Health Institute. This Task Force ought to be headed by an expert in Infectious Deases. This team could have been briefing Malawians on the available options to combat the virus including emerging options. Their briefings ought to start with 'looking at the evidence available....'

5. National Committee on COVID 19 with representation from Government, Opposition Parties, international partners, Religious Bodies, National Security Institutions, National Human Rights Institutions, Malawi Chamber Of Commerce, Chiefs Council, NGOs, Academicians and Researchers.  Secretary for Health needed to head this team. This committee could have been focusing on what we as a country are agreeing on through different options. Their briefings ought to start with 'having heard from experts...we have agreed as representatives of different institutions....'

6. Then the Cabinet Committee on COVID 19. Most of the briefings ought to start with 'after consultations we have.....' This committee ought to have one or three experts during briefings especially on statistical presentations of the Malawian situation. Briefings ought to be led by the President or Cabinet Minister as the situation may demand.

7. These committees could have been doing joint meetings where necessary. They can also do joint briefings to the public where necessary.

8. What we could have been seeing in the public is that everybody is included in the process and procedure of doing things and all voices are counting.

Just some thoughts in the spirit of freedom of expression and opinion.

African Development Bank Gives Chinese Firm Read Card

■African Development Bank debars China Zhonghao Nigeria Limited for 18 months
■ Firm accused of fraudulent practices


Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 20 April 2020 – The African Development Bank Group on 14 April 2020, announced the debarment of China Zhonghao Nigeria Limited, a civil engineering company registered in Nigeria, for 18 months, for fraudulent practices.



An investigation conducted by the Bank’s Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption established that China Zhonghao Nigeria Limited, as a member of a joint venture with Oceanic Construction and Engineering Nigeria Ltd., was jointly responsible for its joint venture partner's fraudulent misrepresentations of its year of incorporation, the value of its reference contracts, and the experience of its key personnel, while bidding for two tenders under the Bank-financed Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project in Nigeria.



The debarment renders China Zhonghao Nigeria Limited and its affiliates ineligible to participate in Bank-financed projects during the debarment period. The debarment qualifies for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions, including the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank Group.



At the expiry of the debarment period, China Zhonghao Nigeria Limited will only be eligible to participate in Bank-financed projects on condition that it implements an integrity compliance program consistent with the Bank’s guidelines.



In June 2019, the Bank debarred Oceanic Construction and Engineering Nigeria Ltd. for a period of 48 months, for related fraudulent practices - https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/integrity-in-development-projects-african-development-bank-blacklists-oceanic-construction-and-engineering-nigeria-for-48-months-for-fraudulent-practices-19409.



The Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project is financed under the African Development Fund, an entity of the African Development Bank Group and aims at enhancing access to safe water supply services in the Nigerian states of Oyo and Taraba through, among other components, extension and rehabilitation works on the water transmission and distribution network.


====================
About the Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption

The Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption of the African Development Bank Group is responsible for preventing, deterring and investigating allegations of corruption, fraud and other sanctionable practices in Bank Group-financed operations.

The U.S. Powers Malawi's Covid-19 Response

USAID Malawi, through ONSE, is helping strengthen Malawian hospitals to be ready for #COVID-19.

READY FOR USE: Beds

USAID Malawi is mobilizing emergency response activities in 16 districts through the Organized Network of Services for Everyone’s (ONSE) Health activity, USAID’s flagship program for integrated health service delivery in #Malawi. ONSE’s strong district footprint and engagement with the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) and other health sector partners enables the coordinated and rapid district-led response needed to contain the threat of #COVID19. ONSE also supported the MoHP to renovate an existing building at Kamuzu Central Hospital to be utilized during the response as an isolation and treatment center.

Other USAID support includes technical assistance to the Malawi Government (GOM) to forecast required medicines and personal protective equipment (PPE) to better mobilize and plan efforts for the #COVID19 response. USAID also oriented media representatives on #COVID19 to help ensure journalists are disseminating accurate and timely messages to the public and is working with the GOM to update and disseminate #COVID19 messaging.

More on how the U.S. is helping #Malawi and the world in the fight against #COVID19 at: https://mw.usembassy.gov/how-the-u-s-is-helping-malawi-and-the-world-in-the-fight-against-covid-19/ 

📸: ONSE, Management Sciences for Health.

Another Call for American Citizens in Malawi To Return Home

■The United States Embassy posts "Message to U.S. Citizens"

In another move showing that the United States (US) government cares for its citizens, irrespective of wherever they are in the world, US citizens who are in Malawi have a chance to go back home in the wake of the threat posed by Covid-19.

In a message posted on the US Embassy in Malawi's Facebook page, the authorities indicate that: "The Department of State is preparing an evacuation flight for private U.S. citizens on a reimbursable basis, leaving Lilongwe Kamuzu International Airport on or around April 24, 2020. The flight will be traveling from Lilongwe to Dulles International Airport (IAD) in the Washington, DC metro area via Addis Abba and Dublin. The estimated cost for the flight is $2,000-3,000 per seat.

LOUD AND CLEAR: The notice
"U.S. citizens who are interested and prepared to travel should immediately contact the U.S. Embassy Consular section. Please do not call to confirm receipt of your email; you will be contacted with additional information.

"U.S. Embassy Malawi urges all persons who are considering repatriation to do so at this time. Each traveler needs to ensure that they supply a valid email address and telephone number at which they can be contacted.  Once contacted, please respond immediately."

More: http://ow.ly/xRZB50zgIja

Malawi's Former President Joyce Banda Turns 70!

HOW OLD ARE YOU NOW, MADAM? Joyce (left)
On Sunday 12th of April, I celebrated my 70th Birthday.  I want to praise God for the extraordinary journey it has been.  I am humbled by all the messages of love and good wishes from many Malawian friends and from many many friends from around the world.

GETTING STRONGER TOGETHER: The Banda family, Joyce (right) and hubby Richard (left)

I am grateful to Peoples Party family, MCP, UTM and DPP members that called or sent birthday messages. 

I am grateful to Chiwanja Cha Ayao, chiefs and civil society leaders that sent messages. 

I am grateful to NABW, HUNGER PROJECT, JOYCE BANDA FOUNDATION members for what we have been able to achieve together.

I am grateful to our larger families of Banda and Mtila Families.

I want to thank our nine children.  I will forever be truly grateful to God for the precious gift of their unconditional love.  It was wonderful to spend the evening together with all of you children, nieces and nephews and grandchildren from wherever you are around the world via Zoom or whatever they call it.  We in the village here could not believe what modern technology can do.  Thank you for making that possible.  I have been deeply moved to process in my mind your massages to me that evening.

TOGETHER, IN GOOD OR BAD TIMES: The Bandas-- Picture courtesy of Madam Joyce Banda

I am truly grateful to God for my husband, partner and best friend Richard Banda who has walked with me on this extraordinary journey.  38 years ago he promised me that he would be there for me through thick and thin.  That he would stand with me and by me in whatever I wanted to achieve.  That he would work hard to give our children the best education.  When he told me that, that many years ago, I did not know how far we were going to go together with Gods help.  It has been wonderful experience for as he held my hand in good and bad times.  I am grateful that with Gods help he provided leadership, love and mentorship to our family.  It  has been no mean achievement to end up with 8 graduates, five of them with masters degrees and a medical doctor.  As for me Malawians can count on their hands when he was not by my side.  Thank you for Ring No.6 and one more basket of flowers. 

Thank you.

This Is The Way To Go, Germany!

■ Germany supports Malawi's Covid-19 efforts
The Ambassador of Germany to Malawi, Jürgen Borsch, this week visited the refurbished isolation centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe.

READY: The isolation centre at Kamuzu Central Hospital

He looked, and sounded, impressed with the swift implementation of additional funding made available to the Southern African Development Community member state.

Borsch also lauded high levels of cooperation among partners that have pulled their resources together in the fight against Covid-19, otherwise known as Coronavirus disease.

“I’m happy to see that the isolation unit is now ready to use for patients severely affected by Covid-19. I want to thank the Malawi Government, GIZ, Malawi Red Cross Society - MRCS and staff at Kamuzu Central Hospital for making this possible in such a short timeframe. Let me assure everyone that Germany continues to support Malawi during these difficult times,” Borsch said.

MAN OF ACTION: Borsch (right) at Kamuzu Central Hospital-- Pictures courtesy of the German Embassy in Malawi

Germany is supporting myriad measures, working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Health in Malawi as well as other partners in a country that has registered two deaths from Covid-19, with less than 12 confirmed cases of the virus that started in Wuhan, China, before making its way to the wider world.

Germany as well as other Malawi government partners' efforts are aimed at strengthening measures such as prevention, early diagnosis and containment of the new virus in Malawi.

In addition to the procurement of Covid-19 related equipment and supplies to the tune of US$2.5 million (approximately K1.875 billion) under the Health Services Joint Fund, the German government has-- in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi-- provided an additional K500 million (EUR 600,000) for the ongoing Malawi German Health Programme.

GIZ implements the programme.

This additional funding enables stakeholders to intensify health service provision support in the capital Lilongwe and districts such as Dedza, Mchinji and Ntcheu to strengthen public awareness, screening, contact tracing, surveillance and infection prevention.

The support also includes the refurbishment of isolation centres in Dedza District and at Kamuzu Central Hospital. Other development partners support the initiative.

Malawi Announces Covid-19 Lockdown Measures

STATEMENT BY MINISTER OF HEALTH, HON. JAPPIE
CHANCY MTUWA MHANGO, M.P, ON ADDITIONAL MEASURES
ON THE CORONAVIRUS
Tuesday, 14TH April, 2020


You will recall that His Excellency the President created a Special
Cabinet Committee on Coronavirus on 7th March, 2020.

The Committee was given specific Terms of Reference that entailed
provision of policy guidance and overseeing across-Government
response to the threat posed by CORONAVIRUS in the country.

Major sequence of events for our national response to the
Coronavirus pandemic have been as follows: -

• Declaration of State of Disaster by His Excellency the
President on 20th March, 2020 pursuant to Disaster
Preparedness and Relief Act (Cap 33:05 of the Laws of
Malawi)

• Declaration of the Corona Virus Disease as a formidable
Disease on 1st April, 2020 pursuant to the Public Health Act
(Cap 34:01 of the Laws of Malawi) in my capacity as Minister
of Health.

Since its establishment and within its broad mandates, the
Committee has tirelessly engaged relevant sectors to come up with
proactive measures at first to prevent COVID 19 from being
imported into the country. You will also recall unlike most
countries including those surrounding us, Malawi only confirmed


its first three cases at the beginning of April, 2020. This 
necessitated our immediate response because we had to think of
not only preventive measures but also containment and case
management strategies.

This is where we are at the moment. The pandemic continues to
hit all countries including Malawi very hard. In our case as I
reported yesterday through a press conference, the number of
confirmed cases has risen from 3 on April, 2 to 19 as I speak today.
Two lives have been lost in the process.

As I have also said before, Corona Virus is highly infectious. Last
week and specifically on 9th April, 2020, I announced Public Health
(CORONA Virus Prevention, Containment and Management)
Rules, 2020 in my capacity as Minister of Health and pursuant to
the Public Health Act.

Under this law, Section 31 stipulates that,
where there is a pandemic or epidemic, the Minister of Health may
make rules to regulate the response to contain the pandemic.

By announcing these measures, I added a legal impetus to our
ongoing efforts to prevent, contain and manage CORONAVIRUS
which is wreaking havoc globally. We had to take a close, long and
hard look at what is happening around us and make hard but yet
helpful decisions that will curb the spread of this deadly virus.

The more we wait to take action, the more the spread because there is
now local transmission in the country.

Today, I am here to announce a lock down pursuant to section 31
of the same Act to contain the further spread of the deadly virus.

The Lockdown will restrict the movement of people in order to
minimize the spread of the virus. Several countries including those
near us have already imposed lock downs which seemingly has
worked in curtailing new infections.

The lockdown shall take effect
on the expiry of 18th day of April, 2020 and run for a period of 21
days until the midnight of the 9th day of May, 2020.

In summary, the lockdown will be guided by the regulations that
have been gazetted by Government on 9th April, 2020. The
following will apply during the lockdown: -

1. The lockdown shall apply to all districts of Malawi.

2. The following persons shall be exempted from the application
of the lockdown measures

a. Enforcement officer as defined under the Public Health
(Corona Virus Prevention, Containment and Management)
Rules 2020

b. A person with a permit to supply essential services as
provided under Part 1 of the Schedule to the Public Health (Corona Virus
Prevention, Containment and Management) Rules 2020

3. During the lockdown, persons providing essential services as
listed under Part 1 of the Schedule to the Public Health
(Corona Virus Prevention, Containment and Management)
Rules 2020 shall be allowed to operate in accordance to the
Rules and these measures.

4. All essential services shall be obtained within the locality of
residence.

5. Councils shall identify and licence persons for supply of
essential goods and services to locality markets and shops.

6. Any person desirous of getting an essential service out of his
or her locality shall get a permit from the local government
authority or any delegated person to issue such permits by
the local government authority.

In the same vein, any person desirous of getting an essential service out of his or her district of residence shall get a permit from the Chief  Executive Officer or District Commissioner of the local government authority.

7. Except for enforcement officers, no person shall be allowed to
leave their homes unless they are listed under Rule 11(3)(a)(i) of the Public Health (Corona Virus Prevention, Containment and Management) Rules 2020.

8. All central markets shall be closed. Notwithstanding the generality of the preceding measure, local markets within localities shall remain open from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm on any day.

9. Local government authorities shall designate areas as localities for purposes of implementing these measures.

10. During the lockdown all non-essential businesses or services will be suspended pursuant to these measures and Regulation 13(2) of the Business Licensing Regulations.

For purposes of these measures, essential goods and services are
those listed in Part 1 and 2 of the Schedule to the Public Health (Corona Virus Prevention, Containment and Management) Rules 2020. Notwithstanding the listed services under the Schedule to the Rules, filling stations shall
be treated as an essential service under these measures.

11. The persons to perform an essential service or supply essential goods shall be given a permit by the District Commissioner or the Chief Executive Officer of the Council of the Area.

12. A person performing an essential service may be screened by an enforcement officer as defined in the Public Health (Corona Virus Prevention, Containment and Management) Rules.

13. Any person who breaches these measures commits an offence and shall be liable to a fine as prescribed under the Public Health Act.

The specific guidelines regulating the lockdown will be made available from tomorrow, Wednesday, through the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and other Radios as well as TVs.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I would like to urge members of the public to refer to the Rules for more information. These will be reviewed as and when need arises.

Malawi records second Covid-19 death

After recording the first Covid-19 death last week, a dark crowd has again fallen on Malawi after the second Covid-19 patient has died in hospital.
The patient died at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe and medical workers who were treating the patient have gone into self-isolation.
The victim is a 44-year-old Canadian national of Burundi origin. He had a house in Lilongwe, Malawi.
This means Malawi has eight cases of Coronavirus.

Hope on Covid-19 as Queen's University Belfast Leads Cell Therapy Trials

Even as the number of Covid-19, also known as Coronavirus, cases has reached nine in Malawi, there is hope that those who catch develop may soon live without the anguish, pain and helplessness associated with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast, who are leading a United Kingdom (UK)-wide clinical trial to help improve outcomes in Covid-19 patients, have been looking into the possibility of developing an "innovative" cell therapy treatment for patients with acute respiratory failure.

The development comes at a time Health Minister Jappie Mhango has announced that, as of Friday, Malawi had nine Covid-19 cases.

He identified the latest individual to test positive for Coronavirus as a a 44-year-old man, originally from Burundi, with Canadian citizenship.

The man, a resident of Area 25B in Lilongwe, jetted in the country on March 28 2020 from Canada.

Malawi has registered one death from Covid-19 but, with Queen's University Belfast announcing that it has embarked on a clinical trial, led by professors Danny McAuley and Cecilia O’Kane, both researchers from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s, there is hope that countries with low death rates such as Malawi may not register more cases of death arising from ARDS.

The university indicates in a statement released on Saturday that the experts are investigating the use of allogenic Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in patients with ARDS complications caused by Covid-19.

"In the most critically unwell patients with Covid-19, many develop a complication known as ARDS. In ARDS the lungs become inflamed and leaky so they fill with fluid. This causes respiratory failure and patients may require admission to intensive care and a ventilator machine to support their breathing," the statement reads.

A recent statement from four UK chief Medical Officers outlined the importance of clinical trials amidst the Covid-19 crisis.

Professor Cecilia O’Kane said: “It is only through clinical trials we will be able to determine if new treatments are effective and safe in critically ill patients.”

The trial involves the use of MSCs, a type of cell derived from human tissue such as bone marrow or umbilical cord-- which is otherwise discarded after the baby is born-- to treat the injury to the lung caused by Covid-19.

MSCs are a novel treatment that have been shown in experimental models to reduce inflammation, fight infection and improve the repair of injured tissue.

Patients in this trial, which is known as 'Realist Covid-19, will be treated with a purified population of MSCs derived from umbilical cord tissue called ORBCEL-C. The ORBCEL-C therapy has been developed by scientists at Orbsen Therapeutics in Galway, Ireland. The ORBCEL-C therapeutic is manufactured under licence by the UK NHS Blood and Transplant Service for the 'Realist Covid-19' trial.

The trial is being introduced as part of an existing programme of research investigating the use of MSCs in patients with ARDS. The first patient has now been recruited with plans to recruit at least 60 patients throughout the Covid-19 pandemic at multiple sites across the UK including Belfast, Birmingham and London.

Professor Ian Young, Clinical Professor at the Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Director of HSC R&D and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Health, said: “The Health and Social Care Research and Development Division has been working with researchers across HSC to address the global problem of Coronavirus.  We have contributed £230K for this vital research which will provide important evidence regarding a potential new treatment for respiratory failure, a leading cause of mortality in COVID-19.

"We will continue to support health research and encourage people to participate in research trials and other studies so patients can get the best possible treatment to help tackle the spread of COVID-19.”

The trial has been identified by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) as a national urgent public health study. It is one of a number of Covid-19 studies that have been given urgent public health research status by the Chief Medical Officer/ Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England.

The study is funded by the Health and Social Care Research and Development Division and the Wellcome Trust, sponsored by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and supported by the NI Clinical Trials Unit, the NIHR Clinical Research Network and the Northern Ireland Clinical Research Network.

Orbsen CSO Steve Elliman noted: “While there are over 100 vaccines and therapies in development targeting the SARS-CoV-2 infection - at present there are no disease modifying therapies approved for ARDS.  We’re delighted the REALIST trial was approved and listed by NIHR as an Urgent Public Health Research Study so we can continue assess the safety of the ORBCEL-C therapy in patients with ARDS.”

Sir Professor Alimuddin Zumla of University College London, a global coronavirus and infectious diseases expert, said: “This is an exciting and important trial which targets rectifying the underlying causes of lung damage and has great potential of saving many lives from COVID-19. The team should be congratulated for their leadership of host-directed therapies, a concept which has not yet been explored to its full potential.”

Professor Danny McAuley is also part of an international network of researchers who are taking forward trials of umbilical cord-derived Mesenchymal stromal cells for the treatment of Covid-19: UK: (UCL- Sir Professor Azumla); Portugal (Champualimud Foundation - Professor Markus Maurer; Italy (INMI-Professor Giuseppe Ippolito) and China (Fifth Medical Center- Professor Fu-Sheng Wang.)

President Peter Mutharika recently declared that Malawi was in a 'state of disaster' in the wake of the threat posed by Coronavirus.

A press statement which the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs released on April 6 backed the President's decision.

PRESS RELEASE

DECLARATION OF STATE OF DISASTER BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE PRESIDENT

The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional affairs wishes to assure the nation that the Declaration of the State of Disaster with respect to the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) made by His Excellency, the President on 20th March, 2020 was made in accordance with section 32 of the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act (Cap. 33:05 of the Laws of Malaŵi) which provides as follows:
    “Declaration of a State of Disaster

32.—(1) If at any time it appears to the President that any disaster is of such a nature and extent that extraordinary measures are necessary to assist and protect the persons affected or likely to be affected by the disaster in any area within Malaŵi or that circumstances are likely to arise making such measures necessary, the President may, in such manner as he considers fit, declare that, with effect from a date specified by him in the declaration, a state of disaster exists within an area defined by him in the declaration:
Provided that where such declaration has been made in any manner other than by notice in the Gazette, the President shall, as soon as possible after making it, cause it to be published in the Gazette.

(2) The declaration of a state of disaster under subsection (1) shall remain in force for a period of three months from the date specified in the declaration as the commencement date of the state of disaster, unless the President by notice in the Gazette, withdraws such declaration before the expiry of such period:
Provided that the President may, from time to time, extend or further extend such period by not more than another three months and shall do so by notice in the Gazette, published before the expiry of such period or any such extension thereof.”

In making the Declaration, the President complied with section 32 of the Act and as required by that provision, caused the said declaration to be published in the Gazette as Government Notice No. 4 in the Malaŵi Gazette Supplement of 3rd April, 2020. Further, the Ministry wishes to state that the Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act does not preclude the President, as head of State and Government, from announcing any of the extraordinary measures as are necessary to assist and protect persons affected or likely to be affected by the disaster so declared.

Dated this 6th day of April 2020

PILIRANI MASANJALA
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

However, as Covid-19 shakes people's faith in leaders' decision, there is no time for vain delays.

Chance for British residents in Malawi to fly home!

The British High Commission in Malawi wants British residents in Malawi to know that, at a time flights out of Malawi have become as scarce as can be, there could be a way out of the situation, especially now that Covid-19 has established tentacles in Malawi.
This is the message from the British High Commission in Malawi:

Move To Keep Malawi's Asian Business Community Safe From Covid-19

Ref: 200409/URG
URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT
To: The Asian Business Community of Blantyre, Limbe and Zomba
From: The Asian Business Community COVID-19 Task Force

The rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in Malawi and the urgent and pressing need to contain this at this early stage whilst we have this window of opportunity.
After extensive discussions and deliberations with business captains, it is evident that the Asian Business Community is a critical component for the survival of major industries in the country.
After careful efforts to mitigate the financial loss to the value chain of businesses and the national economy, the ABC COVID-19 Taskforce has come to the following difficult decision as an essential step to protect lives, especially when considering our very fragile health delivery system:
ALL businesses and community members are hereby given a directive for a PARTIAL COMMUNITY LOCKDOWN effective Thursday midnight being 9th April 2020 for a period of 14 days ending 23th April 2020 based on the following conditions:
1. Everyone over the age of 53 years must stay within the confines of their home.
2. ALL domestic staff over the age of 53 to be given a paid 14 days leave
3. All those with existing underlying health conditions to stay within the confines of their home.
4. Womenfolk (if not main breadwinners) and children are to remain within the confines of their home. (except in the case of emergencies).
5. ONLY the bread winner of the family may leave the house to go to work between 6am till 7pm.
6. Non- breadwinners may only go out to get medical supplies, food/ essential
household items.
7. Restaurants must operate on a delivery or take out basis ONLY.
8. No one should leave their home after 8pm till 6am unless in an emergency.
9. Based on clear Government of Malawi directives all places of social gatherings (clubs, bars, shisha lounges) must be closed and restaurants will only offer take away services till 8pm.
10. All non-essential travel, such as travel to Mangochi, Lilongwe or recreational areas for the Easter weekend should be cancelled.
11. At respective business work place all necessary precautionary measures such as social distancing, hand washing, wearing of masks and gloves etc must be strictly adhered to.
The same caution and strict measures apply on returning home from work place; Refer to Guidelines in Hygiene Practices that we all to be strictly adhere to.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any member of the community found violating this PARTIAL COMMUNITY LOCKDOWN without a valid reason, strict action by community elders will be taken against them including a penalty of MK500,000.
Whilst we appreciate that this directive may be challenging for some and may affect our lifestyle in one way or another, it is important to state that we have reached this decision only after lengthy consultations with medical professionals and are doing this in the best interest of us all.
It gives me great pride to state and thank the business community in maintaining a very low mark up on groceries, essential goods and medical supplies during this pandemic.
This truly reflects the generosity of the community and I pray that we all will continue to support the vulnerable through in this manner.
Given the circumstances we must all be prepared to make sacrifices for everyone’s benefit.
We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
It is my prayer that everyone will adhere strictly to this directive and together we can overcome this pandemic.
May the Almighty guide and protect us all in these stressful times - Ameen.

Faizal Aboo

Chairman, Asian Business Community (ABC)
Covid-19 Taskforce
9th April 2020

US repatriates citizens from Malawi

The United States (US) has shown that it is taking the Coronavirus pandemic seriously by calling on its citizens who are resident in Malawi to register their willingness for repatriation.

Through its embassy in Malawi, it indicates that the first flight departs from Malawi in two weeks, with the most vulnerable being prioritised.
Here is the full message posted on Wednesday:

Message to U.S. Citizens in #Malawi:

Special Flight Leaving Lilongwe to the United States.

We are in the process of examining options for a repatriation flight to the United States. The flight is estimated to travel within the next two weeks.

Americans interested in repatriation should immediately contact the U.S. Embassy Consular section via the Lilongwe Evacuation Request Form, no later than 7:30 am on Tuesday, April 14. If you have filled out the form already, please DO NOT fill it out again. 

Vulnerable populations will be prioritized and all others will be confirmed on first-come, first-serve basis. Please do not call the Embassy to confirm receipt of your email; we will contact you if you are confirmed for a seat on this flight. More: http://ow.ly/bhHU50z8Ggn

South Africa Accused of 'Exporting' Covid-19 To Other African Countries

Covid-19, also known as Coronavirus, is supposed to be the common enemy facing the world.

ILL-EQUIPPED TO FIGHT CORONAVIRUS: Most Africans
For many countries it has become a common enemy, prompting leaders such as the United States President Donald Trump and the Government of Portugal, among other countries, to announce that those who are living in the two countries illegally will have access to Covid-19 medical services.
The message is that people are one in the battle against Coronavirus.
The South African Government thinks otherwise, which is not surprising because South Africa has a penchant for thinking differently, call it out of the box.
Once, when the HIV and AIDS pandemic had ravaged the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa, the then South African leader Thabo Mbeki publicly doubted the existence of AIDS.
Seeing is believing, they say, but the HI virus is so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye. And because AIDS is not a disease but a condition culminating in the weakening of the immune system that opens the gate to opportunistic infections, maybe blaming Mbeki is to be at fault because AIDS is, really, not a disease.
The same cannot be said of Coronavirus, which has taken the world by surprise, by storm, has shaken the foundations of medical science. South Africa has its cases. The United Kingdom has its cases. France has its cases. Italy has its cases. Spain has its cases. The United States has its cases. China has its cases. Japan has its cases. South Korea, the star performer in this battle, still has its cases. Zimbabwe, Zambia, Egypt, Iran, Tunisia, Algeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Namibia-- they all have Covid-19 cases.
And all these countries are pulling resources together, focusing their energies on this common and, as Trump has put it, "invisible enemy".
However, South Africa has chosen to fight two battles; one against Coronavirus and another against illegal immigrants.
Last week, South African health officials sent one Covid-19 patient to Malawi, through a bus loaded with innocent, unknowing passengers. Medical officials put a note in the Covid-19 patient's bag, to the effect that "Please observe him closely on the journey".
As it were, nobody on the bus, be it the driver or conductor, saw the message because the piece of paper that contained it was kept in the patient's back-pocket.
The passenger died close to Mwanza Border, which is a Malawian border district between Malawi and Mozambique.
A team of medical officials had to be called from Blantyre District Health Office to Mwanza Border, some 60 kilometres from Blantyre, to conduct tests on the dead passenger, who passed through borders in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique-- only for a corpse, and not living being-- to almost make it to Mwanza border in Malawi.
To date, health officials have not announced results of the tests. In other words, Malawi had its first Covid-19 death two weeks ago but, really, it is not Malawi's first Covid-19 case because the Malawian bus passenger died in Mozambique's territory.
So, maybe Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Covid-19, Jappie Mhango, is right to say, as he did on Tuesday, that Malawi has registered its first Covid-19 death this week.
Mozambique must claim the 'death', and own it, of the Malawian man who died two weeks ago.

South Africa adds fuel to Africa's Covid-19 fire
Back to the issue of South Africa 'exporting' Covid-19 cases to other African countries.
Even as most African countries have closed their boundaries to outsiders, perhaps taking a queue from the United States and China, South Africa has only closed its borders to those coming in-- or imposed strict quarantine measures on them-- only to open them to those it is forcing to go out.
How? The country has been chasing out illegal immigrants from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi by the busloads.
The administration of Ceril Ramaphosa has been cracking down on those who have been staying in the Rainbow Nation without proper documents, deporting 420 people so far, according to that countries immigration department records.
These people have been deported, irrespective of their health conditions, in the past three weeks.
With plans to deport more, Malawians inclusive, the South African Government is exporting Covid-19 cases to southern African countries.
And, as they say, what goes around comes around. South Africa, as the biggest economy in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc, to which it is party, will in the end, like all SADC member states, be forced to contribute resources to the cause of health in the bloc, thereby paying for a situation it has contributed to.
But that is no solace to other SADC countries. More so because, instead of playing the one-people-in-a-globalised-world game as played by Trump and other more considerate world leaders, South Africa is still playing it soro.
South Africa has literally thrown Africa sisters and brothers in the lions-den of Coronavirus. Which is not strange, after all; South Africa imports loads of goods to Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia, among other countries-- what should stop it from 'exporting' Coronavirus? Nothing.
Not even common sense!

Covid-19 quarantined people roam freely in Blantyre

Malawians that have been to Covid-19-hit countries have it soft and smooth in Blantyre, Malawi.
Malawi is one of the countries hit by Covid-19, also known as Coronavirus, with eight reported cases as of Tuesday and one case of death.
Due to the situation, planes of the big airlibes such as Kenyan, South African and Ethiopian are no longer flying into Malawi. However, those who flied into Malawi earlier, which is before the April 1 deadline, as well as those travellibg by bus from South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, among other countries, are being quarantined.

NO LONGER FLYING INTO MALAWI: Planes
The country's president, Peter Mutharika, has weighed in on the situation, banning church gatherings, ordering that employees work in shifts, reducing the price of fuel, among other things, with those coming from Covid-19-hit countries required to go into 14-day quarantine.
The quarantine centre in Blantyre is situated in Kameza llcation, close to Kamuzu College of Nursing premises.
However, instead of remaining in-doors until the 14-day period is over, those under quarantine roam freely day and night, mingling with traders and Kameza residents as they buy food stuffs, water bottles and even drink water in the vicinity.
To make matters worse, they are doing so without any face-masks on, further endangering other people and throwing spanners in the work of the Cabinet Committee on Covid-19, which, through its chairperson Jappie Mhango, has vowed to put all hands to the wheel in a bid to stem Covid-19 patient and death cases in Malawi.
One of the people who are under quarantine at Kameza, who declined to be named for fear of attracting the ire of health officials, claimed that they have been left at the hands of natural devices and are being forced into a corner.
"We have people from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Kenya, among others, who do not have food and enough water to drink. We cannot afford expense food and we are, therefore, being forced to go out and look for these things.
"Actually, there is no security where we are staying and all this thing (aboit quarantine) depends on our good-will.  I hope you have heard that some people in in self-quarantine (at home). The truth is that they are not in self-quarantine. They paid money to some officials when entering Malawi and, with that, bought their freedom.
"So, if I may ask, why should be the only ones suffering when other potentially 'dangerous' people who have just come into this country in the past 14 days are roaming free in locations and on the streets? It is not fair. If they sell us cheap food where we are staying, we will see no need to go to Kameza trading centre to buy food and drink beer," he said.
Meanwhile, Mhango has vowed to close all loopholes.
"If Malawians notice anyone willfully endangering the lives of others, let them inform us and we will take appropriate action. We, under the wise leadership of Professor Peter Mutharika, are committed to dealing with the Covid-19 threat once and for all.
"But, for us to win the battle, we must have unity of purpose. We must stand together. We must protect one another. We must love our nation," Mhango said on Tuesday.
Whatever the case, it is clear that Malawi is facing another silent crisis that is becoming alarmingly loud.

President Donald Trump Lambasts World Health Organisation on Covid-19 Handling

The United States (US) President, Donald Trump, has faulted the World Health Organisation (WHO) for giving the US faulty advice on Covid-19, otherwise known as Coronavirus.
In a tweet, Trump hints at taking action against the United Nations agency.
Writes Trump: "The W.H.O. really blew it. For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?"

NOT PLEASED: Trump

=======================

DECLARATION
●Zachimalawi would like to categorically say that it is interested in issues related to the United States because that great country gave this blogger one of the greatest gifts, a Samsung Galaxy Tab A after winning Media Institute of Southern Africa-Malawi Blogger of the Year award in 2016.
●Zachimalawi is also interested in issues related to the United Kingdom (UK) because that great country has given this writer a lifetime chance to be a student at one of the UK's top universities, even the University of Sussex. Well, I am enjoying the experience and will always be grateful to the British people.

8 cases, 1 death

Coronavirus, a.k.a. Covid-19, is quickly becoming Malawi's newest health, socio-economic challenge.

Latest on Covid-19 Situation in Malawi

●Things are moving very fast in Malawi, and here are the latest developments on Coronavirus

REMARKS BY CHAIRPERSON OF THE SPECIAL CABINET COMMITTEE ON COVID-19 JAPPIE MHANGO, ON CONFIRMED DEATH AND THREE NEW CASES 

Tuesday, 7th April, 2020

I regret to inform the nation that the 51-year-old Malawian lady of Indian Origin who had just recently returned from UK and was our 5th patient to test positive from Covid 19 has sadly passed on in the early hours of this morning. She had an Underlining Medical condition.

Our Blantyre District Health Office, Environmental Health Team is assisting with the burial arrangements.

As a nation, we grieve with the family of the deceased and I urge you all to respect their privacy. 

 As a matter of an update on the Covid 19 situation, the country has today confirmed 3 new cases, two in Blantyre and one in Chikwawa.

One case in Blantyre is a 34-year-old family contact of the first case that was registered on 3 April 2020. The second case is a 28-year-old lady who travelled from London, UK on 19 March, 2020. The person confirmed in Chikwawa is a 30-year- old gentleman who traveled from South Africa on 16 March, 2020. 

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 8, including 1 death.  

Please let us continue to observe the prevention guidelines we have put in place. 
• Regular hand washing
• Social Distancing
• Avoid Handshakes 
• Observe self-quarantine rules as provided if you have recently returned from a hot spot country

We will keep the nation updated of any new developments

I thank you all.

Malawi registers first Covid-19 death

●3 new Coronavirus cases
Malawi, which had no single Covid-19 case by Wednesday last week, now has eight such cases.
In fact, one of Malawi's Covid-19 patients has just died.
The country had four Covid-19 cases as of Monday, April 6, 2020.
Chairperson for the Special Cabinet Committee on Covid-19, Jappie Mhango, said on Tuesday this means Malawians have to take the government's guidelines seriously.
"We, as the government, have set up several testing centres but we would like to urge citizens to follow guidelines as set out by his excellency the State President, Professor Peter Mutharika," Mhango said.
Mutharika has put in place measures, including that workers should work in shifts, fuel prices be reduced to cushion the impact of Covid-19 on transportation costs, people should not meet at rallies, religious and other gatherings.
However, Mutharika has dismissed the possibility of a lock-down, saying Malawi's situation is different from that of other countries.

Paul Tiyambe Zeleza Writes on Great Academic, The Late Thandika Mkandawire's Life

Thandika Mkandawire: In Memory of an Intellectual Giant

Thandika Mkandawire, the towering Pan-African Malawian-Swedish public intellectual died on March 27 2020. The world of social thought, as Samir Amin, another departed luminary, called it, is so much poorer that he has left us, but so much richer that he lived for eight decades enlightening the world with his prodigious mind. Through his copious writings, engagements in numerous forums, and teaching in various universities he provoked and animated minds and imaginations for generations across Africa, the diaspora, and world at large. His extraordinary intellectual insights and incisive and surgical critiques of conventional, sometimes celebrated, and often cynical analyses of development and the African condition, to use a beloved phrase of the late Ali Mazrui, the iconic man of letters, were truly inspiring.

Thandika, as we all fondly called him, has joined our illustrious intellectual ancestors, whose eternal wisdom we must cherish and embrace in the continuing struggle for the epistemic, existential, and economic emancipation of our beloved continent.

When I think of Thandika, many images come to my mind, of the luminous beauty and brilliance of his mind. His passion for rigor and impatience with lazy thinking. His bountiful joy of living. His love of music and the arts. His boundless faith in Africa and equal opportunity dismissal for Afropessimism and Afro-euphoria. His devotion to Pan-Africanism and the diaspora. His deep sense of globalism. His lifelong and unromantic commitment to progressive causes. His generosity in mentoring younger African scholars. His exemplary leadership of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). And his remarkable modeling of the life of a principled public intellectual.

He is simply one of the most brilliant people I have ever known in my life. As my wife observed on several occasions, Thandika was the only person she witnessed who I was so enthralled by that I could sit and listen to for hours! To be in his company was to marvel at the power of the human mind for extraordinary insights and the joys of living for he was a bundle of infectious joviality, humor and wit. The breadth and depth of his intellectual passions and unwavering faith in Africa's historic and humanistic agency and possibilities was dazzling.

I had known Thandika years before I met him in person. I had heard of the fiery Malawian intellectual who as a young journalist had been been in the forefront of the nationalist struggle. Like many of us born before independence, his personal biography encompassed the migrant labor political economy of Southern Africa: he was born in Zimbabwe, and grew up in Zambia and Malawi. And like many smart and ambitious young people of his generation in the early 1960s, he trekked to the United States for higher education, as there was no university in Malawi at the time. He did not return to Malawi until 1994, after spending 32 years in exile, following the installation of a new democratic government.

He was a student in the United States in the 1960s at the height of the civil rights movement, and as an activist, he immediately saw the intricate connections between the nationalist and civil rights movements in Africa and the Diaspora. This nurtured his profound respect and appreciation of African American society, culture, and contributions, which was a bedrock of his Pan-Africanism in the tradition of Kwame Nkrumah and others. Also, like many activists of his generation the trajectory of his life was upended by political crisis in Malawi, known as the ‘Cabinet Crisis’ that erupted a few months after independence in 1964.

The octogenarian, conservative and authoritarian Malawi leader, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, fell out with his radical younger ministers who preferred democratic politics and more progressive development policies. They were forced to escape into exile. Thandika was suspected of sympathizing with the ‘rebels’ as Banda’s regime vilified them, and his passport was revoked. Thus began his long personal sojourn into exile and the diaspora, and professional trajectory from journalism into academia. His exile began while he was in Ecuador on a project and unable to return to the USA he got asylum in Sweden.

His experiences in Latin America and Sweden globalized his intellectual horizons and reinforced his proclivities towards comparative political economy, a distinctive hallmark of his scholarship. They also reshaped his interests in economics, pulling him away from its dominant neo-classical paradigms and preoccupations, and anchoring it in the great questions of development and developmental states, areas in which he made his signature intellectual and policy contributions.

Thandika also immersed himself in the great debates of the 1960s and 1970s centered on Marxism, dependency and underdevelopment, African socialism, and the struggles for new international orders from economics to information.

The intellectual ferment of the period prepared him well to participate in African debates about the state, democracy and development when he joined the newly established Institute for Development Studies at the University of Zimbabwe in the early 1980s in the immediate euphoric aftermath of Zimbabwe’s liberation victory. In 1985, he became the head of CODESRIA as Executive Secretary.

He joined CODESRIA in the midst of the draconian anti-developmentalist assaults of structural adjustment programs (SAPs) imposed on hapless and often complicit authoritarian African states by the international financial institutions working at the behest of the market fundamentalist ideology of neo-liberalism propagated by conservative governments in Washington, London, Berlin, Ottawa, and Tokyo.

Through his own comparative scholarship on regional economic histories, development paths, and the patrimonial state in Africa and other world regions especially Asia, as well as national and multinational projects commissioned by CODESRIA, he led the progressive African intellectual community in mounting vigorous critiques of SAPs. Moreover, his monumental work offered alternatives rooted in the historical realities of African economies and societies, the aspirations of African peoples, and the capacities of reconstructed African democratic developmental states.

In the late 1980s, when the gendarmes of neo-liberalism and apologists of Africa’s bankrupt one party states were railing against democracy, or watching struggles for the ‘second independence’ with indifference or suspicion, Thandika unapologetically called for democracy as a fundamental political right and economic necessity for Africa. He was particularly concerned about the devastation wrought on African capacities to produce knowledge through the willful dismantling of African universities and research capacities.

At a conference of Vice Chancellors in Harare in 1986, the World Bank infamously declared that Africa did not need universities. Mendacious studies were produced to show that rates of return were higher for primary education than for tertiary education. Rocked by protests against tyranny and the austerities of SAPs that dissolved the post-independence social contract of state-led developmentalism, African governments were only too willing to wreck African universities and devalue academic labor.

Under Thandika CODESRIA valiantly sought to protect, promote, and project an autonomous space for African intellectual development, for vibrant knowledge production. That is how I finally met Thandika in person. In 1989, CODESRIA established the “Reflections on Development Fellowship.” I was one of about a dozen African scholars that won the scholarship. My project was on “African Economic History in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.” This resulted in the publication of A Modern Economic History of Africa. Volume 1: The Nineteenth Century in 1993, which went on to win the prestigious Noma Award for publishing in Africa. Some regard this as my most important book.

Thus, I like many other African scholars who experienced the devastation of African universities during the continent’s ‘lost decades’ of the 1980s and 1990s are deeply indebted to Thandika and CODESRIA for ensuring our intellectual support, networking, sanity, and productivity. This is at the heart of the outpouring of tributes by African scholars for Thandika since his passing. He was not only one of the most important African intellectuals of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, he was also an architect of an African intellectual community during one of the bleakest periods in the history of the African knowledge enterprise. His intellectual and institutional legacies are mutually reinforcing and transcendental.

In August 1990, the recipients of the “Reflections on Development Fellowship” met for nearly two weeks at the Rockefeller Conference and Study Center, in Bellagio, Italy. I had not experienced an intellectual indaba like that before. Thandika dazzled the fellows, who included several prominent African scholars, with his incisive comments and erudition, legendary humor, and striking joyousness. Meeting him at Bellagio left a lasting impression on me. His brilliance was accompanied by his uncanny ability to put very complex thoughts in such a pithy way, rendering an idea so obvious that one wondered why one had not thought about it that way before.

Thandika was one of those rare people who effectively combined institutional leadership and intellectual productivity. This was the praxis of his reflexive life, in which administrative challenges inspired academic work. While at CODESRIA, he pioneered and produced important studies on structural adjustment, development, and African universities and intellectuals. In 1987, he edited the groundbreaking collection, The State and Agriculture in Africa; in 1995, he edited the comprehensive collection on structural adjustment, Between Liberalisation and Oppression; in 1999 he co-authored, Our Continent Our Future.

After he joined UNRISD, he continued working on his old intellectual preoccupations as he embraced new ones as reflected in his journal articles and book monographs. The latter include the co-authored, African Voices on Structural Adjustment (2002), and the edited, African Intellectuals: Rethinking Politics, Language, Gender and Development (2005). Soon after joining UNRISD, which he led from 1998 to 2009, he launched a program on social policy that increasingly reflected his growing research interests. The articles include, "Thinking about Developmental States in Africa" (2001); "Disempowering New Democracies and the Persistence of Poverty" (2004); "Maladadjusted African Economies and Globalization" (2005); "Transformative Social Policy and Innovation in Developing Countries" (2007); "Good Governance': The Itinerary of an Idea" (2007); “From the national question to the social question” (2009), “Institutional monocropping and monotasking in Africa” (2010); “On Tax Efforts and Colonial Heritage in Africa” (2010); “Aid, Accountability, and Democracy in Africa” (2010); and “How the New Poverty Agenda Neglected Social and Employment Policies in Africa” (2010).

In 2009, he was appointed at the London School of Economics as the inaugural Chair in African Development. This gave him space to expand his intellectual wings and produce some of his most iconic and encyclopedic work as evident in the titles of some of his papers. They include “Running While Others Walk: Knowledge and the Challenge of Africa’s Development” (2011); “Welfare Regimes and Economic Development: Bridging the Conceptual Gap” (2011); “Aid: From Adjustment Back to Development” (2013); “Social Policy and the Challenges of the Post-Adjustment Era” (2013); “Findings and Implications: The Role of Development Cooperation” (2013); “Neopatrimonialism and the Political Economy of Economic Performance in Africa: Critical Reflections” (2015); and “Colonial legacies and social welfare regimes in Africa: An empirical exercise” (2016). He also published monographs including the co-authored, Learning from the South Korean Developmental Success (2014), and a collection of lectures he gave at the University of Ghana, Africa Beyond Recovery (2015).

Following my encounter with Thandika at Bellagio, our personal and professional paths crossed many times over the next thirty years. The encounters are too numerous to recount. Those that stand out include CODESRIA’s conference on Academic Freedom, held in November 1990 at which the “The Kampala Declaration on Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibility” was issued; and numerous CODESRIA conferences, workshops, and general assemblies including the one in 1995 where I served as a rapporteur. These forums were truly invigorating for a young scholar meeting the doyens of the African intelligentsia. Like many of those in my generation, I matured intellectually under the tutelage of CODESRIA and Thandika.

In return, when I relocated to the United States in 1995 from Canada, I invited Thandika or played a role in his invitation to conferences in the US. This included the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Center for African Studies at the University of Illinois in 1995 where I served as director of the center, and the 1996 US African Studies Association where he gave “The Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola Distinguished Lecture.” The lecture, later published in the African Studies Review entitled, “The Social Sciences in Africa: Breaking Local Barriers and Negotiating International Presence,” was a veritable tour de force. It brilliantly traced the development of social science knowledge production on Africa and offered a searing critique of Africanist exclusionary intellectual practices.

Later, when Thandika was head of UNRISD, he invited me to join the nine member Gender Advisory Group to work on a report on the implementation of the United Nations Fourth World Women’s Conference held in Beijing in 1995. Out of this conference came the report, Gender Equality: Striving for Justice in an Unequal World published in 2005 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Beijing conference. In return, I also invited Thandika to contribute to my own edited collections, including The Encyclopaedia of Twentieth Century African History to which he contributed a fine essay on African intellectuals.

Our personal encounters were even more frequent and deeply gratifying. In the 1990s, I used to go to Dakar frequently, sometimes several times a year. On many occasions, Thandika hosted me or took me out to sample the incredible culinary delights and vibrant music scene of Dakar nightlife. I recall one night going to a club where Yousou N’dour was playing. It was an indescribable treat. In his customary insightful and pithy way, he made me understand the social vibrancy of Dakar. In contrast to the apartheid cities of Southern Africa from which we were alienated in the townships, Dakar is an old city whose residential patterns and social geography are deeply embedded in the rhythms of local culture.

Another memorable encounter was Christmas in the early 2000s where our two families and close friends spent the entire day at the lake in Malawi. As usual, he regaled us with jokes interspersed with acute observations on Malawian history, society, economy and politics. Last December, he and his dear wife, Kaarina Klint, were in Nairobi. What had been planned as a luncheon turned out into an engagement that lasted until dinner and late into the night. We had not seen each other for several years, although we had been in touch, so there was so much to cover. We excitedly discussed his forthcoming 80th birthday celebration, and the possibility of him joining our university as a Visiting Distinguished Professor.

It turned out to be our last meeting. But what a special day it was. Thandika was his usual self, affable, hilariously funny, and of course he made brilliant observations about African and global developments. Thank you Thandika for the privilege of knowing you and your beautiful mind. You will always be a shining intellectual light for your generation, my generation, and generations to come of committed, progressive African, diaspora and global academics, researchers, thinkers and activists.

Malawi Registers Fifth Covid-19 Case

A fifth person has tested positive for Covid-19, a.k.a. Coronavirus, in Malawi.

Special Cabinet Committee on Covid-19 Chairperson, Jappie Mhango, on Monday identified the fifth victim as a Blantyre-based female who returned from the United Kingdom on March 28 , 2020.

Mhango said the individual was "on self-quarantine".

The Queen's Speech on Covid-19

The Queen's address to the nation in full:

I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.

I want to thank everyone on the NHS front line, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential roles, who selflessly continue their day-to-day duties outside the home in support of us all. I am sure the nation will join me in assuring you that what you do is appreciated and every hour of your hard work brings us closer to a return to more normal times.

I also want to thank those of you who are staying at home, thereby helping to protect the vulnerable and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones. Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.

I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future. 

The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by children.

Across the Commonwealth and around the world, we have seen heart-warming stories of people coming together to help others, be it through delivering food parcels and medicines, checking on neighbours, or converting businesses to help the relief effort. 

And though self-isolating may at times be hard, many people of all faiths, and of none, are discovering that it presents an opportunity to slow down, pause and reflect, in prayer or meditation.

It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made, in 1940, helped by my sister. We, as children, spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety. Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones. But now, as then, we know, deep down, that it is the right thing to do.

While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.

We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.

But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all.

President Peter Mutharika Gets Tough on Covid-19

NATIONAL ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT PETER MUTHARIKA ON ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE ON CORONAVIRUS

4 April 2020

Fellow Malawians,

On Thursday, I announced that we now have confirmed cases of Coronavirus disease. Now we have a fourth confirmed case in Blantyre. An attack on one of us is an attack on us all. This is an attack we must all fight. Either we unite and fight, or we perish!

We are not alone in these tragic times. The whole world is under attack from this deadly virus. Many countries are struggling, many people are suffering and many are dying across the world.

HAS ADDRESSED MALAWIANS: Mutharika

On 20th March, I declared Malawi a State of Disaster on the basis of Coronavirus attack. I want to thank every Malawian who has been complying with the preventive measures which Government has put in place. Prevention is wiser than cure. Precaution is always wisdom.

We are encouraging every Malawian to observe strict rules of hygiene, including frequent washing of hands  with soap and wearing masks; 

We are intensifying screening of people in all entry points and surveillance of all travellers from countries that have confirmed coronavirus cases;

We have intensified civic education and information sharing with communities;

We are increasing the number of testing centres in various parts of the country over and above the three laboratories that we have, namely:

the National Health Reference Laboratory in Lilongwe;

the College of Medicine Laboratory; and

the Malawi Liverpool Welcome Trust in Blantyre;

These measures are not enough. We need to do more on all fronts.

Coronavirus is a public health problem. It is also an economic threat and a social problem.

 I know that everyone is worried but I also know that we can survive this problem if we unite and fight.

Today, I therefore announce more measures to be implemented with immediate effect:

In order to decongest work places, all offices shall work in shifts with the exception of those working in essential services. In the public sector, the Chief Secretary to the Government will issue a circular to provide guidelines while for the private and other sectors, the heads of institutions shall liaise with the Secretary responsible for Labour for guidelines;

All formal meetings, gatherings and conferences are suspended forthwith;

All places, buildings and structures with public access shall ensure that there is adequate ventilation during all periods the public has access to those places, buildings and structures;

All employers shall allow vulnerable employees, including those with underlying medical conditions, to work from or stay at home.

In order to decongest our prisons, I direct the Malawi Prison Services and Juvenile Centres to present a list of prisoners and juveniles who committed petty offences and those who have served a significant portion of their sentences for moderate crimes to the Minister of Homeland Security for processing of their release;

I am further directing all affected line Ministries and Local Councils to ensure that they have consulted and engaged their stakeholders such as vendors, market leaders, religious leaders, chiefs and the private sector to agree on sector specific measures and submit them to the Cabinet Committee for my approval within the next 72 hours.

The Coronavirus attack has a huge negative impact on the economy and businesses everywhere. There are many business people and industry players who are uncertain about the situation as it is unfolding. I know that everyone is worried.

Therefore, Government will take measures to protect jobs and incomes, protect businesses and ensure continuity of the supply chain and the survival of the economy.

Let us remember one thing. Malawi’s economy has its own unique characteristics. We are not any other country.

At the same time, the situation we have is unprecedented to everyone. With Coronavirus, there are no models except ourselves.

Therefore, it is extremely important that we must be engaging and listening to one another very carefully.

Government must listen to the private sector and the private sector must listen to us – just as I urge employers and employees to listen to one another. 

Consequently, I urge the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade as well as the Reserve Bank to constantly keep engaging and listening to the private sector as we develop and review various measures.

Our goal is to protect the private sector, no matter how informal it may be, because our economy cannot survive without the private sector.

Today, I am directing the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) to reduce fuel prices with immediate effect. This move is intended to reduce transport cost.

I am also directing the Treasury to do the following:

Reduce salaries of the President, Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers by 10 percent for three months and direct the resources to the fight against the coronavirus;

Instruct the Malawi Revenue Authority to open up a voluntary tax compliance window for a period of six months to allow tax payers with arrears to settle their tax obligations in instalments without penalty;

Provide a special fund to ADMARC to buy agricultural produce at competitive prices;

Establish a Relief Fund through which well-wishers, companies and individuals can support the fight against Coronavirus;

Apply tax waivers on importation of essential goods for Coronavirus management. These include personal protective equipment, hand sanitizers, soaps, water treatment chemicals and many more;

Waive tourism levy to support the tourism industry;

Waive non-resident tax on all foreign doctors and medical personnel;

Increase the MEDF loans allocation from K13 billion to K15 billion in order to help Micro, Small and Medium Scale businesses that have been seriously affected by the pandemic;

Increase Nutrition Allowance payable to civil servants with foundational medical conditions by 50 percent;

Reduce fees and charges on all electronic money transactions in order to promote use of electronic money transactions;

I am also directing the Ministry of Health to recruit 2,000 health workers to assist in the fight of the pandemic. We need more soldiers and human power in this fight.

I am directing Treasury to increase the risk allowances for our health workers as a matter of urgency. The welfare of healthcare workers is our welfare. Their safety is our safety.

I am directing the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that Auction Holdings Limited functions normally to operate the tobacco marketing season and protect tobacco farmers.

Further, I am directing Reserve Bank to:

Implement a win-win arrangement with commercial banks and Micro-Finance Institutions to observe a three-month moratorium on interest and principal repayments for all loans contracted by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Under this arrangement the Registrar will encourage commercial banks to restructure loans to this sector in order to extend their repayment to more than a year;

Cushion the foreign exchange market to ensure availability of forex and stability of the foreign exchange rate;

Activate an Emergency Liquidity Assistance framework to support banks in the event of worsening liquidity conditions and to provide support to banks on a case by case basis.

I am also directing Government to discuss with Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Tourism Association of Malawi for win-win arrangements that will ensure that there are no redundancies in companies.

As we speak, I have discussed with SADC, COMESA and other regional trade blocks as well as neighbouring countries to ensure smooth transportation and importation of essential goods and raw materials into Malawi.

Finally, I hereby direct the Competition and Fair Trading Commission to increase surveillance and protect consumers from anyone who wants to unfairly increase prices of essential goods. People who intend to take advantage of our current situation will be punished. I will not allow anyone to take advantage of coronavirus attack to exploit consumers.

Government shall continue to monitor the implementation of these new and existing measures and review the situation as it develops. More comprehensive measures may be imposed

I want to thank Development Partners for your support and standing with us as a country. Most of you are serving Malawians when your own families and loved ones are in equally demanding situations in your home countries. I appreciate your sacrifice.

In conclusion, I would like us to unite and stand steadfast in these trying times. Together, we can win the war against Coronavirus. Let us not politicize this pandemic.

I thank you for your attention.

Latest on Malawi's Covid-19 Battle: Malawi Registers Fourth Case

REMARKS BY JAPPIE MHANGO, CHAIRPERSON OF THE SPECIAL CABINET COMMITTEE ON COVID-19, ON MALAWI’S FOURTH CONFIRMED CASE

April 4, 2020

As you recall, on 30th March 2020, the President, Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika, declared coronavirus a National Disaster and only 2 days ago, His Excellency announced to the nation that Malawi has recorded its first 3 confirmed cases of coronavirus all of them from a single household in Lilongwe, I wish to inform you that we have another confirmed case in Blantyre.

This patient recently returned from the UK and was in self-quarantine. Tests were done yesterday at the College of Medicine laboratory where it was confirmed that the results are positive.  With this new case, Malawi now has 4 new cases of coronavirus and we can confirm local transmission based on the initial three cases from Lilongwe. All these 4 cases have mild disease

Fellow Malawians, it is very clear that we are at war with the disease and therefore we all need to work together to contain the virus. The Special Cabinet Committee on coronavirus has been regularly meeting to monitor and give guidance on Government interventions to prevent and contain the disease. Government is now intensifying measures to contain the disease by among other things

1. Ensuring contact tracing on all those individuals that came into contact with the confirmed cases
2. Provision of testing services to all suspected cases
3. Increasing surveillance on coronavirus
4. Enforcing measures on social distancing
5. Enforcing hand-washing in all communities
6. Provision of Personal Protective Equipment to all personnel who are at risk of contracting the disease especially health care workers.

The Ministry of Health knows that coronavirus realises that there is shortage of health care workers and therefore working on
1. Increasing the funding allocation to the staff to be recruited now
2. fast tracking the recruitment process for health care workers.

Various ministries and govt departments and councils have developed guidelines and by-laws to contain the virus. In fact Opinion leaders (Traditional Leaders including all Paramount Chiefs, Religious leaders), District Commissioners and Directors of Health and Social Services in the districts have been oriented on coronavirus. Govt also engaged the Private Sector to discuss the impact of coronavirus and how the sector can contribute to the fight against the disease

1. In infrastructure, all district hospitals have reserved rooms and spaces for treatment of confirmed cases that have moderate and severe disease
2. Works on other existing treatment sites has started now that we have funding for all the 10 sites in some of our border districts and central hospitals
3. Training for health care workers and community health workers is currently underway
4. Govt has repaired ventilators in our central hospitals and has provided an additional 20 new ventilators into our treatment sites
5. Govt has more than 20,000 test kits that were donated by Jack Ma and are currently being used at CHSU and College of Medicine and Liverpool Welcome Trust laboratories. Govt, through UNICEF, is procuring another 5000 test kits to be delivered within a month.  Take note that all our test kits have met the standards defined by WHO and CDC and our machines and protocol also meet the set standards. In fact, we have been confirming the initial results with NICD in South Africa
6. Ministry of Health is finalising guidelines on the use of GenExpert machines to ensure that testing is available in all district hospitals
7. Through UNICEF, Personal Protective Equipment is being procured for all health care workers. Priority is given to local suppliers, who meet the required standards.
8. Risk communication is currently being done through the Health Education Unit where posters, jingles, leaflets etc have been developed.
9. The MOH has developed an application which will be used to ensure that we are able to track patients and suspects to ensure compliance to guidelines.

Take note that the ministry has received technical and material support from WHO plus UN Family and CDC, financial support from DFID, HSJF, the governments of Norway and Germany, GAVI, The Global Fund and other development partners.

Again local organisations and companies have contributed to the fight – including messaging through our radio and TV stations, Mobile phone companies such as Airtel (including Airtel support to the Chipatala Cha Pa Foni).

Take note that we have noted that the Chipatala Cha Pa Foni has been overwhelmed by phone calls and the ministry is working on increasing the capacity and personnel to improve the situation

Finally, govt is committed to ensure that coronavirus is contained in Malawi and will do everything possible together with all its partners to win the fight.

I thank you all.