In 2017, Malawi had a population of approximately 17.55 million people. The largest ethnic group was Chewa, followed by Yao and Ngoni. The economy of Malawi was largely driven by its agricultural sector, which accounted for more than two-thirds of the country’s GDP. Its industry sector consisted mainly of tobacco production and small-scale manufacturing. In terms of foreign relations, Malawi maintained close ties with neighboring countries such as Mozambique and Zambia, as well as international organizations including the United Nations and the African Union. In terms of politics, Malawi held presidential elections in May 2019 which resulted in a government led by President Lazarus Chakwera from the Tonse Alliance party. The Tonse Alliance-led coalition focused on promoting economic growth and improving foreign relations with other countries in the region. See militarynous for Malawi military and defense.
Yearbook 2017
Malawi. In February, Agriculture Minister George Chaponda was fired by President Peter Mutharika. Chaponda was suspected of corruption in connection with the import of 100,000 tonnes of maize worth the equivalent of just over SEK 300 million from Zambia. During a house search, the police should have found just over SEK 2 million in cash in the Minister of Agriculture’s home. In July, Chaponda was indicted for bribery. The corn imports had previously been criticized in media within the Times Group, which is owned by former dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s family and is close to the opposition party Malawi’s Congress Party (MCP). In January, the Times Group – which owns a daily newspaper, a radio station and a TV channel – was closed by the government. The company was accused of not paying its taxes, which the media house claimed was not true. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for frequently used acronyms and abbreviations related to as well as country profile of Malawi.
According to Countryaah.com, fourteen teenage girls in Nkhata Bay who were sentenced to fines and one year’s suspension from school because they became pregnant appealed in May. The boys who made the girls with children were also suspended from school, which is in accordance with the laws of the country. The girls’ lawyer pointed out the strange thing about criminalizing pregnancy.
In May, the World Bank resumed its budget support for Malawi. This was frozen in 2013 after the corruption scandal called cashgate was revealed. The World Bank highlighted recent government reforms and promised US $ 80 million in support of the country. “Cashgate” became former President Joyce Banda’s case, even though she constantly denied that she was guilty of fraud. At the end of July, Malawi’s police issued an arrest warrant against the president, who after a time in the US moved to South Africa. The next day, Banda re-asserted his innocence and promised to return to his home country to clear himself of the charges.
In September, at least nine people in southern Malawi were killed by lynch mobs. The lynched people were accused of being vampires and belief in these supernatural creatures caused mass hysteria, which in October reached the metropolis of Blantyre. There, one person was stoned to death and another was burned to death. Later in October, about 140 people were arrested by the police for involvement in the lynching.
MALAWI. – State (94,081 km 2 of surface, rising to 118,484 including internal waters) of South-West Africa; independent since 1964 and republic, within the Commonwealth, since 1966. The population, according to 1975 registry estimates, amounts to 5,044,000 residents (the last available census dates back to 1966 and indicates a population of 4,039,583 residents), corresponding to an average density of 53.6 residents per km 2. The most densely populated districts, where they largely exceed 100 residents per km 2, are those of Chiradzulu, Thyolo, Mulanje and Zomba, all located in the southern region of the country; lower densities are found in the central and northern bands. del Malawi (Rumpi, 10 residents per km 2, Kasungu 13, Chitipa 14). The capital is Lilongwe, which in 1966 had 19,200 residents. The only city that has urban characteristics is, however, Blantyre (over 160,000 residents in 1972). Zomba is, in addition to the current capital, the only other center that exceeds 10,000 residents. (19,700).
The economy is essentially agricultural: the arable area, together with tree crops, occupies 25% of the total; permanent meadows and pastures represent 15%, forests 20%, while the remaining 40% is uncultivated or unproductive. The main crops include tobacco (350,000 q in 1975), cotton (113,000 q of seeds and 57,000 q of fiber), tea (292,000 q). Almost entirely destined for domestic consumption are corn (10 million q, again in 1975), sorghum (one million q), rice (140,000 q), potatoes, cassava, etc. The forests, as already indicated, extend over about one fifth of the territory and, in 1975, they supplied wood (mainly teak, mahogany and cedar) for more than 4.7 million m 3. The breeding, in 1975, could count on 600,000 cattle, 800,000 goats and sheep, 160,000 pigs. Fishing is also practiced (lakes Malawi, Malombe, Chiuta). The industry is still poorly developed and the only production units are concentrated in Blantyre (tobacco manufacturing, cement factory, sugar processing). Communication routes are also scarce (566 km of railways, 1300 km of paved roads). The trade balance is heavily in deficit. Only agricultural products are exported, all manufactured goods are imported.