Malawi

The Kayelekera uranium project, located in the Karonga district of the northern region of Malawi about 600 km by road from the capital city of Lilongwe, was successfully brought into production by Paladin Energy Ltd. in 2009. Transport of the first product to Walvis Bay, Namibia, via Zambia, took place on 17 August 2009. Uranium production, by open-pit mining, with an annual production of 1 270 tU, expected to be achieved in 2010, is expected to continue for some nine years.

Macroeconomic policy performance has been generally consistent and strong although government commitment weakened as the country approached and held 2009 presidential and parliamentary elections. Domestic revenue performance was robust at an estimated 29.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009/10, buoyed by recent institutional and administrative tax reforms. The creation of the Large Tax Payers Unit and the expansion of the auditing function under the Malawi Revenue Authority have helped improve the efficiency of tax mobilisation. However, an escalation in domestic debt which increased domestic interest payments and expansion of the fertiliser subsidy well beyond initial budget plans offset the benefits of the strong revenue performance, widening the fiscal deficit to 5.4% of GDP in 2009.

Le Malawi affiche des performances macro-économiques globalement constantes et solides, même si les engagements du gouvernement à réformer ont perdu en vigueur, à mesure qu’approchaient les élections présidentielle et législatives de 2009. Les recettes nationales ont été robustes, à 29.8 % du produit intérieur brut (PIB) en 2009/10 (estimations), sous l’effet des récentes réformes de l’administration fiscale et des institutions. La création d’une unité chargée des gros contribuables (Large Taxpayers Unit – LTU) et l’élargissement de la fonction de contrôle au sein de l’autorité fiscale du Malawi (Malawi Revenue Authority – MRA) ont contribué à améliorer l’efficience du recouvrement des impôts. Cependant, l’envolée de la dette intérieure, qui a alourdi le service de la dette, et l’extension des subventions aux engrais bien au-delà des prévisions de budget initiales ont contrebalancé les bénéfices tirés des bonnes performances au niveau des recettes, creusant le déficit budgétaire à 5.4 % du PIB en 2009.

The Constitution of Malawi upholds the principle of equal rights for men. After the Constitution was adopted in 1994, the government established a Law Commission to assess whether existing legislation was compatible with the aims of the Constitution. Malawi has been profoundly modernised since it embraced democracy in 1994, yet it remains a very traditional society. There is a wide discrepancy between the declarations in the Constitution and the actual relationship between men and women, and customary law acts as a norm in the socialisation process. The country’s media contributes to the wide-ranging debate on these questions.

LE MALAWI SE CLASSE PARMI LES PAYS les moins développés de la planète et ceux dont la densité de la population est la plus forte. Il n’empêche que ses résultats macro-économiques ont été impressionnants au cours de la période récente : le produit intérieur brut (PIB) a progressé de 8.4 pour cent en 2008, après une hausse de 7.9 pour cent en 2007. À la base de cette performance se trouve l’agriculture dont la production a crû de 10.1 pour cent, un chiffre toutefois légèrement inférieur à celui de 2007. Le programme gouvernemental de subventions aux intrants agricoles conjugué aux pluies abondantes sur l’ensemble du pays ont permis de bonnes récoltes de maïs et autres cultures, au cours des dernières années.

MALAWI RANKS AMONG THE WORLD’S most densely populated and least developed countries. Nevertheless, its macroeconomic performance has been impressive in recent years, with gross domestic product (GDP) growing by 8.4 per cent in 2008 compared to 7.9 per cent in 2007. Underpinning this has been a good performance by the agricultural sector, although output growth at 10.1 per cent was slightly lower than in the previous fiscal year. The government’s input subsidy programme combined with ample rains across the country has resulted in good harvests in maize and other crops over the past few years.

La mine d’uranium de Kayelekera se trouve dans le district de Karonga (nord du Malawi), à environ 600 km par route de la capitale, Lilongwe. La production par extraction à ciel ouvert sera de 1 270 t d’U par an. L’exploitation de la mine devrait commencer en 2009 et durer entre sept et neuf ans. 

The Kayelekera uranium project is located in the Karonga district of the northern region of Malawi, about 600 km by road from the capital city of Lilongwe. Uranium production, by open-pit mining, with an annual production of 1 270 tU, is expected to start in 2009 and continue for some seven to nine years.

DESPITE REMAINING ONE OF THE POOREST and least developed countries in Africa,Malawi is beginning to make real progress in terms of laying the foundations for faster economic growth and more effective poverty reduction.

Malawi provides valuable experience on the advantages of a holistic approach when attempting reforms, and on how to manage longer reform programmes. Since 1995, the budget process has been based on the principles of the Medium-term Expenditure Framework. This article presents the findings of a comprehensive review of the MTEF in 1999/2000 which examined its strengths and weaknesses, the possible causes and the proposed reforms required. MTEF Phase II is targeted at strengthening the management and co-ordination of the budget process, ensuring that there is political leadership of the budget process, improving policy and budget scrutiny processes, and strengthening financial accountability systems. The article also draws on a review of the education sector for a line ministry perspective on whether and how budgetary reforms assist in improving service delivery.

Le Malawi est l’un des pays les plus pauvres au monde et une grande partie de sa population est directement ou indirectement tributaire de l’agriculture. Cette étude a pour objet d’examiner l’incidence d’un changement d’orientation des politiques agricoles sur les différents types de ménages de ce pays et la réponse de ces ménages aux réformes.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with much of its population dependent on agriculture, either directly or indirectly. This application seeks to examine the impact that agricultural policy changes will have on different types of household within Malawi, and how different households will respond to those changes.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. It was ranked 165th out of 177 countries according to the 2005 United Nations Human Development Index and had the second lowest GDP per capita in 2003. By all measures, the Malawian economy went through very difficult times in 2005. It faced serious food shortages with an estimated 4.85 million people, i.e. nearly 50 per cent of the population in need of emergency food support. Moreover, 2005 has been a year of political turmoil, with the president facing possible impeachment and resigning from his party to form a new one, an initiative which has very little support in parliament.

Le Malawi est l'un des pays les plus pauvres au monde : classé 165e sur 177 pays recensés par les Nations unies pour l’indicateur 2005 du développement humain, il était, en 2003, l’avant-dernier pays en termes de PIB par habitant. A tous points de vue, l’année 2005 s’est révélée très difficile pour l’économie malawite. Le pays a été confronté à de graves pénuries alimentaires : on estime que 4.85 millions de personnes, soit près de la moitié de sa population, avaient besoin d’une aide alimentaire d’urgence. De plus, l’année a été aussi marquée par une crise politique : le président, menacé de destitution, a quitté son parti pour en créer un nouveau, initiative que n’a guère soutenue le parlement.