Reserve Bank of Malawi Must Serve Malawians Interests

 Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM)’s decision to put a cap on how much foreign exchange one is permitted to possess without seeking approval to $1,000 (or about K1.75 million) is a stitch in time.

This is so because requiring people to source documentation pertaining to origins of $1,000 or its equivalent was somewhat inconveniencing. This is so because people, and even firms, were using time they would, otherwise, utilise for productive purposes idling in forex bureaux or authorised dealer banks while waiting for document processing.

In addition, the requirement was causing unnecessary delays at airports and other busy places.

Furthermore, the requirement to produce documentation backing the possession of $1,000 was fuelling corruption, as some of those who did not have documents were being forced to offer kickbacks to those tasked to ensure that individuals and firms do the needful.

To make matters worse, the regulations were not clearcut, such that chances of people creating loopholes just to get money in return were high.

Now, according to the Foreign Exchange (Limit on Physical Possession of Foreign Currency) Notice for 2026, the central bank is giving people room to possess not more than $1,000, or its equivalent in another foreign currency, without requiring documentation or an explanation within the country or when traveling out.

However, for any amount above the threshold, according to the control measures, one would be required to explain its source, accompanied by supporting documents.

The provision also means that when traveling in or out of the country, people will be allowed to keep up to $1,000 (or about K1.75 million), or its equivalent in another foreign currency, without being asked for documentation at the airport.

However, anything above the amount would, according to the RBM, require supporting documentation.

RBM indicates that the move has been necessitated by the need to ensure sanity in the management and use of forex in the country.

Financial Market Dealers Association of Malawi has, on its part, said the controls are meant to supplement provisions of the Foreign Exchange Act of 2025. The Act was incomplete as it required RBM to define thresholds.

This is, indeed, good news.

That said, we would like to urge the authorities to take heed of what the Consumers Association of Malawi is saying, to the effect that there is a need to ensure that currency syndicates are not thriving.

This can be done by ensuring that only those who are licensed operate forex bureaux.

There is also a need to ensure that everyone is aware of the new measures, lest other people continue to force those with $1,000 to produce supporting documents.

In the end, Malawians need a central bank that responds to their needs—and the new measure is definitely a move in that direction.

Legislative Extravagance

 Members of Parliament (MPs) must be among the most spoilt people in Malawi.

As at now, some of the lawmakers have bought vehicles worth K200 million and above, all courtesy of loans they get by virtue of being MPs.

The legislators also enjoy a truckload of benefits, such that one would hope that they would be satisfied.

After all, the MPs vie for votes on the pretext that they want to serve people/constituents. But the heavens know they are in for the benefits that come with being an MP.

In fact, for some people, serving as MP is a way of running away from the unemployment queues that are, each passing day, getting longer and longer in this country.

And while Malawians thought they had had enough of MPs’ shenanigans, the lawmakers have surprised us once again.

During a recent meeting, some lawmakers requested the Malawi Enterprise Development Fund to consider establishing a special loan facility for lawmakers.

The MPs in question fall under the Parliamentary Committee on Social and Community Affairs.

The lawmakers seemingly believe that the special loan facility would lessen political pressure they face in their day-to-day operations.

To say the truth, and as civil society organisations have put it, the request is unjustifiable and borders on incessant greed.

Indeed, the request borders on selfishness of the highest order. How can people who are already getting benefits and perks that most Malawians can only dream of crave more benefits, needless to say at the expense of the hungry and resource-constrained people they serve?

If a lawmaker feels that they are under pressure form constituents, why not abandon the job and look for something else to do? Noone forces MPs to be MPs. They are in Parliament on their own volition.

In addition, life in Malawi is not just about MPs; there are millions of people with more pressing needs than the MPs’ needs. As at now, millions of people are facing hunger, according to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee.

As such, these are the issues people who think logically should be talking about, instead of thinking about how to continue lining one’s pockets with cash derived from the public pulse.

Malawi needs MPs who have the interest of the nation at heart—and not people who think of issues only in relation to themselves.

That is not the Malawi we want.

Pregnancy Is Not A Death Sentence

 Childbirth is supposed to be one of the happy moments in life, as people welcome a new member into a family and, by extension, to the society.

No wonder, ululation is synonymous with childbirth, as elation becomes the prevalent emotion.

Unfortunately, an ironic situation has been unfolding in the background, where pregnant women who are expected to bring joy to the society are dying in the process of giving life.

According to the Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Malawi, postpartum haemorrhage—or excessive bleeding—after childbirth is responsible for about one in every five maternal deaths in the country,

The association indicates that most women affected by pregnancy and childbirth complications die during labour or shortly after giving birth, despite many of the complications being preventable if identified and treated early.

The unfortunate thing is that some of the causes of death are preventable.

Experts say intensified public awareness, particularly in rural communities where women may face delays in seeking medical attention or accessing appropriate maternal healthcare services, is one of the solutions to the problem. In fact, women must first know that excessive bleeding is preventable.

As such, women must embrace health-seeking behaviour, which will culminate in them seeking medical attention immediately after discovering that they are pregnant so that healthcare workers can assess their condition and identify potential complications before they become life-threatening.

There is also a need for women to identify conditions that may lead to their untimely demise. For instance, anaemia is one of the conditions that should be detected and treated during pregnancy because it can increase risks that are associated with childbirth and excessive bleeding.

Moving forward, we expect all stakeholders—women in particular and community members in general, Ministry of Health officials, public and private sector players, the men who impregnate the women, among others—to put hands to the wheel and ensure that preventable deaths are put at bay.

That way, Malawi will become an embodiment of good health.

Health-seeking behaviour must not be seen as an option; rather, it must be regarded as a must—the very essence of life.

Fuel This, Fuel That

Malawi is becoming synonymous with shortages.

To begin with, hope is becoming a scarce commodity as citizens find that what was promised on the campaign trail is not what is materialising on the ground.

For instance, while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) pledged—in the runup to the September 16, 2025 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government Elections—to promote meritocracy, nepotism has taken the centre stage as tribesmen are taking over State affairs.

Talking of nepotism, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration, which was ousted from power through the mighty muscle of the vote, bettered that dark art; putting people of one ethnic grouping in key public positions as if Malawi belongs to people from one region.

Here is an MCP administration that did not allow bonafide citizens of this country to hold peaceful demonstrations in its stronghold, turning Malawi into a dictatorship in a democratic dispensation.

Indeed, it was an administration that did not listen to the voice of reason, such that it even banned the importation of flesh milk that is used on medical grounds. People complained but nobody listened.

Fuel supply challenges became the in-thing, too, with motorists queuing for the commodity for nights and days on end.

Surely, Malawians lost hope in MCP and mercilessly booted it out of power last year, at a time the party had become too stubborn to think logically.

In its stead, Malawians opted for the DPP, which promised to restore citizens’ hope.

One of the problems the DPP pledged to address pertains to fuel—diesel and petrol—shortage.

However, the queues are back.

This is not what Malawians expected because the DPP had promised a lasting solution to the problem.

What baffles us is that almost all administrations seem to understand that fuel is a key commodity. They also, one way or another, seem to hint at solutions.

However, the solutions have been long coming.

Of course, we know that administrations sometimes create crises just to pretend to find temporary solutions they cash in on. For instance, they promise to use middlemen for a short time but, by the time they part ways with the middlemen, they have received kickbacks.

This is not the way to go.

The way to go is to ensure that Malawi exports more than it imports so that it can generate the much-needed forex and forever have its fuel tanks filled.

Otherwise, the country will face the problem of fuel supply shortages forever.

Talking About Malawi Roads

 When one talks about diversification, the issue that will automatically resonate with Malawians is food. And, definitely, most Malawians would think that the issue of diversification from maize, the stapple crop, has resurfaced.

No one, certainly not we, can blame them. Malawians’ obsession with maize has become almost like an addiction, such that there is a need to change diets.

Most importantly, there is a need to change the mindset, which will enable people to know that maize, and its associated food products, is not the only food.

However, Malawians also need to diversify their line of thinking on diversification.

There are countless areas that need a paradigm shift, in terms of thinking.

Take, for instance, means of transport.

When Malawians hear foreign nationals lamenting lack of variety of transport means in the country, most of them tend to think that the foreign nationals are talking about lack of vehicles for use on the country’s roads.

Thing is, the movement of people and goods from one place to another cannot only depend on road transport. At this point, we do not want to talk about Malawi’s pothole-filled roads.

Malawi should start investing heavily in air, water and railway transport.

Just this week, Malawians were surprised to hear that MV Mtendere had tipped over in Monkey Bay, Mangochi District.

This is a clear indication that the country has been failing to invest in water transport. The vessels that operate on Lake Malawi have been there for a while, such that it is high time they were replaced.

Another area that needs heavy investment is air transport. The country’s so-called ‘international’ airports are ramshackle to say the least. We do not want to talk about issues of radar and what have you. The ongoing parliamentary inquiry on the Chikangawa Forest plane crash has exposed glaring gaps in that regard.

And, then, there is rail transport, once a flourishing means of transport under former president Ngwazi Dr Hastings Kamuzu’s Banda’s administration. Today, some people and institutions have even fenced areas that used to be part of the country’s railroad.

And, to add salt to the festering wound, we now hear that construction of a northbound railway connecting Malawi to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority network remains on paper, almost 20 months after the plan was announced.

In February 2025, the Ministry of Transport and Public Works announced that construction works would begin later that year and that a feasibility study was under way.

This is not the news Malawians wanted to hear.

All Malawians want to hear is that we have embraced the principle of transport-means diversification, too.

That way, the cost of goods may be reduced and people may have a choice as to which mode of transport they want to use.

Time to rethink our approach to development is now—or never.

President Donald Trump's Letter to World Health Organisation

On Tuesday, the United States (US) President, Donald Trump, made public the letter he has penned the World Health Organisation over its response to the Covid-19 pandemic after it became known that people in Wuhan, China, were falling prey to a novel disease.

Trump has warned that the US would permanently suspend its financial contribution to the World Health Organisation, and review its membership to the same, if the United Nations agency will not take remedial action within the next 30 days.

Below is the letter:

Our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, On Covid-19

It is now almost two months since the people of this country began to put up with restrictions on their freedom – your freedom – of a kind that we have never seen before in peace or war.

And you have shown the good sense to support those rules overwhelmingly.

You have put up with all the hardships of that programme of social distancing.

Because you understand that as things stand, and as the experience of every other country has shown, it’s the only way to defeat the coronavirus - the most vicious threat this country has faced in my lifetime.

And though the death toll has been tragic, and the suffering immense.

And though we grieve for all those we have lost.

It is a fact that by adopting those measures we prevented this country from being engulfed by what could have been a catastrophe in which the reasonable worst case scenario was half a million fatalities.

And it is thanks to your effort and sacrifice in stopping the spread of this disease that the death rate is coming down and hospital admissions are coming down.

And thanks to you we have protected our NHS and saved many thousands of lives.

And so I know - you know - that it would be madness now to throw away that achievement by allowing a second spike.

We must stay alert.

We must continue to control the virus and save lives.

And yet we must also recognise that this campaign against the virus has come at colossal cost to our way of life.

We can see it all around us in the shuttered shops and abandoned businesses and darkened pubs and restaurants.

And there are millions of people who are both fearful of this terrible disease, and at the same time also fearful of what this long period of enforced inactivity will do to their livelihoods and their mental and physical wellbeing.

To their futures and the futures of their children.

So I want to provide tonight - for you - the shape of a plan to address both fears.

Both to beat the virus and provide the first sketch of a road map for reopening society.

A sense of the way ahead, and when and how and on what basis we will take the decisions to proceed.

I will be setting out more details in Parliament tomorrow and taking questions from the public in the evening.

I have consulted across the political spectrum, across all four nations of the UK.

And though different parts of the country are experiencing the pandemic at different rates.

And though it is right to be flexible in our response.

I believe that as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, there is a strong resolve to defeat this together.

And today a general consensus on what we could do.

And I stress could.

Because although we have a plan, it is a conditional plan.

And since our priority is to protect the public and save lives, we cannot move forward unless we satisfy the five tests.

We must protect our NHS.

We must see sustained falls in the death rate.

We must see sustained and considerable falls in the rate of infection.

We must sort out our challenges in getting enough PPE to the people who need it, and yes, it is a global problem but we must fix it.

And last, we must make sure that any measures we take do not force the reproduction rate of the disease - the R - back up over one, so that we have the kind of exponential growth we were facing a few weeks ago.

And to chart our progress and to avoid going back to square one, we are establishing a new COVID Alert System run by a new Joint Biosecurity Centre.

And that COVID Alert Level will be determined primarily by R and the number of coronavirus cases.

And in turn that COVID Alert Level will tell us how tough we have to be in our social distancing measures – the lower the level the fewer the measures.

The higher the level, the tougher and stricter we will have to be.

There will be five alert levels.

Level One means the disease is no longer present in the UK and Level Five is the most critical – the kind of situation we could have had if the NHS had been overwhelmed.

Over the period of the lockdown we have been in Level Four, and it is thanks to your sacrifice we are now in a position to begin to move in steps to Level Three.

And as we go everyone will have a role to play in keeping the R down.

By staying alert and following the rules.

And to keep pushing the number of infections down there are two more things we must do.

We must reverse rapidly the awful epidemics in care homes and in the NHS, and though the numbers are coming down sharply now, there is plainly much more to be done.

And if we are to control this virus, then we must have a world-beating system for testing potential victims, and for tracing their contacts.

So that – all told - we are testing literally hundreds of thousands of people every day.

We have made fast progress on testing – but there is so much more to do now, and we can.

When this began, we hadn’t seen this disease before, and we didn’t fully understand its effects.

With every day we are getting more and more data.

We are shining the light of science on this invisible killer, and we will pick it up where it strikes.

Because our new system will be able in time to detect local flare-ups – in your area – as well as giving us a national picture.

And yet when I look at where we are tonight, we have the R below one, between 0.5 and 0.9 – but potentially only just below one.

And though we have made progress in satisfying at least some of the conditions I have given.

We have by no means fulfilled all of them.

And so no, this is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week.

Instead we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures.

And the first step is a change of emphasis that we hope that people will act on this week.

We said that you should work from home if you can, and only go to work if you must.

We now need to stress that anyone who can’t work from home, for instance those in construction or manufacturing, should be actively encouraged to go to work.

And we want it to be safe for you to get to work. So you should avoid public transport if at all possible – because we must and will maintain social distancing, and capacity will therefore be limited.

So work from home if you can, but you should go to work if you can’t work from home.

And to ensure you are safe at work we have been working to establish new guidance for employers to make workplaces COVID-secure.

And when you do go to work, if possible do so by car or even better by walking or bicycle. But just as with workplaces, public transport operators will also be following COVID-secure standards.

And from this Wednesday, we want to encourage people to take more and even unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise.

You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports but only with members of your own household.

You must obey the rules on social distancing and to enforce those rules we will increase the fines for the small minority who break them.

And so every day, with ever increasing data, we will be monitoring the R and the number of new infections, and the progress we are making, and if we as a nation begin to fulfil the conditions I have set out, then in the next few weeks and months we may be able to go further.

In step two – at the earliest by June 1 – after half term – we believe we may be in a position to begin the phased reopening of shops and to get primary pupils back into schools, in stages, beginning with reception, Year 1 and Year 6.

Our ambition is that secondary pupils facing exams next year will get at least some time with their teachers before the holidays. And we will shortly be setting out detailed guidance on how to make it work in schools and shops and on transport.

And step three - at the earliest by July - and subject to all these conditions and further scientific advice; if and only if the numbers support it, we will hope to re-open at least some of the hospitality industry and other public places, provided they are safe and enforce social distancing.

Throughout this period of the next two months we will be driven not by mere hope or economic necessity. We are going to be driven by the science, the data and public health.

And I must stress again that all of this is conditional, it all depends on a series of big Ifs. It depends on all of us – the entire country – to follow the advice, to observe social distancing, and to keep that R down.

And to prevent re-infection from abroad, I am serving notice that it will soon be the time – with transmission significantly lower – to impose quarantine on people coming into this country by air.

And it is because of your efforts to get the R down and the number of infections down here, that this measure will now be effective.

And of course we will be monitoring our progress locally, regionally, and nationally and if there are outbreaks, if there are problems, we will not hesitate to put on the brakes.

We have been through the initial peak – but it is coming down the mountain that is often more dangerous.

We have a route, and we have a plan, and everyone in government has the all-consuming pressure and challenge to save lives, restore livelihoods and gradually restore the freedoms that we need.

But in the end this is a plan that everyone must make work.

And when I look at what you have done already.

The patience and common sense you have shown.

The fortitude of the elderly whose isolation we all want to end as fast as we can.

The incredible bravery and hard work of our NHS staff, our care workers.

The devotion and self-sacrifice of all those in every walk of life who are helping us to beat this disease.

Police, bus drivers, train drivers, pharmacists, supermarket workers, road hauliers, bin collectors, cleaners, security guards, postal workers, our teachers and a thousand more.

The scientists who are working round the clock to find a vaccine.

When I think of the millions of everyday acts of kindness and thoughtfulness that are being performed across this country.

And that have helped to get us through this first phase.

I know that we can use this plan to get us through the next.

And if we can’t do it by those dates, and if the alert level won’t allow it, we will simply wait and go on until we have got it right.

We will come back from this devilish illness.

We will come back to health, and robust health.

And though the UK will be changed by this experience, I believe we can be stronger and better than ever before. More resilient, more innovative, more economically dynamic, but also more generous and more sharing.

But for now we must stay alert, control the virus and save lives.

Thank you very much.

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.


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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: